Inspired

My Indian summer is rapidly approaching.  I only have a few weeks until I leave.  Things are crazy right now, with finals next week, moving out of my apartment, and my India preparations.  However, amidst the craziness, I have found moments to stop and soak in all the blessings in my life.  I have the greatest people in my life right now, and I'm so excited to add even more incredible and resilient spirits to that list this summer.  Over this past week, I have found myself feeling the "rightness" of this adventure more than ever.

On Saturday, I was blessed to be able to spend some time with my amazing, inspirational friend Kimmy.  Kim and I have been great friends since high school, and I treasure the time I get to spend with her.  She is the person who introduced me to Rising Star.  Reading her blog and seeing the light in her eyes when she talks about India has been such an inspiration to me.  We were able to just spend several hours talking about Rising Star, the children, and life.  She again demonstrated her incomparable generosity by giving me so many things that I can use in India, as well as a packing list and a ton of encouragement.  She really boosted my excitement and reminded me that this is what I'm supposed to do.  You can read about her many beautiful moments in India on her blog.

Another thing that really inspired me this week was reading this blog post by a girl named Kenady.  I have never met her, but she is a friend of Kim's and I have been blog-stalking her for a few months now.  She has been volunteering at Rising Star for the past year. The beautiful comments from the children about their dreams for the future had me tearing up.  I am blown away by the strength of these kids.  They have been through true horrors and have faced trials I can't imagine.  Yet despite all this, they are the most bright and joyful spirits in the world.  I'm so excited to meet these children and show them they can achieve their dreams. Please read her post, it will help you understand why I'm doing this.

I still have a few more preparations and a lot of packing.  But, India, I will see you soon!

Excited Arms

Time is a funny thing. In some ways, I feel like the weeks until I leave are dragging on and on. In other ways, I feel like my adventures in India are approaching far too quickly for me to adequately prepare myself. I can't believe I'm leaving in less than six weeks, yet I feel it can't come soon enough.

I have checked most of my pre-departure tasks off my checklist. I have booked my long and complicated flight, I have saved and collected the money I need for the trip, and (as of yesterday) I have received my travel vaccinations. I had to get four vaccines and a pack of oral typhoid vaccination pills.

Needless to say, my arms are sore today. I found myself internally whining about the ache today and had to stop myself. I have been the benefactor of a true miracle throughout my preparations for this trip. I constantly feel awestruck that I am going to be able to do this. Serving these people in India has been a tremendous desire of mine for about three years. I have been so overjoyed and humbled by the endless supply of support and love from the people in my life that I have received in these last few months. I can't believe I get to go live in India for three months.

As I started reminiscing about the hard work I've done to acquire this opportunity and the miraculous way it has come together for me, I felt so foolish and ungrateful for mentally complaining about my sore arms. I would gladly accept sore arms everyday for the experience of serving with Rising Star. I decided i don't have sore arms, I have excited arms. They are excited to hold the beautiful children at Rising Star. They are excited to join in the efforts of lifting the burdens and spirits of the resilient people afflicted with leprosy. They are excited to happily contribute to this incredible organization in any way I am able to. I decided that every time I feel the ache in my arms, I will use it as a reminder of the blessings I have been given that allow me to do this. My gratitude to everyone and anyone who has contributed to my efforts is truly overflowing. Thank you.

Now on to my final preparations: finishing the semester, filling my anti-malaria prescription, hunting down a mosquito net, applying for a visa, and soaking up all the beautiful time I have with family and friends before I leave