Thanks to Jared and my friends at Subway...

I lost half of me.
(these pants really are a part of my daily apparel here in India)

Bay of Bengal!

For our Saturday get away we went to Mamallapurum--a beach town about 2 hours away from RSO campus. I love it there. After an hour or so of "last chance" shopping, we headed over to the Ideal Beach Resort and played on the beach for the day. It was beautiful! We napped in our hammocks under a tiki hut and drank from coconuts and ate "Polynesian Pizza"... aka Hawaiian pizza. And of course, we swam in the Bay of Bengal! We had a blast. The beach always makes me happy, it was a perfect day.

Ideal beach is pretty Ideal.

Pure bliss.

Hammock time!

Yes, that is a coconut.

We love the ocean!

I'm free!

I love this girl.

LJ, Me, Carly.

Arumugam

There is a story behind this picture, as well as the painting within this picture.

Last summer a man from a colony, Arumugam, had fallen off of his bike a couple days before I had arrived in India. As a volunteer I heard very little about his condition and what was going on with him until my second to last day in India. I was supposed to be with the tutoring group that day, but one of the coordinators felt very strongly that I should join her in taking a check to the hospital so that this man could get his much-needed surgery underway. When I got to the hospital, the sight of him at the end of an isolated hall way, no sheets on his bed, and un bathed for 3 weeks broke my heart and all I could do was sit there and hold his hand as this sweet man writhed in agonizing pain. The nurse walked in a few moments later and informed me that he was very ill and was in need of a stat blood transfusion, but they would not offer him blood because he was "dirty" aka a "leper". So at that moment I held out my arm and said, "take mine."

This past Monday, I was sick and unable to participate in the day's work. My group was on construction and had the opportunity to go to the Bindu School of Art. When they returned, my heart began to race and I felt very strongly I needed to ask to see Kenzie's paintings. So I went into her room and asked to see them. She prefaced by saying she needed to tell me about one of them because it was so different. She told me when she first saw this painting she knew there was a story behind it, and wondered if it was a self-portrait or something like it. As she pulled the painting out of the envelope and I saw the brittle gray looking man painted in the middle, I began to cry. I knew who it was, it was Arumugam. It was painted in honor and in memory of him after his passing, by his dear friend and fellow artist. We got to go back to the same colony yesterday. Kenzie brought the painting back with her and invited me to be in the picture of her with the artist and the painting he created in honor of our friend, Arumugam.

I find it amazing how even though I exchanged very little words with Arumugam as I sat holding his hand at the head of his bed, that somehow, a whole year later, I am still connected to him. He is dear to me, and I do believe that he is near to me even though I cannot see his face.

Brown Eyes

Meet Resma:

Meet Amirtham:

They have stolen my heart.

Moot Take Two

We played Jenga today.

High-fives all around.

Exchanging what little words we know in each others language as we said goodbye.

Beautiful Saroja.

Roomba Roomba Senthosham.
(very, very happy)

Jayamary.
(She was so happy I remembered her name)

Last summer on my last day in the colonies I got to go to Moot. It was the best going away present I could have ever asked for. Some how, it happened the same way this time around. Getting to see their faces again and feel of their love was a wonderful gift. I will miss these faces until we meet again, whether it be at Jesus' feet or back here in India, they are my friends and I can't wait to see them gain.

More of the Taj!

Life is Good!

‎"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." - Ashely Smith

Me and Rosemary in the school's new library!

This is just one of the many smiling faces I get to be with everyday. I am grateful to India for teaching me to notice the beauty of the simple things of life...like a cool breeze, a hug, a smile, the rain, the sun, moon, and stars, and all the tiny bountiful blessings my life is continually threaded with. Life is good! ...Especially in India.

The Jaypee Palace

The hotel we stayed at up in Delhi is a 5 star Indian Hotel. I think it is the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. While we were there we went swimming during the day and then danced at the Indian Disco later that evening. I have included a blip from swimming for your entertainment....

