Category: Uncategorized

May I Pray for You?

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

You already know that I was in California this past weekend right? Well, if you read my last few blog posts you’d know that. I met some interesting people along the way. When you have a chance, you should read it. Here is where to find out about Matthew who I met on my flight from Texas to California. With a quick smile and a profound “Hi, I’m Matthew” this special man stole my heart!

On my way to California I wasn’t very tired so I entertained any conversation I could have with those around me. In fact, at times I initiated the conversation myself. Now on the return to Boone, NC it was a completely different story. I was in California for only the weekend and my schedule was extremely packed. On Saturday and Sunday alone I worked for about 20hrs so by the time I got on to my flight, I was exhausted to the T. I requested a window seat so I could lean my head against it and just sleep through the whole journey. However, that’s apparently NOT what the big Boss above intended!

Once I boarded my flight, I smiled at my neighbor, made my way to my seat and then just gazed outside the window. I tried to get some reading done and then attempted to sleep. However, I had this unexplainable stirring of the spirit if you must, to have a conversation with her at a time when I just didn’t want to talk to anybody. I hoped if I ignored the feeling long enough, it would go away and I would be saved from human interaction! I know I sound like an anti-social entity right now but in my defense, I spent the entire weekend being surrounded by a lot of people and I just desperately needed some alone time. Nonetheless, I could not shake-off this insistent prompting, which eventually became clear to me, was from the Lord. So, I relented. I mean, she seemed nice enough.

Turns out, she was nicer than I thought. We hit it off really fast and we chatted up a storm – not literally… when you’re flying, that’s probably a good thing! But, I digress! Anyway, my newfound friend and I talked all through the flight. I don’t know how those 3hrs zipped by so fast. By the time we began our descent into Charlotte, NC, I was very glad that she and I started talking and even established a bond of friendship. I did something I almost never do the first time I meet someone… I exchanged numbers with her. Yes, I did that. I was proud of myself for listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. But clearly I was naïve to think it ended there.

Through out my conversation with my co-passenger, I felt this nagging feeling to pray for her. I tried to hush that feeling (like that would work!), but to no avail. I sat there on the flight thinking, “Oh Lord, how do I ask her if I can pray for her? That would be so weird!” I mean, I didn’t want to be that person who would walk around thrusting her faith in to other people’s faces. Sure I love Jesus and I want to share Him with everyone I meet, but praying for someone I just met, that too on the airplane, surrounded by several passengers, was, how should I put it… awkward! However, truth be told, when the Holy Spirit gets on your case, there’s no running. So I relented once again. I figured, if this turned out to be an uncomfortable ordeal, I can just never see her again so I didn’t have much to lose. Taking a deep breath, I turned to her and asked, “Hey, would you mind if I prayed for you and for your family?” Expecting her to either laugh at me or give me a bizarre look, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw her face light up as she smiled the most genuine smile at me and said, “Really? You’d do that for me?” Of course I would! Why wouldn’t I? We quickly shut our eyes and I prayed for her. During our earlier conversation I identified some needs that I then laid before the Lord in prayer and together, as the flight landed, we said, “Amen!” As soon as we opened our eyes she reached out to me and gave me a tight hug. She looked at me and said that she was very grateful that I’d prayed for her. She was touched that I would do that. We walked together to the baggage claim and before she left the airport to go home, she hugged me again and said, “You will never know how much you praying, meant to me.”

The genuine joy she felt over something as simple as prayer, is undeniable. I felt humbled and ashamed at myself, all at the same time. I was humbled that the Lord would use me to minister to her. I was ashamed that I was so reluctant to listen to Him. However, I’m glad I obeyed. Yesterday, when I was in Charlotte again for some speaking engagements, I met up with her and her children and I was just so blessed. This experience truly taught me what it means to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and truly just trust His promptings. I learned that when you offer to pray for someone, one of two things can happen – either they will reject it, or, like my friend did, welcome it like a breath of fresh air! Either way, what have I got to lose? So the next time my spirit is stirred, I won’t hesitate to turn to my neighbor and ask, “May I pray for you?”

In closing I must say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

The King’s Heart

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Future, Uncategorized, UncertaintyLeave a comment

In one of my previous blog posts, I told you about the journey that brought me to Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. If you haven’t read that one yet, stop reading and click here. Have you read that yet? Okay, now that you are completely updated with my life, you may continue reading.

