by Bobby Whitney
Hi, my name’s Bobby. I come from Hampshire, England and I’m age 13. I live with my parents, Penny and John Witney, and my sister Lizzie, she is 15 years old. We are all Christian Scientists. Mum is a Christian Science practitioner and Dad is a businessman.
Recently the opportunity for us to live in India for a couple of years has come to light. Our family has been moved over here by the company where my dad works. This has been a wonderful experience and we’ve had a great time so far. But there are a few challenges we have needed to face and we are overcoming these challenges by turning to God.
There are a lot of different styles of food in India and not everything was to our taste. So we have taken to eating Asian food, Pizza Hut and MacDonald’s to help us along! One night when I was eating at an Asian restaurant at our hotel, I started to experience stomach ache, I was feeling very uncomfortable and left the table to go up to my room and rest in bed.
Mum came up and read out of a book called Healing Spiritually where people tell of various healings they have had. We read one story about a boy that was diagnosed with a disease called mononucleosis. He and his family prayed together and the boy was healed rapidly.
There was one quote from this story that really stood out to me. The boy said that “the fog of lethargy and self pity had been broken” (p. 151). I realised that I was spending more time trying to get sympathy than healing the problem. I needed to see through the fog of self pity in the same way the boy had. That second I was healed! I really recommend that book; it has been a great source of healing for our family, so much that everyone has their own personal copy in their bookcases!
We’re really excited about going on this journey because we know that we will have a fantastic time and although we may face challenges we will learn to overcome them. I think that our thoughts will be more willing and open to accept a place that has different cultures, environment, and expectations than what we are used to. Who knows what God has in plan for us!
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I went to India once. I liked the food, but at a certain point, I asked my husband (who’d spent a lot of time in India for his job as a radio documentary producer) if we were eating the same food over and over. It all tasted the same to me. He laughed and said, “Oh no, there are very different flavors in the food we’re eating.” He discerned something that I didn’t because he was so much more familiar with the ingredients, etc. You’re going to have the opportunity to get to know so many new things in your adopted country and you might even start to like the food!
Hey Bobby!
Did you go to Adventure Unlimited? I think I know you! Great hearing about your taste of India! Thats so cool! Sharing that with me gave me so many deja vu about living in Italy for 15 yrs and how we traveled and went all over the world! I really MISS IT!
Bobby,
Thanks for sharing your first impressions of your new adventure. I’d love to hear about the people that you’re meeting. Maybe you’ll tell us a bit more about that once you start school. How are you praying about meeting new people from a different culture to you?
I remember moving to a new country when I was 13 yrs old. I was so grateful that when I went into Sunday School, they were studying the same Bible lesson that I’d studied at home. It made me realise that God was the same God in my old home and in my new home too.
I look forward to hearing more.
Great to hear from you Bobby! You definitely are going to have a fantastic time, and to learn so much. I also look forward to hearing more about your adventures in God’s plan. :o)
Much love, Susie