The group doing the "bobbing killer whale" taught by the one and only, Carly Cook.

Taj Mahal

Me, Carly, and Jennie
a.k.a. Pickles, Mustard, and Ketchup

The three of us were in the same volunteer session last summer and It has been a blast to be reunited back in India with them! Here is a slight taste of our photo shoot at the Taj Mahal...more pictures to come soon.

Crossing Borders to Break Down Barriers

stig·ma:

1. a mark that is characteristic of a disability or disease.

2. a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.

We did it. We crossed more than just a border separating two states of India; we crossed the border of a destructive stigma--the stigma of Leprosy. For almost two years now, Dr. Kumar and Rising Star have been working to make this journey, this expansion, a reality. And as of July 20th and 21st, we did more than make it a reality. We made it a success.

I had the opportunity to be among the first group of Rising Star to extend our work outside of the state of Tamil Nadu into the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh. Getting to Tirupatti turned into a bigger ordeal than planned as we were bombarded time and time again with happenings that easily could have made us turn around and head back to Rising Star. Our RSO vehicle was not allowed to cross the border because it was a private vehicle, so after 4 hours of driving instead of turning around and go back, we decided to yes, turn around...but go to the nearest village and rent a bus that would be allowed to cross. Just to do that, which in the States would take maybe a total of 45 minutes, became a 2 1/2 hour ordeal. The whole situation of us not being able to cross the border made me think of the stigma in which leprosy-afflicted people bear on a daily basis. They can't cross the street, let alone a state border without some sort of opposition. For this reason, I couldn't help but be patient with the situation, the delay, the long bus ride, and the 4 am wake up. Once we finally crossed the border, we were stopped almost every 5 minutes where we had to pay bribes in order for us to continue on. I felt very strongly that the adversary was trying really hard to discourage us, and change our attitude towards this whole thing. Dr. Kumar at one point turned around and said "just remember, this will all be worth it."

For the trip we planned to visit two colonies that have not had medical care in up to 60 years. This is different than going into the colonies we visit here in Tamil Nadu, because they know us. They know we are there to serve and love them and not to mock or to scorn. So having been isolated and disregarded as human beings for so long we were unsure of how these people might react to us. Because of all the craziness in getting there, Dani and I were talking about how much comfort comes from being at RSO and how you can feel the absence of its security while being away from it. But as we drove up to the first colony, I looked over at Dani and said, "We're home." The colonies, the people, truly are a place of home for me.

The moment I stepped off of the bus, I was overcome with immense love for every individual I saw. They had been waiting for us all day and as we walked into their community center their smiling faces and happy hearts welcomed us. I walked around and shook every individuals hands, greeted with Namaste, kissed their hands, and smiled into their eyes. I remember one lady in particular that I shook hands with. When I knelt down and shook her hands and kissed them, tears welled in her eyes as she continued holding my hand. Can you imagine what it would be like to be to touched when being an untouchable? I will never underestimate the power of looking into someones eyes, or even a simple handshake. It was so overwhelming I had to take a moment to step back, look around, and soak it all in. The intensity of the pure love and gratitude radiating from these beautiful people encompassed me from the inside out, so much to the point that nothing could hold back my tears of joy, of praise, of gratitude, of pure love. Moments later, a man came in carrying a crate full of sodas for each of us. I am still amazed by how willing they are to give so much even when they so little. How lucky they are to have a knowledge that things don't bring you happiness. I saved my bottle cap from my soda that the man opened for me. I will never forget how happy he was to give that soda to me. As I was walking back to the bus to help carry in medical supplies I felt a hand pull on my hair as I realized a woman standing behind me had pulled out my elastic and was fixing my hair. I am sure after 9 hours on a bus my hair looked rather hideous, and for her to smooth out the bumps, calm down the frizz, and braid my pony tail was a very sweet act of kindness. One I will never forget.

