How can 3 weeks feel so short?

For the past 3 weeks I have been having the time of my life. I feel at home here at Rising Star and I am not looking forward to tomorrow. Every time I leave Rising Star, I leave another piece of myself. This year is no different. Actually this year may be harder to leave than any year before. 

Yesterday I went on a field trip with the older half of the school to an amusement park (VGP). I had such a good time with the kids. It was amazing to see them run around and just be kids all day. At the end of the day all the kids sat down in front of the park to have a snack before we left to go back to campus. This was when it hit me, I am leaving in 2 days and this will be my last time I get to play and hangout with all the kids. I felt the same as if I was in the back of the van, leaving for the airport. This was the same feeling I got 2 summers ago when I left. 

India has strengthened me and has tested me, all 3 summers I have come. Most of my experiences have been amazing and I would not trade them for anything. But I have had some lows in India, that have tested my faith, and yet I would not trade those experiences either. I needed the lows to see just how amazing my highs here have been. But I also needed those lows to grow and move forward.

Each year I have learned something different at Rising Star. The first year I formed a testimony of service and of Jesus Christ. The second year I learned to continually search to gain new testimonies and strengthen those testimonies. And this year I have learned to listen and feel the spirit always. 

I cannot describe in words just how amazing this place is. You will just have to come out and see for yourself!!! 

Kenya!!!

I went to Kenya last week (man it is crazy to think that was only last week) to volunteer at a orphanage/school with Alishia, Zach and Emily. It is sad that we only got to stay a week; I wish we could have stayed 2-3 weeks longer, but what can you do.

When Emily and I arrived in Nairobi, we were picked up by a driver and brought to the house we stayed at. As we were driving down the road, at night, we say rows of wood/tin houses. As we were driving through this the driver goes "this is where you will sleep tonight". I could only imagine the look on Emily's face when she nervously said "Okay...". We were both very confused but the driver kept on driving until we got to a little better area on the same street. We were so relieved when we got to the house (it was actually pretty nice) and were able to go to sleep.

The next morning we met up with Alishia and Zach at orientation. It was so good to see them and we were excited to hear of their travels to the Baltics, Italy and their safari in Kenya. Over lunch they told us all about each place. We got served some pretty good food at orientation that I was not expecting. We had chicken and some pasta stuff that I liked. After orientation we went back to the house Emily and I stayed at but Alishia and Zach came along and we had dinner and went to bed.

The next four days we went to the school and helped prepare lunch, grade papers, teach classes, do laundry and of course play with the kids! Oh yeah and we also sorted beans! We also got to meet so cool people at the house we were staying at, most were not American so it was good to talk to people with a different point of view than our own.

The school had about 430 students and around 60 boarders (orphans). I loved every minute that I had there and the only thing I wish we could have done was stay at the school for a longer time. We were told to leave at the end of the school day but we wanted to stay and play with the border kids. The kids were all so awesome and we loved all the time we got to play with them.

Below are some pictures we took in Kenya

This little girl lived next to the house we stayed at and the only thing she would say to Emily was "Julie". She was so cute and absolutely loved Emily :) !

This is us preparing lunch for the kids. We had to peel the smallest potatoes with a knife, but is was awesome! 

The little kids at the school on a marry-go-round. This was exhausting but a blast!

The cute kids on the playground!

We helped this man push his hand cart up a hill on our way to the school. (I have no idea how he did it himself. 

Our 4th of July outfits!!! AMERICA! Gulf of MERICA!!

We found this guy on our way back from the school. He was very talented at playing his creation of an instrument!

He them brought out this puppet. We and all the Kenyans around were all laughing because it looked so ridiculous. But it was so much fun! 

Zach didn't get the memo about "free style ugly"... 

Got to support Kenya's national soccer team!

Two of the cute girls at the school. They were both so funny.

Sorry for this being so sort and for the lack of pictures at the school. If you want to hear more about it please ask. I would love to explain it in more detail!

Life can be bittersweet sometimes

The past 3 weeks have been the best time I have had at Rising Star Outreach. I had my sister here to hangout with and I started and completed the construction project. I was also able to go up to the Taj Mahal with my tangachi.

French restaurant in Pondicherry 

Church in INDIA!!!

Tangachi and Anna love!!!

I thought the 3 weeks that I spent in India last year were the fastest 3 weeks of my life but the past 3 weeks seemed to go by twice as fast. It was an amazing experience to have my little sister Emily serving in India alongside me. We had some amazing times hanging out with Sanjay, Enokelee, and Praveen. I am so happy that she was so willing to come out to India with me and spend 3 weeks with these kids and the Leprosy patients. Emily truly is an amazing person and I love her so much.

Enokelee, Emily and I wish we could take him lol. He is just so cute!!!

