Can that be Arranged?

Today is one of those days that I have a billion things going on in my brain and am really struggling to decide what to write about. I think I'm going to force myself to settle on two subjects: kids at school and arranged marriages. Clearly unrelated, but both interesting. :)
I'm so encouraged by the relational side of things at school! I finally came to the conclusion that the Indians in this area just never see foreigners, so its taken them a while to warm up to me. Well, something snapped today in the kids. I work at a summer camp where I deal with hundreds of children on a daily basis, and I just get used to being touched and hearing my name every five seconds. That is exactly the feeling I'm starting to get. They're getting comfortable enough with me now to come up to me, and when one comes up, dozens do! By the way, the school consists of around 800 students, so they literally could trample me if I'm not careful. They've been inviting me to their classes, shaking my hand, asking me in their sweet Indian accents "Vat ees yoor name?" To which I answer, "My name es Jana."
I've been to a few classes. The older ones are much harder because they have a set curriculum that I have no idea about (at least its in English), so I feel a bit lost as to what to teach them. I've decided I'm a terrible schoolteacher anyway because my camp roots come out, and I like to play rather than have to keep order in a classroom. So I do much better with the little ones because I can teach them silly songs. (I did play "sit down if" with an older class. Shout out to K-Kountry girl's pow-wow). Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to contribute on an acedemic level, and in the mean time build relationships. Its fun for sure!
Subject number two: arranged marriages. The pastor's son yesterday informs me that it was decided this past Friday who his wife will be, and they will be married in January. Its arranged. That's pretty much the only way its done here. And I spent a good bit of time with the teachers in training today. (LOVE them). We talked about marriage a lot. A few of them asked when I was going to get married. I don't have a great answer for that, especially in this culture because they basically just decide when they want to get married, and it is arranged. I don't know the typical time frame to find someone, but I guess their parents just start looking. Its such a foreign concept to westerners, but its the way most of the world has done it since the world began! So I'm trying to explain to them that I have to find the "right guy," and therefore can't set a time frame. So interesting to me.
Now I'm sure that it may not be as simple as it sounds. There are probably some people here who never can get anything arranged for whatever reason. Maybe the process can take a while. I'm definitely no expert on how it works. But I really can't help but think that maybe we actually do it "wrong" in the west. (Please don't think that I'm ready to have it arranged though. I'm waaaaay too American to do that). It just makes me ponder it all. Here is one amazing thing, though, even if we are doing it "wrong" by dating and not just arranging marriages. I was listening to a pod cast from my church in Memphis from this past Sunday. Christ Bennett is the pastor, and he was talking about singleness. I've never heard anyone directly make the association of waiting on a mate to waiting on Christ's return. He cautioned that we sometimes become cynical about Jesus coming back. It just doesn't seem real. Him coming to earth to get us seems like such a distant belief, far removed from "real" life. In the same way, as a single, I can become cynical that I never will get married. What if the "right" person doesn't come along? What if I'm dreaming about someone who doesn't exist? What if my past failed relationships point to the fact that every relationship I have for the rest of my life will also "fail"? This really is a cynical point of view. And honestly the place the Lord has brought my heart is a place of hope. Hope that the "right" one does exist, that these past failed relationships have been things God has used and covered with His grace. That doesn't mean I need to stop hoping.
The bigger picture I'm trying to get at is truly, truly hoping for Christ's return! I want that to be a reality, not just a "fairy tale, prince charming" sort of thing. A God who came to earth, died, rose from the dead, and is coming back again to rescue us? That is exactly it. And I love seeing this "hope" for a husband one day as a very light shadow of the hope that followers of Jesus have that He is indeed coming one day! No need to be cynical. Its gonna happen.
So arranged marriages or the western way of doing it? Who knows what's best. To each culture its own. I do love that not being able to just arrange something, but having to wait like we potentially do in American culture, clearly points to waiting on Jesus to redeem His people.
2 Timothy 4:8, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."