Hello everyone!

I am currently flying home to Colorado!! Yay! So close!

It’s been a crazy past couple of months. A lot has happened and I’m thankful for your patience in waiting for a blog post.

I want to first start out with I am HOME in the US! After sixty-six hours of travel we made it back to the adventures in missions base in Georgia. Its been crazy to be back and re enter into the US with my team. We’ve had this past week to debrief, rest, and spend some time together. We filled our time with prayer sets, Walmart runs, peach picking, drives and boat rides.

Amongst what felt like business I asked God to help me know how to rest. It was crazy because that same day during our worship set we sang that song that says “just like Mary chose the better thing”. Then I read Luke 10:38-42 which talks about Mary and Martha. How Mary chose to rest and sit at Jesus’ feet. Then at the end of the day our team was prayed over by the other group on base and as one of the girls prayed She prayed true rest over us. Yes, God does teach and yes he does answer prayers when we ask him for help. When we got to America I automatically felt the atmosphere of business and control. It’s crazy being over all the world and landing in your country to feel and observe different things that you might’ve not seen or felt before. So to ask God how to rest and then get multiple clear answers was so sweet of God.

The past couple days my team has been slowly leaving and today the last of us have left. It makes me sad to leave my people, to end this chapter, to look back on everything. We had a time in India to process and go through a time of debrief. Before I talk about that I want to start at the beginning of India. There is a lot to go through so buckle in and get fired up! The Holy Spirit is moving in India!!

We spent our first couple of days amongst the busy streets of New Delhi. New Delhi was a hard place for my team. It was a heavy place to be. Not only for our team as we were getting better from being sick, but also seeing a lot of poverty and hurt roaming the streets. Lots of people everywhere in your face and in your personal space. We didn’t let that stop us from having a bit of fun and seeing a couple of sights.

We left New Delhi with hurt and tiredness, not sure if we could make it to our next destination.

Stepping into India we had no hosts. It was purely “ask the Lord to show you where to go”. Kayla, one of the girls on my team, met a family when we were in Guatemala who served in India for a year. This family then got us in contact with a boys home in Dehradun. Bobby and Anu (our hosts) have been pulling kids out of the red light district for around 20 years! We stayed at there boys home. About 40 boys live here. They go to the school down the street and learn about Jesus through teaching and prayer right in their house. It’s crazy what God can do with a little step or even a crawl into a step of obedience. We knew nothing about these people but as we arrived to their home, we were greeted by hugs and evidence of the holy spirits presence! Sitting in their prayer room that night my team was met by the presence of God as a loving, faithful, comforter and father. We came so exhausted to his presence and he met all of us in that hurt. So so good.

The first couple days of being there we were poured into so much! We also started preparation for kids camp. My team was in charge of games and crafts.

Camp!!

This was Bobby and Anu’s second year  doing kids camp. They were suppose to have another group come in to help them prepare but that group fell through. Ever since Guatemala God has prepared us to go and help out. Here we were sent by him to do his work! Perfect timing!

If you didn’t know I’ve helped out at a summer camp before. This year ive missed it and to jump into camp with these kids was so sweet. 150 first generation Christian kids from all over India were planning on attending camp. Over our two days of preparation and after the first day of camp over 200 kids came and signed up for camp!!

This camp was like nothing I’ve experienced before! We had all these kids in a small room, with no ac, in hot weather, worshiping God with everything. So much happened in those three days of camp. I think I grew the most I have in those three days than I ever have in three days before. I want to share a couple of testimonies of how God is working through the young generation in India!

Prayer and the power of prayer

I first just want to say that God is so powerful! Despite what these kids have gone through and despite the strongholds that taunt some of them GOD IS GREATER! He’s greater than any fear, any anxiety, any hurt or burden. His love is STRONGER. This truth was a big thing that I found myself praying daily. Everyday in the evening we had a time of deliverance and worship, and every day we saw oppression and deliverance.  As I write this I feel the Holy spirt just telling me to tell you the raw of this space. With all of these kids you don’t know where they are coming from or what they carry. We saw that in actions and manifestation. We saw kids jolting on the floor, screaming. But we also saw the power of Jesus name and through dancing and singing. As I held one girl in my arms on the floor the spirit of love and peace fell on her. As I looked into the eyes of another girl I saw fear. So much of it. But at the moment of speaking Jesus name a wave of peace filled her body and her spirit. As I knelt on the floor weeping and praying in the spirit I had a vision of Jesus kneeling right beside me and felt so much of his peace. The power of prayer and Jesus name is so great! Everything that happened in that room I saw Jesus blood cover each person. I saw him sit next to each person. Wow! I don’t know how to describe it but I will never forget that!

Healings

Before worship our friend told us he had invited some non believing school friends. I sat next to one of them. As we worshiped I found myself distracted and with a pounding headache. I hadn’t had one all day and started praying and asking God if it was my headache or if it was someone else’s. At the end of worship I felt the urge to ask this unbelieving friend if he had a headache. He proceeded to say “how’d you know that” and that he’d had a headache all day. That he was about to not come because of it. After praying for him I asked him how he was feeling. He excitedly said “it’s gone!”  Mine was gone too! I was so excited at this point. Jesus had brought healing. I don’t know what he thought about Jesus after that but I praise God for bringing healing! God is a healer and not just overseas but everywhere!