That evening as a group we saw up to 100 patients: we washed their feet, photographed their feet and hands for medical records, bandaged ulcers, tested for diabetes, and tested for hypertension. I was among the group that bandaged their feet and hands. It was humbling to kneel at their ulcered, crippled feet and bandage their wounds. As I layed pieces of gauze over their open ulcers and began to wrap the bandage around, their disfigured hands would always try to help hold the gauze in place. I loved looking up at their faces when I completed bandaging their feet and hands and seeing their smiles of love and gratitude followed by a "thank you" or a "namaste" or a pinch of my cheeks.

The next morning we arrived at a second colony. It was rainy and I was the first off the bus. As I stepped down a man was there waiting with an umbrella. He walked me into their tiny church building holding an umbrella over my head. I walked back to the bus to carry in medical supplies and as I turned around to carry it out, another man was there with his arms stretched out in front of him, no hands, wanting to carry it for me. I let him and turned around to get the next box only to find another man there to help, too. I didn't have to carry in a single thing. When we walked into the tiny building they had set up enough chairs for all of us. These people are so thoughtful. I was on bandaging committee again, which I was really happy about. The condition of those in this colony was even more severe than the first. The smell of rotting flesh, even the memory of what it smells like, still to this day makes me shudder, the look in the faces of those who have suffered for so long, those whose leprosy has settled into their bones--the most painful stage of leprosy in which most don't live long enough to experience, their pain breaks my heart. One man came to us crawling, another came to us demanding Dr. Kumar to cut off his legs, another would shake so violently in pain every time I touched his foot It was difficult to bandage. But what stands out the most, what makes up for the smell, the pain, and the wounds, is their pure Christ-like love. I wish the feeling I felt from these two colonies I could bottle up and share with the whole world. It is a love that transforms you, a love in which barriers break, stigmas fade, outward appearances don't matter, spirits shine and all that exists is God's love. It is beautiful.

we were the ones doing the medical work. But no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I work, nothing I do will ever be more than what these people gave to me. I cannot wait until we meet at Jesus' feet, where I will see them Whole, when I can adequately express my love and gratitude for what they did for me.

We saw over 200 patients in less than 24 hours. A 24 hours that changed me, transformed me, and inspired me to be that kind of person. One which is grateful even in the poorest of circumstances, one which loves quickly and judges slowly, one in which stigmas don't exit, one who lives in humility and service of those around you, one who appreciates the little things, and one who reaches out, looks to God, and lives happily because of it.

We did it. We crossed more than just a border separating two states of India; we crossed the border of a destructive stigma--the stigma of Leprosy. We broke down its barriers and love has bridged us back together.

Reunited

"If we would see others as they see themselves, our shyness would soon turn to compassion."

I have been thinking about the quote a lot as I have been here and how it relates into my experience in the colonies. These people are severely disfigured, speak a different language, and live in a whole different culture and at times it can be easy to stay within your comfort zone and be shy with them. But as you think about what they have been through, the stigma in which they physically bear each and every day, and the isolation in which they have suffered, being shy is the last thing you want to do. Everything about you wants to throw your arms around them to show compassion, give them love, and hold a hand, or wipe a tear. Your shyness and hesitancy quickly transforms into an overcoming wave of God's love for His children that stirs within you and moves you to get down on your knees and wash their feet. Or sit down beside them and tickle their back, hold their hand, and look into their eyes. Every worry about yourself dissipates and all that you care about is spreading God's love and letting those around you know that they are loved. That they are not only seen, but they are of value. That they mean something to you and to our Father in Heaven. That happened to me today as I approached Moot.