I’m sad now that she has left, but I’m happy that she had such an amazing experience. I was talking to her last night on skype and we talked about how impossible it is to explain the experiences we have here in India. It was like my talk I had with Annie the night before I left.

 Sanjay misses you Emily

 Bicycle Rickshaw ride around Old Delhi!!!

I am going to try to explain what it feels like to be at Rising Star. The second you get here it is work, work, work. When you get out into the colonies the spirit is overwhelming and you cannot help but to be happy. You feel the love and gratitude from the patients that you can feel no place else (I feel that it is because this is the only time these people get to interact with people from outside their colony that love them). At first you think you will feel bad for the Leprosy patients because they have Leprosy but after you visit the colonies and help treat their ulcers you realize it’s the stigma that goes along with Leprosy that is the real disease. It’s like Mother Teresa said, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted”. The people affected with Leprosy are not sad because they have the disease, but because they are unwanted in their community. Then you go to the school/hostel and you feel the overwhelming love from the kids. The second these kids see the volunteers they go crazy and just want to play with you and hug you (it will be weird going back to the US and see kids that don’t jump and climb all over me the second they see me lol).  

My sister now knows what it felt like to go back home and not know how to describe her trip to India. Its just one of those experiences that is too hard to describe.

Some of the coolest people ever infront of the most beautiful building in the world!!!

Over the weekend we went up to Delhi and Agra and we had a blast. We went with some amazing tour guides Ramesh and Benson. I saw the Taj Mahal for the second time and it was just as amazing. I was telling Emily that it is one of those places that never disappoints. I just love hearing about the history of it and just looking at it, because it truly is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. We then went to Agra Fort, which is more of a palace than a fort. It is also an awesome place to see, because a lot of its history is tied into the Taj.

The group at the TAJ MAHAL!!!

Agra Fort is so cool!!!

A Jain "buddha" (its not actually called a buddha lol)

"come to as, and if you think something, it be alive" Guru Gokul Raj

Gate infront of the TAJ!!!

Berlyn and Emily at the TAJ!!!!

Tangachi and Anna

We then all got on the bus to go back to Delhi to get dropped off at the airport. It really did not feel like we were leaving. Berlyn, Emily and I were just hanging out the whole ride and Berlyn taught us how to do a “woodchuck face” which was amazing. Even when I got back to Chennai I didn’t feel like Emily had left. It only hit me today when she was not there at morning conclave. 

These are the "woodchuck faces"... AMAZING

I Love India!!!

There has been so many things happening the past couple of weeks. I went into Chennai and met up with my little sister Emily and hungout with her all weekend. We went to a Hindu wedding. Then I drove back to Rising Star with the new session. Oh... i finally started a construction project at the colony last week!!!

Let me start by saying that I have the best and strongest little sister ever! She is such a trooper, I am so proud of her. She got to India last weekend on Friday the 13th. The second she stepped off the plane EVERYTHING went wrong. She waited at the airport for 2 hours for her bags just to find out that they were lost. She then went outside to find the driver from the Marriott but he was not there; so she called the Marriott and Dr.Susan (she works at Rising Star) to get a ride to the hotel. Once she got to the hotel she found out that her reservation at the Marriott had been canceled. The one thing that was good was the Marriott set her up with a room at the Radisson and gave her a ride over there. I then met her there a little after 5:00 in the morning. She looked exhausted and like she had the longest night of her life. She handled the situation so well! I could not imagine traveling all by myself and have all of that happening to me at the age of just 17. Emily is so strong and so ROOMBA SUPPAAAAA! I love her so much! 
Words cannot describe how happy I am that she got here safely!

The next day we woke up at 9:00 (not even close to getting enough sleep) and caught a ride to our friend Shanmugam's (aka Eskay) house. There we had an amazing south indian meal served on a banana leaf. Emily learned how to eat with her hand (a very useful skill her in India). The food was so good and we were so full after that we had to take a nap afterward. After our nap we hungout with Shanmugam's family and we went shopping for clothes for the wedding that we were going to on Sunday. Emily found a very nice indian dress and I got a nice white Kurta to wear. Shanmugan then paid for the clothes for us or pulled a "Billy" as I would call it (Not letting us pay for the stuff ourselves). I then may or may not have splurged and bought a pair of RayBans...(dont worry dad I bought them myself). After shopping we went out to eat with Shanmugam's family and got some more great south indian food (I love real south indian food... A LOT).

On Sunday we went to a Hindu wedding and it was so much fun. Emily and I got dressed up in indian clothing and we got to eat more yummy south indian food! It was really interesting going to the wedding because I have never seen or heard anything about Hindu weddings. We had a blast with Eskay and his family there!

The stage where the wedding was taking place.

