Alright so Indian kiddos have super long names that I cannot remember nor pronounce! Everyday, without fail, dozens of kids would come up to you and ask, "Auntie! Auntie! What's my name?" (they call all of us "auntie" or "uncle") and I'm always like "Uhhh...." - hahaha. There are over 200 kids here! Give me a break! When we were about to enter the school, a couple of them saw me through the window and yelled, "MOOSE! MOOSE!" awww...they remembered MY name, haha.

A little background on the kids: these are kids that come from the surrounding villages, but most of them come from the families in the leprosy colonies. Without Rising Star Outreach and sponsors, these kids would not have a chance to get an education. They learn their regular schooling and also English. The reason why English is taught is because they will go so much more farther in life with this skill in India. These kids come from really poor families, so they are sponsored. I met a little girl here named Shalini. She just turned 5 today! She is new to the program and I was told that she comes from a rough family background and her family lives in one of the leprosy colonies. The first time I played with her, she stole my heart! She clung to my leg and always had to hold my hand. Every time I see her, she gets this huge smile on her face and hides behind her little hands and I would say, "My little girl!" and she would run up to me...AHHHH I LOVE HER! LOOOOVE HERRRRR!

We tutored yesterday and we helped the kids with their reading - which they're pretty good at! I'm so impressed with them. We also helped out the 5th graders with their math. So....um....5th grade huh? I FORGOT WHAT A RHOMBUS WAS! What the heck is a dodecagon??!! hahahha! IT'S BEEN A WHILE, OKAY?! So sometimes the kids had to even correct ME, hahaha, but then the wheels started rolling and it was coming back to me ;) hahaha!

Indian food is so spicy! Typical main dish is rice + curry. All the kids eat in the dining hall and they sit down on the floor with their plates. I noticed that I needed a fork, so I went around looking for one and could not find any. I asked another volunteer, Daniel, where the forks were and if he needed one. He replied, "No, I'm using my hands," I thought that was funny. I finally found a fork and I started eating but then noticed that no one was using a fork, but their hands. I looked down at my fork and thought to myself, "I get to eat...with my HANDS?! Forget this!" and ditched my fork...it was awesome!!!! Did you know there is a technique to it? My kids said to me, "No Auntie! Like this!" and what you do is you pick up your food in your hand and put your thumb behind the food and then push it into your mouth.

Playtime is so fun! We have it everyday right before dinner. So here is a golden moment of yesterday: Basha said, "Moooooooooose" and he had this sly smile on his face as he was running towards me and I knew he had something behind his back. I immediately started running and as I looked back, I saw this black thing flying through the air. It almost hit me and you know what it was?! A DEAD, DECOMPOSING FROG! sick sick sick! I could see the bones and dried up skin that had blacken and baked under the hot sun. Yeah, this kept going for another 5 minutes. I finally picked it up and flung it over a fence. I about killed Daniel when he said to Basha, "There's another one over there!" - hahahha!




Priya & Mariam

As I was leaving, several of them kept saying to me, "Moose! I love you! I miss you!" while blowing me kisses. While I was walking home, I kept thanking God over and over and over again that I was here. Tonight while I was leaving, Mariam yelled to me: "Good night best friend!" - she is one of my favorites. Julie came into my room later and she had a gold heart necklace. She handed it to me and said, "Mariam wanted you to have this," - okay, seriously was about to start crying! I've only been here for 4 days, but I feel like I have known these little ones for so long. Their hearts are so open to love and accepting me. They treat me like family....and its because our true identity as children of God brings us together in this manner.

Little Shalini

I want to be more like these children; ready to smile and ready to give everyone my heart. I also admire how they really value their education and how they are grateful for even the smallest things. They play together, laugh together, learn together, grow together, and help take care of one another. I love seeing the older ones caring for the younger - all sleeping in the same room, side by side. We are commanded to be as these little ones and humble ourselves. Be loving, forgiving, giving as they are. I have decided last night that I will sponsor a child at Rising Star. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to sponsor Shalini. This will help pay for her education, room and board, supplies, and more. This idea keeps speaking to my heart and I know it is the Spirit :)

Polambaakam Colony

Today we went to the leprosy colony called Polambaakam. Once we got there, we unloaded all the supplies and set all the stations up. We had several stations: giving eye drops, taking blood pressure/glucose levels, washing their feet, oiling their feet, and bandaging.

The colony wasn't a very big one. We had around a dozen patients come through. After they went through the washing station, they came to me. My job was to trim their nails and oil their feet. I first would take off the plastic booties we had put on them and I'd cut their toenails. I would grab the heavy duty nail clippers because regular ones wouldn't do the job. Due to their condition, they had very bad nails that were abnormally shaped and very dense. I felt horrible after cutting a particular nail off a woman. It was so long that when it was cut short, it started bleeding. She could tell that I was upset and felt horrible that I had done that to her - not wanting to have caused her more pain. She said to me in her very little English, " Okay, okay. No hurt. Okay - good. No feel, no hurt." Someone told me that many of them don't feel pain down in their limbs. She made me feel better and kept assuring me that she was fine and it didn't hurt. That woman was actually one of my favorites because the entire time, she was smiling at me. I would sing to her some good ole' Temptations songs and she really liked it. I don't know how to explain it, but we definitely had a connection. You really don't have to come from the same background or even speak the same language to feel a connection of love.