January 26, 2016 will mark the last day of my position as a Media Relations Associate (yes, that is in fact, less than two months away). I have loved everything I’ve done in this role and I adore the people in my department. Each of them stands tall, radiating the love of Jesus and that just reminds me of how blessed I am to be a part of this team. With that being said, I have been praying earnestly about where the Lord would have me after I graduate from this role. I’ve already told you that God’s not calling me to India. Not yet at least. But the fun part is, I don’t know where He is calling me to. So yay! With Jesus, life is always an adventure. I don’t know anyone else who can make uncertainty, something to look forward to – It’s like a surprise party EVERY TIME! (Notice how I transitioned from fearful to fearless?!!!)

All that to say, I have been job-hunting again. We all know how exciting an ordeal that is *rolling eyes*! However, for a “non-resident alien” such as myself and every other international person living in the United States, job hunting is so much more than just finding a job. We have to get very specific in the kind of positions we apply to because of our visa restrictions. Basically, when an employer hires an international, they have to prove to the government that that particular position cannot be filled by an American citizen because it calls for a very specific skillset which only an international has. Now, if you know me, you know that there isn’t anything extraordinary about me. I don’t mean that in a self-deprecating way but in an I-know-my-limits kind of way. With that sense of self-awareness, I prayed that the Lord would show me what I can bring to the table that an American cannot. I soon realized that the only thing I can bring, is my Indian heritage. So, I laid that before the Lord and asked Him how I can use my ethnicity for His glory.

Fast-forward two weeks after I made that prayer. I was looking for jobs and found one that was aimed at South-Asia, the very part of the world that I am from. Super excited I read through the position and found out it was at least four levels up on the corporate ladder than the position I was currently in. No way would I ever qualify for that! Disheartened I closed the webpage and got on with my work. However, for the life of me I couldn’t think past that position. I almost felt it was an answer to the prayer I made offering my heritage and ethnicity to the Lord. Other than the fact that that position was so high up, I was perfect for it. I soaked it in prayer not quite sure what to ask for and what response to expect. I decided I was going to talk about applying to that position, with the person to whom that position reports. After a very healthy conversation, this person suggested I speak to the others in the department who work in similar roles so I can learn a little about what that position entails. So, that’s exactly what I did.

I arranged to meet with each of these people over lunch. I started with Mr. A. As he shared his experiences and challenges with me, I felt this overwhelming sense of unworthiness. I saw how small I was for the job. I thought of a bajillion reasons why I shouldn’t be doing it. The feeling of smallness was overbearing. I was giving God reasons why He should find someone else for that position. At the very end of the conversation, Mr. A asked me why I was having this conversation (I hadn’t mentioned anything about the job to him or to anyone else that I spoke to). I gave him an honest response and then added that while I would absolutely LOVE working in that position, I felt small and inadequate. I told him that the Lord needed to find someone else. He just looked at me and said, “Who are you to decide that?” He then pointed me to one of the greatest kings in history – King David – The youngest of Jesse’s sons. He was also the smallest. In his own strength, David was completely incapable of being a king. So much so, that the prophet Samuel found it hard to believe that God would choose someone as insignificant as David. Mr. A smiled at me and said, “It is not your job to wonder if you will get this position or not. Your job is only to be available should the Lord choose you for it. If God wants you to fill the position, He will work in the heart of the leadership. You only need to be still.”

I went home that day and thought about what Mr. A said. I needed to hear that because whether I acknowledge it or not, I was putting God in a box and dictating what He can and cannot do for me. As His child, someone who truly believes that He can do anything… the very impossible thing even, I should aim high. I should seek after dreams that I can never fulfill on my own. After all, is anything too hard for the Lord?

I learned that day that the king’s heart is in the Lord’s hand (Proverbs 21:1). And for me, that should be the only thing that matters. Whether I get the position or not is not the question here. The question here is – Am I willing to let the Lord work in my life? Am I willing to ask Him for what seems like the impossible and truly believe that He is able to do it? Am I willing to aim high, reach for the stars and seek after that which I cannot accomplish on my own? Or, am I living a life that is limited by my idea of skills and abilities?