I reunited with old friends today. Friends I will have and remember always. Friends in which age isn't a barrier, appearance doesn't matter, and differences don't separate. Friends that have shown me how to see through eyes of gratitude and praise, even when the waves engulf you time and time again until any remnant of familiarity has disappeared from view. Friends that have taught me the true meaning of rejoicing. Friends that have enriched my life, widened my perspective, and etched their legacy upon my heart. Friends that have exemplified pure love and devotion to God. There is something very special about my friends. Who are theses friends, you may ask? These are the people of Moot Colony. Let me introduce you:

(Starting from the top left picture: Me and Jayaraj reuniting; Me and Krishnan--married to Saroja; Kotesswari, me, and Paramasivam--husband and wife; Me and Saroja; Me and Periyasamy--with a picture of his wife who passed away 5 years ago; Me, Jayamary, and Jayaraj--husband and wife)

Meet the happiest man on earth, Jayaraj and his wife Jayamary. The minute you step out of the car he is there to greet you with a warm smile, a loud hello, and lots of love and laughter. When I came last summer I had the privilege of meeting him and before I even knew him name I knew we were going to get a long great. We did an elephant dance with him last summer and when he saw me this summer he pointed at me, threw his arms in the air accompanied with a "Yaaaaaaaa!", and followed by our elephant dance move. He remembered me. Jayamary stands by Jayaraj and takes good care of everyone. She is always smiling, just like her husband, and is so very very sweet.

Meet the worlds most beautiful woman, Saroja. Saroja contracted leprosy when she was only 14 years old and has lived her life ostracized from society since. She only speaks Tamil, but even despite the language barrier you can feel of her love in just one simple touch. Last summer she didn't join us outside, she kept her distance from us. So this summer I made a special attempt to reach out to her and let her know that she was safe with us and that I loved her. When I first saw Saroja I walked into her home and sat at her feet, greeted her, introduced myself and kissed her hands. My eyes welled with tears as she took my hands and kissed them. I invited her to come and sit with the rest of us outside, and hesitantly she did the Indian head bob and agreed. I watched as she began to walk, at least the best that she could. She is missing majority of one leg, and from the knee down on the other, so she gets around like a monkey by using her hands to walk. I silently stood there and observed as she managed to complete those menial tasks that require no effort for me to do--like turn off the lights, the tv, and shut the door. As I walked out of her little home to where everyone else was sitting beneath the tree I turned around and saw that she had stopped in the doorway, but I motioned to her to come sit by me and I watched as she took her first few moves away from her house to come and sit with us. She sat by me and immediately reached for my hand. She did it. The rest of the time, she wanted to be right by my side and held my hand the whole time.

Meet the rest:
Krishnan never ceases to amaze me. He is a sweet sweet man, missing his hands, and feet, eyelids, and most of his nose. And yet he is so happy and sweet. He has this tender calm smile and voice and seeing him smile and laugh is a priceless, beautiful moment to be apart of. I love this man more than I can say.
Koteeswari and Paramasivam are such a cute couple. Paramasivam has made all of the beds for the 7 remaining colonists, and speaks pretty decent English. He is a small man, with a lot of love to give and his smile is contagious. Koteeswari is a woman of courage. She herself does not have leprosy, but gave up her life of comfort and society approval to live with her husband when he contracted leprosy and here she is today, still taking care of him and everyone else. She loves holding your hand and making you smile.
Periyasamy is so strong. His wife passed away 5 years ago and he is the only one left in the colony that does not have his spouse with him, but he always has a smile on his face and is always there to greet you, dance with you, and play games with you. He'll clap his hands as we sing songs, and he never gives up. Ever. I love him for that.