Prayer flags

Cartech, one of our sweet friends at camp made a small prayer flag out of scraps. He had it during every worship session waving it around. So much of the spirit and so much joy! One day my team came together with the same idea. “What if we gave him our prayer flags!” We have been carrying around prayer flags all through our travels. We dropped a couple in Turkey and had two left. When we gave these prayer flags to him he was filled with so much joy and used them that night! Just a couple days ago he posted such a powerful flag dance on his Instagram! What a beautiful way to worship!

What a cool opportunity camp was. To see lives changed, lives on fire, and hearts softened and to have fun while doing it! Bobby and Anu are still trying to raise support for camp. Every kid was able to go for free to camp because of people’s generosity. Please be praying that they receive all the support they need for camp finances!

All the kids that attended camp!

Some yummy homemade butter chicken the boys made one night!

We traveled quite a bit through India and each travel day brought a bit of craziness but also fun! From overnight buses on bumpy roads, to overnight trains and sleeping in little cubicles, we made our travel memorable.

Next stop was agura for one night to see the Taj Mahal! You have to see the Taj, and what a sight to see. So surreal!

With another travel day through the rain we made it to Goa India. Goa was put on some people’s hearts at the beginning of India so we decided to stay most of our time there. Being blessed by the Lord through our budget we got a nice place to stay. And it had a pool. Felt kinda weird to stay in such a nice place but I do think it was a good start to a bit of a transition into the states. Starting the day with worship we were able to debrief and talk about the past year with each other. Amanda was also able to get in contact with two different ministries.

Matthew- El Shaddai projects in India

Matthew started this ministry over 20 years ago. They have 7 different kids homes with 45 kids in each one providing education and food daily for them. He is also the pastor of a local church there. I was able to go to one of the kids home and hang out with 20 crazy kids for a day. That was fun haha. We also went to his English church service and encourage the congregation!

Dearsha- living water

Dearsha, a local pastor, works with a local school and rehab centers. We were able to go to a men’s rehab center that takes men off the streets and gives them a place to stay, get back on their feet, and learn about Jesus! Although some of them didn’t speak English their testimonies were encouraging and the Holy Spirit rested in that place.

My sweet friend Kirani next to our Airbnb invited me over for tea and talks.

Moped rides were our only transportation to the store and around town. They became very healing for our team haha.

I joined a run club that met 3 times while we were there. Kinda want to be a runner haha. Don’t have any pictures but wanted to share!

I am so thankful for our time in India! It was encouraging to find people who loved Jesus and see how they live and work for the lord on a daily basis. Fire is in India and God is moving! People are being met with the gospel and new life. Pray for the pastors there. That as they continue in ministry that they would continue in endurance. That there would be no fear but complete confidence. That any backlash would spur them on closer to the Lord and that they would remain faithful!

Next steps

During our time in India a handful of us were able to take leadership/discipleship classes, in preparation for squad leading. We learned so much in these 6 weeks and I’m thankful for the time people took to teach us. One thing that I shared in my last blog was that I am going back out! It’s crazy to be sitting here in the airport going back home knowing that I am going back out in just a couple of weeks. We currently have 15 girls and 8 boys on this next squad, R squad! Drum roll… I will be going to Greece, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Thailand and Guatemala!! I am so excited for this next season and what God has for this next team! As a leader, I’ve been learning that truly it’s God and the Holy Spirit who do all things. It’s been sweet to hear from the Lord words for this squad and to already start praying for them. As I prepare to leave again pray that I get good full rest. That I sit with the Lord, and learn and grow from him more than I have before. A crazy praise is that I’ve received all of my funding for this next trip!! GOD IS SOO GOOD! That’s sweet confirmation right there. I did email those who are monthly giving but just another little reminder that if you are monthly giving, thank you and you can cancel that! :) If there’s an urge or wantingness to still give I’ve opened up a go fund me for little necessities and I also have Venmo. I will link both of those down below this. All the exciting and crazy stuff!!

Guys! It’s been a crazy season! I feel like a completely different person made new and refined in Christ! It’s crazy to go home even if it’s just for a bit. Thank you for the prayers, the words of encouragement, the love and everything else! I look forward to seeing many of you and to give you big hugs!!

I couldn’t have done this year without the Lord. Thank you Jesus for all that you did and all that you continue to do. Thank you for new life that’s found in you! Thank you that I got to be apart of your bigger plan! Thank you for the power of testimony. I pray for the reader that you touch them right now with your spirit. I pray that they are encouraged and emboldened to share who you are, right where they are at. You are a good God and there is no one like you. To you I give all the praise, glory and honor. I love you Lord. Amen.

I love you all. Signing out for a quick second. Thanks for joining me for this book. Until next season.

In Christ,

Sydney

If you want to see more pictures here’s my photo circle link! https://join.photocircleapp.com/1D2M8ZVGFN

If you feel led to give here’s my Venmo and go fund me.

go fund me: https://gofund.me/8d77c625f

venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Sydney-Hood-8