Although it is not always easy, I now truly believe that the king’s heart is in the Lord’s hand. Do you?

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

Hi, I’m Matthew!

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Uncategorized5 Comments

There is something about flying that I really love. I’m not sure if it’s just that exclusive time that you have, away from work, friends, technology, to focus on your thoughts and contemplate life’s grand questions, or the idea of meeting new people. I don’t know. All I know is that I love to fly. This time, I was flying to Orange County, California (Yay West Coast!). I pretty much spent the whole day in flights. From Charlotte, North Carolina to Houston, Texas, I sat next to a woman who looked like she wanted to throw me off the plane! My layover in Texas introduced me to a lovely Indian couple and I enjoyed conversing with them in Hindi for all of the 10mins I had before I boarded the flight to California.

At the outset let me just say – I’m not a big fan of aisle seats. When I wasn’t assigned one this time, I was almost annoyed at this window “sitter” who I hadn’t even met. I mean, I should have been sitting by the window. It’s what I enjoy most while flying. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I walked up to my seat, mentally telling myself not to like this person who was sitting in a seat that should’ve been mine. Then, I met Matthew! With a sweet smile and a “Hi, I’m Matthew!” this 26yrs old window-seat-stealer stole my heart.

Matthew wasn’t like other 26yr-olds I’ve met. He was special. Yes, I do mean that he had special needs – the kind that you can tell as soon as you laid eyes on them. This precious man spent his time sneaking smiles at me, showing off his watch to me, and sharing the awe there is in watching the world from an aerial view. In my three hours with Matthew, I learned some very important lessons –

1. Smile:

Strangers will seldom become friends if you don’t break the ice with a smile. Because Matthew chose to smile at me, I had the opportunity to spend the evening conversing with him and his mom and sharing our stories of God’s goodness in our lives.

2. Put yourself out there:

My biggest problems is introducing myself. I find it so hard to walk up to a stranger and say, “Hi, I’m Rachel.” I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? People might not respond? Or perhaps like my previous flight-mate, look at me like they wanted to fling me out of the airplane. But Matthew… He didn’t think about any of those things. He simply smiled and stretched out his hand to me. That was the beginning of several laughs and multitude of high-fives!

3. Don’t lose the wonder:

Every time I’ve flown, and I’ve flown several times, I’ve sat by the window and gazed at God’s creation. However, after the first few minutes, my gaze almost turns into a mindless stare into infinity. But not for Matthew. He enjoyed watching the flight take off. He was thrilled by the lights on the flight wing. He was amazed that tiny lights on the ground could illuminate the darkness of the night. The best part, he didn’t keep that wonder to himself. I cannot tell you the number of times he said, “Rachel, you’ve got to see this!” “Rachel, ain’t that awesome.”

4. Be flexible:

Matthew was under the impression that we would land in Orange County at 8pm. He was right. Well, almost. We were going to land at 8pm PACIFIC time. However, Matthew’s watch was set for Central time – 2hrs BEHIND pacific time. So imagine his frustration when at 7.45pm (according to his watch) his mother gently told him he had two more hours of flight time remaining! Did he throw a fit? Nope! He just took off his watch and let his mom fix the time. Now, he’d wait patiently through those additional hours.

5. Say I love you!:

Matthew was such an affectionate young man! From time to time, he’d stroke his mother’s hand and lay his head on her shoulders. When she fell asleep, he watched her and made sure she was alright. How do I know this? Well, he woke her up several times and asked her! Lol. Sure his mom didn’t get the full nap she’d have liked but she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that her son cared for her. When she put his fears at ease, he kissed her and said, “I love you mom!” How many of us do that? Tell our parents and loved ones that we love them? And I don’t just mean at birthdays, festivals or special occasions. When there is no celebration, would we still consider looking at our family and saying, “Hey, I love you!”

Matthew may not have many of the faculties that I do. He may not have the same abilities as me. But he taught me what it means to live simple, like a child would.

So, I’m going to resolve to attempt to develop that child-like attitude. To start us off – “Hi, I’m Rachel!”

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

PS: To all the parents of special kids out there – Y’all are awesome! I have nothing but the utmost respect and regard for you. Your patience and endurance is unfathomable. Because of how you raise your children, people like me are blessed. You’re making a difference. In loving your child the way you do, you’re impacting so many lives.