We played Jenga. There is nothing quite like seeing disfigured hands delicately maneuvering little wood blocks that belong to a game made for those with a steady hand. Truly, it is something moving to witness. Krishnan doesn't have any remnants of fingers on his hands anymore, so we set up dominoes for him and he would blow them over or put his stub out and push them over. To see how happy he was and the pride of his face as he did it made my heart overflow. I never thought something so simple as pushing over one domino could be so deeply powerful. Jayaraj sang the national anthem for us, then asked us to sing ours. They all were trying to sing along with us and were clapping their hands as we would sing. It was a tender moment as we each shared a piece of home with one another. We taught them once there was a snowman, and popcorn popping and they all loved it. They asked for more songs to sing and we just started to sing Zippity Do Da and as we got to the end singing "Wonderful feelings, wonderful day" we all had tears in our eyes as the song so perfectly summed up the feeling we all felt. We also made up our own music as we danced and danced and danced. As I was saying goodbye I went around to each one individually and grabbed their hands and got a picture with each of them and said "Nandri. Romba, Romba senthosam" ...meaning Thank you. I am very very happy." When I got to Krishnan he threw his arms around me and gave me a hug, and all he could keep saying was "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." in English. Then as I was holding his hands he kissed mine and softly said "roomba roomba sethosam".I kissed his then told him I was happy too. When I said goodbye to Saroja she kissed my hands and I kissed hers. She kept putting her hand over her heart and saying she was so happy. Then when I went and said goodbye to Jayaraj, as I walked up to him I saw the tears filling up in his eyes so naturally the same happened to me. He told me God bless, and to never forget him, and that he will remember me always, and to come again soon because I make him "romba romba sethosam."

I had the hardest time walking away as they kept waving at all of us...and as we drove away I just cried and cried and cried as they blew kisses and waved as if they were saying goodbye to their closest of friends. It is truly like heaven there, and leaving them, leaving that feeling was so hard for me to do. As I drove away and reminisced our all-too-short reunion, all I could do was look forward to when we will reunite again, where they will be stigma free and leprosy free. Where they will be made whole again. I look forward to that day, and to be reunited with my old friends once again.

Today's high: going to Moot.
Today's low: leaving Moot.

Sagayamary!

(Tutoring Sagayamary in Mathematics!)

(Me and Sagayamary after she did a super job with Mathematics!)

I apologize about my lack of picture posting, I will try to do better.
More to come soon.

Joyfully Fatigued

Today I was on construction crew. Dirty, hot, and sweaty were what I wore today as we worked beneath the Indian sun. Construction takes a lot of hard work, determination, and mental power to keep pushing through all the heat, exhaustion, sweat, and fatigue. But when you finish, it is so rewarding! The construction project this summer is building a Community Center in one of the colonies. This colony has put together their micro-loans to fund for this building. The people of the colony wanted to have a place for all of them to gather to discuss their needs, celebrate birthdays, hold weddings, and to have a place where they can all be together. Today we had to haul a 6 foot tall mound of red dirt about 10 feet to the left of where it originally was. That was quite the task. Then we had to carry cinder blocks down the street to a place where more bathrooms are being built. And then we carried fresh-made/ hand-made cement made from scratch, on our heads to another place in the colony that another bathroom is being built. So it was a long day, but so very rewarding.

I am starting to really connect with my family and my new housemother, Saraswarthy. She told me today how beautiful she thinks I am, and how much she loves it when I smile at her. She always invites me to sit next to her on her bed and she will play with my hair and tickle my back. Tonight she gave me a bracelet and tied it on my wrist, then gave me a bindi to put on my forehead. Resma crawled up on my lap in the meantime and fell asleep in my arms again. Earlier today she did the I love you sign with her hand and said "I love you Kimmy Auntie." I tucked Amirtham in for bed, and by tucked I mean gave her a kiss goodnight as she layed down on the cement ground. Priya has been at my hip since yesterday and I don't want her to ever leave it. There is something so sweet about her tender, quiet, and calm ways.

After play time I looked over and saw Ashok sitting by himself, which is so not like him. So I went over and sat by him and he didn't smile, which is also not like him at all. So I put my arm around him and asked what was wrong and he looked like he was about to break down into tears. I kept asking him what was wrong and he refused to speak. So in the meantime I sat there telling him all my favorite qualities about him, and that I am his friend forever even when I am in America, and that I wanted him to be happy. I asked if he needed anything and he just rested his head on my shoulder. Then I said "I can't read your mind, and you are making me sad, so can you please tell me whats wrong?" and he sits up, puts a smile on his face and busted up laughing. He was laughing so hard he could hardly get the sentence out..."I was just acting!" We were laughing so hard. Ashok played a joke on me, and he succeeded. It was hilariously priceless!