After cutting their nails, I would put a little bit of oil in my gloved hands and massage their feet around the open ulcers and any area with dry skin. Their ulcers were these open holes upon their flesh and you could sometimes see layer of layer of skin. While I was oiling their feet, I would try to look up at them and smile. Some of them have also lost their ability to speak, but through their eyes and smiles, they were saying "nandri" (thank you. The doctor next to me translated what one of the men had said to me "Blessings to you! Blessings".

The last station was bandaging. Sometimes I would watch this until the next patient came to get their feet oiled. Allie was helping the Indian doctor there. The doctor would take the surgical scissors and cut away the dead skin around the wounds and place pads on them. Allie would take the bandages and wrap it around  their hands and/or feet.

When these people came out to get their treatment, my heart beamed. To me, they were beautiful. I saw those who had lost fingers or toes... or their whole hands or feet, but what was not lost was their spirit. It didn't gross me out having deformed or wounded limbs placed into my own hands. I didn't see them as "outcasts" from society. These people don't leave their colony - the exception being to go out and beg. I honestly felt like crying because I was happy! I just felt God's presence there so evidently and strong. I knew God loved those people and someday, they will be restored to a perfect body. Just as God loves these people, I do too. We are all His children and those affected by leprosy are my brothers and sisters...they are yours too.

A scripture came to my mind on our way home: "I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath such as...visiting the sick and administering to their relief both spiritually and temporally" - Mosiah 4:26. I felt I helped a little to administer to their physical; temporal needs. They will not always be in this state - it is temporal. What will live on is their spirits. I hope that I helped their spirits. I know that my spirit grows when I am reminded that there is good in this world and it is full of good people. We all need help through this journey in life. Most definitely, these people have helped me to become a better person.

Julie, our director asked, "Okay, everyone ready to go?" I answered, "No," - haha cause I really did not feel like leaving at all! But its okay! We get to go to another colony on Thursday! Tomorrow, we are starting tutoring with the kids! YAY!!!!!!

"It's all about love"

Chennai is a huge city, but where I'm living for the next two weeks is more in the country surrounded by villages made out of huts. Gratitude overwhelmed me as I thought about all my many blessings. Why was I born in the United States? Why do I have the comforts that I do? Why was I born into a family with the knowledge of the restored gospel? I don't know why exactly, but I know that "because I have been given much, I too must give" - it made me smile thinking of the opportunity God has given me to be able to be here with these people. I just hope I can make a difference in some way. I want to give it my ALL and be completely exhausted at the end of the day...completely worn out mentally, spiritually, and physically in the service of God.

Here with Rising Star Outreach, I'm volunteering at a leprosy colony - helping to change bandages, clean their wounds, and help those inflicted. I'm also volunteering at the school they have by being a tutor to the kids who come from the leprosy colony and nearby villages. Rising Star Outreach usually does construction projects as well, but my session doesn't get to do them this time - I was pretty bummed about that...BUT READ ON :) :) :)

At dinner time, our director asked each one of us to state the "high" and "low" point of our day. A volunteer shared that his low point was that today, he went to the leprosy colony and he saw some of the people who had lost their legs dragging themselves across the floor to get assistance. He said he felt so sad that we couldn't get these individuals wheelchairs. Then one of the other directors said, "Well this session isn't doing construction. The program fee that you pay, a portion usually goes towards construction. That money went to purchase 3 new motorized wheelchairs for those people. So your low point just turned to a high," - All of us clapped that night at dinner and I know that we all felt a warmth in our hearts. I love the volunteers that I am with because we all came here with a desire to serve and to do something more.

We met the kids today and I absolutely love them! They were so open to us and every single one would come up to you and ask, "What is your name?" and once you told them your name, they would hold my hand, jump on me, play with me, hug me...as if they have known me all along! Tonight after reading books to the kids before bed, one of the little girls named Gidavi kissed me on both cheeks and then on the forehead. On Wednesday, we'll be starting our classes and tutoring. Tomorrow we're heading to the leprosy colony. I am so excited!

I can tell these two weeks are going to go dang fast... NOOOOOOO!!! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!!! hahaha!

True charity is love in action

I felt really impressed to share something with you all before I leave to go to India...

This summer has been one of the greatest summers I could ever have prayed for! I am going to be completely honest and real when I say, I had a really hard time the past couple of months. I never had a time when I felt such heartache or had shed so many tears. Once school was over, all my hope and prayer was to have my heart be healed - to be made whole again...and I am. I say this with cheerfulness and a smile. I feel like I'm myself again!

For the first 3 weeks of my summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a counselor for kids between the ages of 14-18 in a week long program called: Especially For Youth (EFY) ran by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our main objective is to bring the youth closer to Christ. I consider all the kids and all those involved at EFY as my angels. The Lord's promise is true that when you lose yourself, that is when you find yourself. As I was serving and loving all these youths and focusing on coming closer to my Savior Jesus Christ, I was filled with joy.

President Thomas S. Monson said: "I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face."

I know that is true. I know that God cares about each of us and man... life can be hard sometimes. Life can really be unexpected in some ways, but we are never alone. We have each other...but most importantly, we have the Lord. Go out and serve someone. You never know to whom you could be an answer to someone's prayer; their angel.

"Charity is the pure love of Christ and it endureth forever..."
- Moroni 7:47 (Book of Mormon)


Now I am off to India and I am filled with overwhelming gratitude towards my Father in Heaven for the opportunity to do volunteer work in a leprosy colony  for two weeks. I cannot wait to meet these people and to serve them. More than me helping them, they will be helping and teaching me. They will be my angels.