Uma from India

Randy’s November 2009 Update

One of God’s many surprises for me this year showed up in the form of a woman named Uma from India.  Though Uma would not label herself a Christian and doesn’t fall within this ministry’s target age group, through God’s mysterious design, Uma and I have recently begun a spiritual mentoring relationship.

Here’s a bit of Uma’s fascinating story:

 

UMA’S BACKGROUND:

“I was born Hindu, and raised accordingly.  But I was a ‘questioning brat’, one who didn’t simply accept the do-it-because-we-elders-tell-you-so theory.  However, answers eluded me and frustration gnawed at me.  I didn’t understand what the rituals and chants meant.  Prayer began to feel like an alien language.  So I took the only way out: I stopped praying.

“I was also raised in an alcoholic home where my father was, often, an invisible figure.  Shame and loneliness alienated me during those secretive years.  It seemed God had cut me out, and I chose to ignore Him right back.

“You obviously don’t care, was all I said to God in those days.

“In a casual conversation with Sister Valeria, who taught me Psychology in college, I blurted out the carefully hidden family secret – my father’s an alcoholic.  With that disclosure, my dammed up emotions flooded out of me.

“From that day on, Sister Valeria became my friend and mentor.

“It was Sister Valeria, who I loved dearly, who introduced me to God.

“God is sculpting you, my child, she said.  It hurts when He uses the chisel on you but at the end of it all will emerge a beautiful statue.

“I loved those words and actually started to believe in them.

“One day she asked if I’d like to attend a prayer meeting.  I felt intense emotion rise up in me as the pastor spoke.  He used the word ‘Father’ to address God.  He asked for God’s blessings on us all, and that God would take care of those who were alone and suffering.

“During that prayer, I had a thunderbolt moment.  God did care.  He loved me.  He was the Father I was missing.  To me, this felt like a reunion with my Father, one I’d never known.

“That was the day He took up residence in my heart.  When I closed my eyes and sought comfort, I saw a man with shoulder-length hair and warm brown eyes, and I called him Father.

“Even today, I have no attachment to labels.  I don’t let them define me.  I am Hindu and Christian and Buddhist all in one, because I try to absorb the best lessons that all religions offer.

“But the God I see and the one I pray to is the Father who lives in my heart.  I feel a sense of peace wash over me when I talk to Him, just as I would to a dear friend.

 

UMA’S LONG JOURNEY TO THE U.S.:

“My husband’s sister who was living in the United States applied for our immigrant status.  We waited with eager anticipation.

“Fifteen years later, long after the excitement of the mailman’s daily arrival faded and we’d forgotten all about the possibility, the US Consulate contacted us.  Within two weeks, green cards fell into our laps and we had a decision to make.

“We prayed, and decided that if everything went as planned, it would be a sign that God had blessed this move and had a plan for us.  And so it was.

“When my husband, teenage daughter and I moved eight thousand miles from Chennai (India) to Chicago in May 2008, we arrived with dreams and plans.

 

 

“Ten days later, my mom was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.

“Transitioning into a new culture and coping with a loved one’s terminal illness is enough to unhinge the sanest.  I felt alone and friendless, disconnected and isolated from those I held dear.

“This was a far cry from the adventure we’d set out on.  It was like being trapped in the middle of a nightmare.

“Eight months after the fatal diagnosis, mom stole away from us forever.

 

HOW UMA MET RANDY:

“I tried to pick up the threads of my life.  A very dear friend of mine, Andy, who I met through work, threw me a life-line and suggested I meet Randy.

“The idea took root right away.  A mentor had been on my Wish List to God for some time but my mental image of the person did not include theology, saffron robes or beads.  Randy arrived in faded blue jeans, wearing a sunshiny smile, speaking a language my heart understood.

“Not only was I dealing with enormous grief over the loss of a loved one, but her death had unleashed a series of existential dilemmas I was feverishly seeking answers to.

“My head buzzed with ‘Why’s but there were no answers.

“Randy, in his inimitable way, shifted that focus a tad bit and opened up a world of possibilities.  Instead of ‘Why’, ask ‘What’ you’re meant to learn from this experience, he said to me.  With that statement as my guide, I now navigate my days with more grace.  I now know that every experience God sends me, good, bad or ugly, contains a lesson.  Together, they form the blueprint of my life.

“My growth journey with Randy has just begun.  I know we have miles to discover.  All I know is I couldn’t have asked for a better Sherpa.” – Uma Girish

 

THANK YOU:

Uma is an amazingly loving woman who attempts to faithfully follow God’s leadings.  Throughout her day she continually seeks him, asking, Who should I talk to today? and What would you want me to say?  She can often be found comforting and encouraging the elderly.

Though Uma didn’t fall within the ministry’s target group (Y-generation Christians desiring to discover and live out their unique redemptive purpose in this world) and part of me wondered, Why would she want to meet with me?, I felt a prompting to follow God’s preparations, and Uma seemed confident she’d found the right person.

I have no idea what will happen as Uma and I journey together, but I’m up for the adventure and all the learning we will share.

One thing I do know is that she is very tender towards God (including Jesus) and cares deeply for others.  The love inside her flows out naturally – it takes action as she attempts to follow her Father’s nudges.

Thank you for partnering with me in providing this life-changing discipleship ministry to the next generation of Christian leaders, and to amazing seekers and charitable lovers like Uma.  Your prayers and financial support are making a huge difference.

If you haven’t already taken the opportunity, will you pray about it and partner with me?  My email is randy@legacyshepherding.org

Happy Thanksgiving!

In His Love,
Randy

PS  Uma is a writer.  She returned to India briefly after her mom’s diagnosis and then again for her mother’s funeral.  An article written by her about the day her mother’s head was shaved was published in an on-line medical magazine.  To read Uma’s Article click here.