Where the bride and groom were most of the time. So many flowers, it smelt so good!

The bride and groom getting married!

They look so happy. I cant believe I got a picture of two Indians smiling that aren't Eskay lol. 

The band at the wedding.

Eskay's beautiful daughters Aku (on the left) Abi (on the right).

Emily eating with her hands at the wedding.

The amazing food they served us at the wedding.

We were having a lot of fun here but she didnt want to take a picture with me lol.

 Emily and I in Indian clothing.

CONSTRUCTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im not going to lie, I have been a little down ( and when I say "a little" I really mean "a lot") up until last week about not being able to do a construction project in the colonies. But now that I am doing the job I am suppose to, I cannot be more happy. I love being the construction coordinator here at Rising Star! I love going out to the colony Barathalapuram and helping the people there. The people at this colony are so nice, I love them so much!

The project we are working on is installing septic tanks and bathrooms for about 10 or more families. These people will sometimes come out of their homes and show the other volunteers how to use an indian shovel or offer us coconuts and soda. These people have so little but are willing to give us so much. They are some of the most amazing people and I cannot tell you how much I love them. I came here to India to serve these people but it feels like I am receiving and learning more from them than I am giving them. I am reminded everyday here that charity works both ways. 

Incredible India

Last year I wrote/journaled my experience at Rising Star.

Incredible India!

I came to India not knowing what to expect. One random afternoon Annie sent me a text saying “do you want to go to India” and within seconds I responded, “Yes”. I did not know why I said “yes” at the time, but by the last night at Rising Star I found out why (or at least I think I did). It was to experience love for people that I barely know and to be loved by the same people in return.

The last night at rising star, everyone stood up at dinner and said what they have learned here in India. I knew that we were going to do this and thought of something to say. But by the time that it was my turn to say what I learned, I forgot everything that I was going to say. I never felt the way that I did when I stood up. I somewhat knew what I was going to say and I knew I had to talk about how much I love the kids here and how the kids have loved us ever since we arrived at the hostel. I started with saying how I found out about rising star (that Annie text me one random afternoon and I did not know why I said yes). After I said that, I talked about how the Lord works in mysterious ways, because India has changed my life perspective forever. I talked about how I loved the kids and how I learned to love people in such a short time.

The main reason I am writing this is because I want to expand on what I have learned in India. This trip has changed how I look at everything. When I got here, I thought this trip would only make me appreciate the states more (boy was I wrong). I did not think it would change who I am, but I was mistaken. I have a whole new outlook on life and I’m so grateful for this. These kids and leprosy patients that I have grown to love have so little but are some of the happiest people I have ever meet. I have learned to appreciate the little things in life and learned material items do not make people happy. Money and all the things in the world cannot make people happy. It is love for people that truly makes people happy.

Everything in this world has a purpose. This thought popped into my head when everyone was saying what they learned. I’m not sure why, but it did. I feel that I was meant to come to India to learn something because I feel that I have gained so much more than I have given. This saddens me because I came here to help people and the people of India have helped me even more than anyone will ever know. I only wish that these people appreciated me as much as I appreciated them.

Tonight I had to say goodbye to the kids. We saw the kids at Life Dance (and it was such an amazing experience). After that I walked over to the children’s hostel, I have never felt so many emotions at once before and was overwhelmed; I felt happy, sad, excited, and a bunch more emotions that I’m not even sure of. 

I was sad because I knew it would be one of the last times I would see the kids, if not the last time. I felt that it was harder walking up to the hostel because all the rush of emotions. I never knew that I could love so many people so much, in such a short amount of time. But by the time we had to leave I only felt a couple emotions, love, happiness, and sadness. I never knew how calming it would be to actually say goodbye and have closure. I guess that is why it was much easier to walk away than to anticipate walking away. I also concentrated on how much I loved the kids and by this time, I already made up my mind that I would come back.

My experiences at rising star have changed not who I am but have reminded me what love and joy truly are. I once knew this as a child but being in the service of others has reminded me. I have felt a shift in priorities. I no longer care about material things as much. India has taught me to enjoy the “Little Things” (as Joel said on our last dinner). I have also learned to enjoy the company around me and to love people for who they are.

What I learned in India is so personal and close to my heart that it would be impossible to truly explain what I learned here. 

I was talking to Annie and I told her “thank you for inviting me… I feel that there was
a reason I replied to you so quickly”. She said your welcome and then we started
talking about what will happen when we get home. This subject scared me because
I knew I would be going back to the same place that I left only 3 weeks ago. I knew
I did not want to go back to the way I was before. I told Annie that when I get back
it truly is going to be one of the biggest trials in my life so far. Her reply to this was
simple “I will pray for you”. When she said this, my heart sank. I cannot even explain
how much her saying this to me made me feel. I am grateful to have a friend like
Annie.
I could never tell Annie how grateful I am, for her inviting me to India. It has been an
experience of a lifetime! India has not only strengthened my relationship with Annie
but also with my Heavenly Father.