I am not going to post much more, I need to get some sleep so that I am rested and rejuvenated for what lies ahead tomorrow. I love it here. Each day passes by so quickly, yet each day is packed with so many happenings, emotions, and moments you never want to forget that by the end of the day you feel you have been awake for 4 days. I was just saying to my roomies that this morning feels like last week. Truly, it does, and yet time continues to tick right on by. Faster than I would like it to.

Today's high: Working Construction and being with the Kiddos
Today's low: Not feeling good in the afternoon and evening.

Face-to-Face

"There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won't go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beautiful and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated, intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds...I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant Technicolor." -Keith Bellows (National Geographic Society)

I always make fun of my mom and how easily she cries. But the truth is, I have always admired her for it. The only reason I make fun of it is because I try to hold back the water works myself. For a long time I have tried to stifle what I feel, because I feel emotion so deep down that at times it becomes too much. There is something about this place we all know as India. I am not sure quite what it is, nor do I think you could put a pin on just one thing, but it gets to you. From my experience last year, I thought I had an idea of what this place can do to you, but India, you haven't failed to surprise me yet again. I have felt more in these 3 days than I think I have ever allowed myself to feel. Ever. And it feels wonderful...I feel free. I feel so much joy, and peace, and comfort. Sometimes I have moments where I stop and say to myself, "wait a minute, I am in India." I feel a true sense of belonging, a sense of home. So much that at times, the thought that I am in India doesn't seem foreign at all.

Today I tutored. It was so great to be with them one-on-one, help them, and see them grow. I helped one girl, Jennifer, with science. When I saw her at play time later I asked her the same question I had helped her with earlier and I was so happy to hear her explain from knowledge, rather than memorization, what we worked on. It is really rewarding. Sagamary is my favorite...okay, they all are, but I love her. I tutored her today in Math and I didn't have to do a thing except give her high fives and pinch kisses every time she got it right...which was every single time. These kids are learning so much and this program is making a drastic difference. It is inspiring to see how much improvement has been made since I was last here. Their English is getting better and their confidence and self-esteem is too.

I saw Archina for the first time today! (She is the little girl who I am looking down at in my favorite picture from last summer) I didn't see her and next thing I know I looked down as Archana's beautiful face was looking up at me as she hugged me around my legs. I immediately picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me so tightly. She didn't let me put her down until the bell rang for her to go to class...even then, I had to pry her off of me. She gave me the sweetest kiss of the cheek as I put her down, then looked back at me as she walked to class.

After tutoring, Katie Winder who is here as a dance instructor for the Summer, invited me to come visit and help with one of her dance classes. Seeing the kids faces as they danced made my heart dance for joy. It was a treasure to see them dancing to Michael Jackson's Black or White and feeling confident in who they are. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

I had missed most of play time because of the dance class and when I got to the playground I was swarmed by the little ones, "Kimmy Auntie why you late?" "Kimmy Auntie why you no come?"Amirtham, Maryambee, Sagamary, Rosemary, and Resma were all at my feet. My heart about exploded with pure happiness hearing these little voices wanting to tell me everything about their days and wanting to hold my hand or be on my lap. Amirtham grabbed my hand to look at my henna from last night. She looked at me and said, "very beautiful." I responded "You are beautiful, Amirtham." And she looked up and me and said "You are beautiful, Kimmy-Mimmy." and kissed me on the cheek. Amirtham holds my hand wherever we go. I treasure that. Today we put water bottles on our heads and shook our hips and laughed until we about fell over. Doesn't get much better than that, I must say.

I love it here. I am dreading leaving already. I wish I could push slow motion on my India DVD remote. Oh wait, too bad I don't have one of those.

