Arrival in Kolkata

So we arrived yesterday in India at 5am. We had a long first day. It feels as though I have spent several days here, but in reality I have only been here for 24 hours. I seem to be absorbing so much that my brain is overwhelmed. I want to take everything in; the smells, the sounds, the people... I just can't seem to get enough of this place! Oddly, I am not shocked. I was expecting this awful, poor, downcast city, but everything here is alive. To me, it seems so normal; people are working, cleaning and cooking, they have daily routines just like they would in Toronto or some other Western city. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in Kolkata, that I'm in India, so far far away from home. I LOVE IT!

God has been doing a lot in me since arriving. He's bringing up all these things that I have to deal with. Things that have nothing to do with Kolkata or my work here. I feel guilty about it in a way. How can I think about myself and my problems from home when I'm here, in a place like this? I have a job to do which entails being selfless. Today, after reading 'My Utmost for his Highest', I realized what God was doing. He's totally preparing me to work for him. He's calling me to confess the things that could get in the way of my serving Him and the people here. It was wonderful to take my journal and tell God all that I felt and have Him take it away. I feel refreshed, renewed and totally enabled to do God's will. I'm so blessed.