Onto the next Adventure in the mountains of India.

Mosquito Nets in the process

Thank you for providing Sports Equipment for the Children

 

Community Gathering

Staff Bonding

Americanized Indian

Nursing Assessments

Massage Therapy

More Nursing Assessments!

Unique Food

Shoes provided for Children in Need

Soap provided for those in Need

Birthday Party in the Community

Indoor Swing

Community Bonding

Visiting Historic Places

Side-of-the-road Coconut Drinks

Our College English class. They presented us with a Gift!

Staff Bonding: Erica reads Tamil & V. reads English.
 Ironic because Erica can't read Tamil & V. doesn't read English.

Last Staff Meal. A true blessing because normally the staff does not eat with the guests, but serves them.
Catherine & Erica requested that they get the honor of eating with the staff of this wonderful orphanage.
Request was granted and thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you for your support. 

Be the Change

Hello everyone!

This Friday we are leaving to our new destination in the beautiful land of India.

Thus far, we have had the pleasure of:

• Learning to play cricket (at 5 in the morning!)
• Eating authentic Indian food from the area (almost always amazing)
• Being honored as missionaries on live Indian television
• Attending many dinners and gatherings within the community
• Teaching English to a group of talented and humorous young men
• Teaching music to passionate orphan children
• And, teaching the value of women to a group of young, beautiful girls who will be the next generation of leaders in India

Words cannot describe the beautiful hearts of the staff and children of this orphanage. We have loved them unconditionally and they have loved us in return.

In our final week we have spent a great amount of time evaluating whether or not the community and the orphanage has understood the vast amount of information we have poured into their minds. And we are not at all surprised that each individual has been implementing all the lessons that we taught them. We have seen staff members dress wounds and clean cuts; we have seen  caregiver care for a children with a various illnesses; and we have seen young girls verbalize an understanding of what to do in a case of rape. We have also seen them display confidence and strength in becoming the next leaders of India.

In the last health class today, the students were told that they chose who they will become tomorrow, and, instantly, they began to shout out who they wanted to become. Some cried out:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Consultants
• And, even, police officers

They have dreams and we hope that they will pursue them while carrying the tools we have provided at this home. So we encourage you, our readers, to do the same: pursue your dreams and never give up. You can be the change you want to see in the world.

The Best of Times

A Day at the Waterfall with the Kids 

Visiting Families in the Village

Building Relationships

Bought Sports Supplies for the Girls

Traveling to the Southern Tip of the Land

Thank you for your Support

India update

Greetings from India,

Apologizes for the lack of updates and pictures. We are currently without access to the internet, which is why we are at a “browser store” at the moment typing this long, thought-out update for you. We promise that we have not been idle these past couple weeks, and we are so excited to share the whirlwind of adventures thus far in India.

College Health Lecture

Thus far we have created a clinic open to the community, which we have stocked with medications and hygiene products most prevalent to the needs of the people. Through the clinic Erica has been assessing and teaching over 50 caregivers, children, college students, and women about health; while, Catherine has been using her massage skills to help many with various aches and pain that accompany the laboring life of hard-working individuals. Some of the supplies we have bought include but are not limited to:

• ·         Underwear
• ·         Mosquito nets
• ·         Shoes
• ·         Hygiene products (soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, etc.)
• ·         And various medical supplies (antifungal creams, cold medicine, antibiotic ointment, etc.)

These supplies have gone directly to woman and children within the community, and have already made a huge impact on the people, so we must say thank you to all of those who have supported this well-worthy cause.

We have also been accepted as significant and respectable women within the orphanage we are living in, which we are honored to be a part of.

A noteworthy point to state is that some expected and unexpected events have occurred (more unexpected than expected!!). Expected activities have included:

• ·         Teaching health class 3 days a week
• ·         Teaching classes related to spirituality 2 days a week
• ·         Performing health assessments 6 days a week
• ·         And teaching caregivers 2 days a week

UNEXPECTED activities have included:

• ·         Teaching English 4 days a week at a university
• ·         Teaching English in an orphanage once a week
• ·         Teaching guitar and music 3-4 days a week
• ·         Teaching in staff meetings twice a week about health and medications
• ·         Speaking in front of an entire college about obesity, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and malaria (which was not mentioned until Erica walked in the door of the lecture hall)…
• ·         Speaking in front of at least 100 women in a small village about pregnancy, colds, coughs, fever, rape, and safety (which was also not mentioned until we arrived at the building)… 
• ·         Teaching a stretching class 3 days a week and a cardio class 2 days a week
• ·         Assessing up to 30 children per week
• ·         And being an on-call as a nurse and massage therapist 24/7

Lastly, we would like to mention that it has not been ALL work. We have both learned to find so much joy in the small things such as washing our own clothes, climbing a mountain, and simply enjoying the moments of laughter with the people of the community.

Laundry

Our day off!

Woman's Conference

Woman's Conference

Our First Sari's

Medical Supplies

Keeping girls in school

Erica and Catherine do not have easy access to the internet, so they have been keeping us updated. They have also seen the need to provide re-usuable sanitary pads to the girls to keep them in school. This project started last year in Kenya and Tanzania and is called "The Red Elephant Project". You can go to our website under the "Projects" tab to learn more about the project.

To donate to , please click on the "Donate Now" button below. This will ensure that the money raised goes towards the needs of the community there.

Busy, busy

Erica has been busy seeing patients while Catherine has been helping organize, cook and care for the children. I hear from Erica almost daily as she is learning how to treat minor problems which range from skin fungus to female issues. They both sound like they are adjusting well. Today they are meeting with some of the villagers to discuss local problems. They are having an issue with their local well and are concerned it may dry up. I'll consult with Lance (hydrogeologist and executive director) tonight and see what we can do to help-first we need a thorough assessment.
Dr. Julie (NP)

The beginning to a long-awaited Journey

Floral necklaces handmade by the children.

We have finally arrived in India

(after 29 hours of airports and planes, lost luggage, and partial sleep deprivation)! 

Chalk drawing made as a greeting to us upon arrival.

We are experiencing a wave of

new sights, colors, smells, & sounds of a bustling city under constant construction. 

From burning trash on streets, 

                 to new spices, 

    colorful fruit and food stands 

            and ornate dress shops

the size of storage units in America. 

New beautiful buildings of many colors 

            right next to shacks                        and broken walls 

remind us of a picture of rolling waves upon the sand; 

                               a constant renewal of land. 

 Weaving 
        in 
            and 
                   out of honking oncoming traffic, 

with no speed limit, and half of which are motorcycles is:

 surprisingly less alarming then one might think.

Within the first week of our 4-month-stay among the children of India, we have already begun:

Cutting leaves

Making rice mixed with coconut

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

• cooking,
• separating donations,
• assessing community medical needs, and

• learning a brand new beautiful intricate language. 

Since we stepped into India we have been grateful for each new and unexpected opportunity that has arisen. It has been one grand start to one grand adventure!

Young child from the home.