Life is good, time is fleeting, and the small and seemingly ordinary moments are what make life extraordinary. I have been embracing my time here, trying to look face-to-face with each day, each person, each child, each sunset, each moment that slips through my fingers. I'll say it again. India, its good to be back.

High: Tutoring, Archana, Dance Class, Amirtham
Low: My eyes watered while cutting onions

Surrender to the Playground

I couldn't have asked for a better way to start off my first work day than going with the Mobile Medical Unit into the colonies. I love the Medical Unit. I love meeting those in the colonies and seeing their faces light up as we greet them. This morning started off with a two hour orientation. We went over rules, and daily schedules, etc...and we also went around the room telling about how we each ended up at Rising Star. Each individual story had something to do along the lines of feeling compelled or drawn to this place and not really knowing why. I started to think about how Rising Star has grown. How it started with just one woman, then one woman and some friends in a small home, then to one woman, many friends, and volunteers at a bigger facility with their own land, then to what it is today and what the future has in store. I though about all of the volunteers that have cycled through here, leaving their foot prints in the sand and an imprint on the hearts of the people of Rising Star, both the children & those in the colonies. I thought about how many people have sacrificed and given so much to build this organization from the ground up, each contributing a brick to what Rising Star is to become. Then I thought about me, what my brick in the wall of Rising Star might be, what it is that I want to leave behind in the building and growing of Rising Star and the people of it.

On our way to the Walajabad colony today, Dr. Kumar was talking about Leprosy and what happens to those who have it. After speaking about the medical jargon, he told us about the difference that educating those with leprosy how to take care of themselves has made in their healing. But then he humbly stated, "No matter how hard I try, nothing I teach them will ever be of greater worth than what they teach me. " In the colony today it felt so wonderful to not be hesitant or uncomfortable. I just got out of the van and started walking down the colony greeting everyone I could with the Tamil hello "Vannakum!". I pumped water from the spigot to fill our buckets up to wash our dear friends feet in. I have had the opportunity to do this many of times, but the feeling I get each time I kneel at their feet and look up into their eyes and toothless smiles never fades away. Dr. Kumar shared his story with us on our way home. It is an inspiring story, he is a great man with a humble and loving heart who just wants to make a difference in this world. We are lucky to have him with us at Rising Star.

When we returned back home, break time was already over because we took a while in the colony. So, I didn't get the chance to take a break from the heat--it was straight to play time with the kids for me. I decided to push through and go play regardless of having no time to take a break. When we got to the playground the sun was shining directly on us and I was so hot and sweaty. I sat down on the side and considered going back. But after a few minutes, I just stood up and decided to surrender to the playground. Playtime is a magical hour and a half that takes place. To see so much laughter and smiling all around you it is impossible to not do so yourself. As I was in the middle of the playground I was suddenly thrown a little off balance as I felt little arms wrap around my legs and an adorable little face looking up at me saying "Auntie Kimmy, Auntie Kimmy!". It was Reyshema. Reyshema is a new UKG (kindergartner) here at RSO and she is also my new favorite. I picked her up and she grabbed my cheek and kissed it, kissed my other cheek, then kissed my forehead then just cuddled into my arms. It made everything about playtime even more worth it than usual.

At dinner time Dani shared this quote:
"Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar, and the beaten. And seeing them he cried, 'Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?' God said, 'I did do something. I made you.' " -Sufl Teaching

I loved this. We are all here to help each other. I believe these children, and these beautiful people of the colonies are here to help me. Through their greatest trial, these people have enriched my life and have taught me so much more than I could have ever learned by myself.

Today's high: Raymesha's kisses and being in the colonies with mobile medical.
Today's low: The day went by too fast.

Ascend and Maintain

Wow. I am back in India! It has been a long journey, but I am so happy to be back here. Once I decided to come back and was in the beginnings of packing I started to get anxious about whether or not I would be able to switch back into my India state of mind. I began worrying about how my body would react to the heat, if I would feel better or worse, if I was really up to working under the sun in the extreme heat, and if I was ready to go back and give, give, give again...