Testing Testing Testing, Party Party Party

This week has been crazy and exhausting! Right now there is not a construction project so I have been helping out at the school. I have been giving UKG (kindergarden) to 3rd standard (3rd grade) english tests. They have to be given one at a time and sometimes the kids do not understand a word I am saying.  We have also gone to a wedding for one of the nurses that use to work here at Rising Star. Then we had a dinner party for the 4th of July!

Administering the english tests can be very exhausting. I thought working on construction was going to be tiring but testing/teaching takes much more out of me. I give props to those able to teach everyday. The other day I was testing this little boy named Captain Karan (yes that is his name lol) and he had no idea what I was saying. He is a new kid here at Rising Star and is in 2nd standard. He knows almost no english so he got almost everything wrong. It was so hard to give this boy the test because he would lose focus and try to leave the room every 30 seconds. Now that im looking back at it, it is funny. Every 30 seconds I would call out "Captain we need to finish this test" and calling a child "Captain" is just hilarious to me, I feel that im talking to one of my dad's friends from the navy.

The 4th of July party was a ton of fun. We got to have a couple of the kids over and they loved the "semi-american" food that we had. We had hotdogs, fries, corn, chicken and chips. One of the boys, Vimal, wanted to use a fork and would use the fork to eat the chips. At the end we had some soda and ice cream. We made floats for the kids and they loved them, some had 3 or more floats. After they were done with the floats we had a bunch of left over ice cream that got used for a food fight (started by Amy). I avoided being the food fight until the very end when Amy threw some ice cream in my face and Deepan slapped some butter in my face (yes I did say butter). After we sent the kids back to their hostels we cleaned up and were cleaning up the mess from the ice cream fight. Once the water buckets came out I knew it would turn into a little water and it did.

 This is us having our 4th of July Dinner!

 Some of the kids that came for our 4th of July dinner party! So much fun!

 Amy smering ice cream all over Joseph's face in the ice cream fight lol. 

After the mini water fight!

We may not have had a traditional 4th of July party but we sure did have a lot of fun.

The next night we went to the wedding of one of the nurses that use to work here at Rising Star. It was a catholic wedding and was a good experience. Everyone was dressed in Indian clothing, the girls were in Saris, Dane was in a Dhoti and I was in a Kurta (we were all looking awesome!). At the reception the Bride and Groom had to stand and take pictures for hours. They would look super serious while the pictures were being taken and the second after they would have the biggest smiles (Indians for some reason hate smiling in pictures). Although my friend Shanmugam (Eskay) smiles in pictures all the time... and he's Indian...

The ladies looking good in their Saris! Dane and I looking like studs in a Dhoti and Kurta!!

 The Bride and Groom not smiling in their wedding pictures. As soon as this picture was taken they smiled lol. 

 The food at the reception! They were super pushy and just wanted us to eat and then leave. It was like a factory line.

India is Amazing!!!

Let me start by saying "India and Rising Star are both amazing", I love them both! The past couple of weeks have been great. We just got done with session 1 and they were an awesome group! It was really sad to see them leave. I hope all the groups coming are as amazing as them.

It has been an eventful couple of weeks, we went to Mamallapuram, there was a fire behind campus, I got to go with medical to a colony, and I went to education.


Mamallapuram was a ton of fun. I hungout with some of the other long-term volunteers. We went to a restaurant called Moonrakers and I got some yummy butter chicken (one of my favorite India dishes). We also did some sight seeing and went to the shore temple and the Five Rathas. Then we went to the resort called "Ideal Beach" and just hungout at the pool and worked on my tan lol.


It was really cool to finally get off campus for a change and go to one of the colonies with medical. This colony was only about 30 minutes outside Chennai. I remember it from last year and I remember a couple of the leprosy patients. One of the leprosy patients was dancing and singing and then said a prayer in tamil. It was so awesome to see that he appreciated what we were doing there. I remembered this man from last year and he still has the same attitude, he is amazing. 



This is the view of the beach from the shore temple in Mamallapuram, it was so amazing!

 The shore temple is pretty cool, I believe they said there are 6 more but they are underwater!

When your allowed to sit and take pictures on really old ruins, you have to do it. GO BULLS!!! AT the five rathas in Mamallapuram.

 Me and some of the long-term volunteers at the five rathas.

So this is part of the fire that was right behind campus/behind the house im staying at...

This is how close that fire got to setting a giant pile of leaves/ palm leaves on fire. If that pile would have caught fire so would the house im staying at... It was a miracle that it stopped just a couple of feet away...