India-Part 1-Rising Star

Oh man. India shook me. The people, the places, the smells, the colors, everything together just blew me away. There is an organization called Rising Star Outreach that focuses on the leprosy affected in India. It has done some incredible things to help the beautiful people over in Southern India. We had the incredible privileged of bringing Imagine Learning English into a school that was started for the children of the leprosy affected. It was surreal to play a small part in a big change that is happening over there. Noah is going to want to add his thoughts on this so we will revisit this post (really) and add to it but I have had this in my draft pile for too long now. I'll at least put up some pictures. We got to go over there with Eli and Julie who helped make the trip very memorable. Here we are at the airport in Dubai waiting for the next flight.


We got pretty slap happy running on little sleep. Eli found out that you could call other seats with your own seat phone so we kept calling each other talking about how excited we were.


I've got to put more pictures of our fist impression of India but this is our first drive in daylight. It was so fascinating. All my scenes were were going crazy.


We were on our way to a colony where the leprosy affected live. They are considered untouchables so they are placed in different colonies made specifically for them. Our first stop. This woman was the happiest and most friendly lady. She is no bigger than a minute but was so full of personality. When she spoke she had everyone's attention!

She wasn't shy. She wanted pictures with everyone. I love this one because she even makes Julie took big. I thought that was impossible!


Then we got to the school and met the kids. Wow! What beautiful kids. So full of light. We brought a letter from her sponsor who just so happens to be Charity, Noah's sister. She volunteered there last summer and told us who to look for. They were ecstatic to hear from her.


When Talmadge and Anita were there they helped set us up with an angel to sponsor. Her name is Vanamalar. It was exciting to meet her. She is a sweetheart.







We got to eat lunch with them.






We got to follow up on the brilliant star store Talmadge and Anita started when they were there.



And this is the incredible computer lab Noah and Eli installed Imagine Learning into. Julie and I got to be there to help as well and see the excitement on the teachers and students faces.


Training.





This is a dance some of the kids were working on for a big event they had coming up. I love the enthusiasm on some of their faces. It is so neat to see because each of these kids has a story to tell.

One day we went into the village near by and met some of the people. The girls on the back of the bike are 2 of the 5 kids of a family that lives there at the school and directs the comings and goings. They are an amazing family!


This is inside the house of one of the employees of the school, Myra. Her kitchen is the dirt pile on the left, her husband's room is the bed on the right, the cow's room is next to his and she sleeps on the floor in a different room next to the kids. She was so proud to show us her "super" house! It was "super!"

Back at the school the kids were practicing for a parents day activity.


We got to go into the colonies with the medical team and clean the wounds of the leprosy affected. Wow! It brought a whole new meaning to people living with leprosy.






This is one of the house mothers. They each take care of 20 girls or boys. They were giving us a tour of their rooms. 20 girls sleep in 3 rooms!


And there are their shoes that they hardly wear. And they just pick a pair and hope it fits!
We saw these two walking to school one morning. They are brothers who don't live on campus.

I love this picture. So tender. Notice their shoes!


Padmini is the cook. For everyone. Students, house moms, volunteers, everyone. She is amazing. Each night she made us volunteers dinner and we ate it on the roof on a banana leaf. Yumm it was good.
Checking for lice!



Nightly prayer meeting.


Oh, we have about a thousand more pictures to put up. It is impossible to capture it all. I am so grateful to Imagine Learning for donating the program and to RSO for letting us come, and to Charity for watching our kids while we were gone, and to Eyrealm for helping us get there, and to every volunteer who helps with causes like these. There is much to do in the world!