When I landed in Chennai, I had two worries: 1) That my baggage didn't get lost and 2) that the driver was there to take Laura Jane and I to the Marriot. Gratefully, our baggage had made it along with us, but regrettably our driver was not there. When you walk out of the Chennai airport you are swarmed with people holding signs with names on them along with others trying to get you to ride in their taxi, and others trying to help carry your baggage for tips. As we were walking up and down trying to find our driver I just had a pit in my stomach as I came to the conclusion: he wasn't there. But quickly a man came to our rescue and found the Marriot drivers, and although my name was not on the sign, he graciously gave a ride to the hotel. At this moment my worries about coming back to India were at its peak. I knew I wanted to be here but I didn't know if I had it in me to surrender to the India mind set.

All that changed when I woke up this morning. When our group met up and set out on our bus ride (l-o-n-g bus ride, I might add) to the Rising Star Campus I had felt as though I had never left. I had no culture shock,the life-threatening lack of traffic regulation and crazy driving hardly even phased me, the sweat running down my face wasn't uncomfortable, and the loud bustling of people, traffic, and horns was more of a harmonious melody than rambunctious noises. I remembered how beautiful this land is, I remembered how much I love the drives, I remembered how smitten I am by these beautiful children, I remembered how much I admire those in the colonies, I remembered how it feels to hold a disfigured hand in my palm, I remembered the first time I knelt down and washed a mans toeless feet and looked up at his toothless smile, I remembered laughing with Ravichandron and Jayaraj... most of all, I remembered how special of a place Rising Star is and why I came here in the first place. I was back. Back to a place I love, to people I love, with people I love. I was back to a place I had left part of my heart last summer, ready and willing to give even more to these beautiful people.

When we arrived at the campus (after a 3 + hour bus ride) we were taken to the brand new volunteer home. Oh my! Talk about a lap of luxury. It was amazing to me to see how much Rising Star is growing...that we have gone from staying in 2 small rooms to having a whole volunteer home. This organization has truly been blessed and it is moving to see where it is going. After getting settled in we headed to play time with the children. It was so wonderful to hold those kiddos in my arms again, to relearn and remember names, to learn new faces, and see how much these kids have grown. Ashok is so big and grown up, Rosemary and Mariambee's cute puffy cheeks have thinned out, and we have new little kids running around. I did the Macarena with Rosemary and she didn't want to stop...It is so great to be back and to be remembered by so many loving faces.

At dinner we have a tradition of eating on the roof of the hostel. It is my most favorite place of the RSO campus. During dinner it is tradition to go around and each person says their high and low of the day. Tonight while we were doing this, we were accompanied by a brilliant lightening storm in the distance. I have never seen a sky so beautiful! Ron said something tonight that really hit me. He talked about how he has been training himself to look up. To look above the traffic, the dirt, the bugs, and even the trees, and look up to the sky with "India Eyes" and you will experience a magical world. Then he talked about how the flight control towers communicate with pilots in flight and say "ascend and maintain" then again when necessary, "ascend and maintain". I love the pair of those words together. Last summer I had experienced all of this and had made a goal to carry what I learned from India to my life at home. Now that I am back, I want to take off from where I was last time, ascend through this journey, experience more than I was able to last time, give more than I did last time, love more than I did last time, then maintain the changes made within me, maintain the lessons learned, maintain that deep love and compassion for people of all walks of life. Our lives of full of many "ascendings" and "maintainings", and sometimes "descendings" are necessary too, but as we ascend, maintain, and remember we will find ourselves better than we were yesterday, under a freer sky, full of gratitude, love, hope, peace, happiness, and a desire to do better and be better each and every day.

Its good to be back, India.

Today's High: Being back to a place that I love and people I love.
Today's Low: My feet and ankles are swollen.