Successful day!

This morning we combined two groups and headed off to work at the construction site. On our way we stopped at a leprosy colony where the leprosy afflicted people paint and draw. They sell their art and it is some of the most amazing work. It blows my mind how talented many of these people are with no fingers or any previous experience. There were hundreds of painting to choose from but I ended up finding the perfect one. I was so excited when I found out the man who painted it was there sitting next to me so I got my picture with him and the piece of art he had created.
Down the street was the construction site and we hauled bricks from one location to another for a couple hours straight. I tried carrying some bricks in a bowl on top of my head. I realized that it is not the most comfortable thing unless you have a rag on your head. I truly appreciate a good brick building after participating in the process and seeing the amount of time it takes. These women are saints walking around in their long draped outfits hauling everything you could imagine on their heads. Before India I always wondered when I saw a construction worker they were never working, but more or less sitting on top of a cooler underneath a tree. Well now I understand that it is exhausting in a very short amount of time and breaks are much needed. I wish I had kept track of how many bricks we did hauled today.

On our way home we got ice cream at the junction and it was the coldest it has ever been; SCORE! Teresa was nice enough to buy everyone one. The first thing I did was run to the bucket shower and get rid of all the red dirt. After I wiped off my face I noticed my face wipe was dark. Gross! We had a half hour break and left on our way to have play time with the kids.
Today we were all exhausted from staying up last night and working with energy we didn't have to expend. I knew I would regret just being lazy later on so I played soccer with a couple of boys and played catch with the girls. Rahtig came up to me today and yelled Eliza while showing off his Indian dance moves. He never ceases to crack me up! I loved watching the two kids, brother and sister, walk around together today holding hands. These kids were the ones that Amy brought over from the colony so they would not have to beg anymore. They are so close to each other; it was neat to see the brother and sister bond that they shared.


Dinner tonight really hit the spot and this was not because it was something different than usual but because I was starving! Afterwards the volunteers played sardines!

Matthew and I braced ourselves for the kids once again but to our surprise they were more mellow than usual. Mellow would be considered an understatement but if you had seen what they were like before there would be no confusion. One boy continues to speak to me, not in English, and he does it just to bug me. I start mimicking him in their language. The kids laugh so hard when I do this!
We tried to just sit down and start reading so that children would not be running around like baffoons. One thing I loved about tonight was how a kid named Argay kept bringing me books and was always trying to hold my hand. I realized it was one of the boys who have fallen asleep on me last night. He is so quiet but I taught him how to read tonight and say, “I love you!” The way he sad it made me want to squeeze him to death.
After reading I noticed a kid today that had not really caught my eye before and I noticed him folding his underwear and laying them out to dry on the bars. He walked into the other room and began to fold all of his clean clothes; nicely setting them on the shelf. This little boys name turned out to be Joshua and he looked younger than all of the rest. I was so impressed; I kept thinking was there something in it for him. It wasn’t till shortly after I noticed Nagaraj, (the leader of the pack), directing everyone to clean up. I love how everyone listens to him and stops talking once he says something. If we didn’t have him in our family I don’t want to know what chaos would be going on. I need to pay him to come to my house and get order in line!
Joshua still impressed me because he was such a good listener and did everything as soon as he was told. It took the others quite a bit to actually start helping. My favorite part was when Nagaraj started to speak and began handing out everyone’s blankets. Let me remind everyone that this kid is the same age as everyone else! I am pretty sure he will be the next President. He brought me into the other room and said to me that he wants me to take pictures of his pictures that he has of Jesus. I absolutely loved this! As I was leaving another little boy in a different family played a role from a movie and was the best little actor I have ever seen. I hope he gets discovered.
The night ended and I just kept thinking about how different my life is going to be without these kids to look forward to every night.

Today was a special day

Waking up this morning was rough considering what time we went to bed last night. I was planning on doing construction but a few things came up that caused road blocks in our day. Amy received a call saying that the group headed to the colonies car broke down and they needed a ride. She sent the driver to go pick them up and the rest of us went to a salon and had threading done to our eyebrows. Unfortunately Matthew was not allowed to come inside so he roamed the streets while waiting for us. Amy, Audrey and I only paid 1 dollar total for the three of us! This is one reason that I love India. Once we finished we called to find our driver and we were told his car broke down on the way to pick the group up. Great luck for us; we got to take a rickshaw car to the colony where the car had broken down. Interestingly enough our driver was drunk and our rickshaw broke down 3 times. We took a picture and our driver wanted us to take one of him posing next to his car. What a weird character! ha
This day was not in our favor at all but we found it hilarious. Instead of doing construction we tag teamed with the other group and were able to visit two different colonies. The first one we mostly walked around visiting the leprosy afflicted people in their little homes and getting to know them on a personal level. Amy's job was to find parents of a child who is at Rising Star and inform them that their son has tuberculosis. I promised myself today that I would remember to give everything that i had and to not hold back because this week will be over before I know it. I love being kissed on the arms and hands by these wonderful people. It is the best feeling seeing how happy they are to see us. I met a man with no leg today and I love how they talk to you forever even though they know we have no idea what they are saying. These people are so happy and you can see in their eyes that they do not dwell on the conditions that have been put in their path. I feel guilty that I have come here to help others when in reality they are helping me.


The next colony was a sad sight to see because Amy informed us we were going there to pick up two children whose mother took them out of school so they could continue begging on the street. The father of this family is in the hospital because his leg needs to be amputated and the mother has no way to provide a living. By taking the kids out to beg is the only way she feels they will be able to earn money to survive. We went to the children's home and the mother was not there. They were with the grandparents and other children in the village. The boy was around the age of ten and did not crack a smile or talk to us because he knew why we were there. He did not want to leave his mother and just by looking at him I felt he had the world on his shoulders. His sister was a sweetheart and was very easy to talk to. I felt that the mother had told these children to not leave her because she loved them too much. I can understand why it would be so hard to go against what she says because they all have so much love for one another.


While Amy tried to get a hold of the mother and talk to the children we continued to help Dr. Kamur and test for hypertension, diabetes and wash feet. Amy is an amazing director because she was not going to leave until those children were in her arms. Rising Stars goal is to get beggars off the street and give these children hope for the future. We left without her and finally made it back to our colony for play time with the children!
I had really missed the children while being away this weekend. Today for me was very special because instead of playing sports with the same group of kids I branched out to establish close relationships with the other children. I love finding kids who are crying because holding them in my arms is my favorite thing. For some reason everyone has the hardest time remembering my name but once I tell them they start yelling it over and over. Just hearing my name is the best thing I have ever heard. It gives me the biggest smile! I started swinging the kids around until they were to dizzy to stand and before I knew it there was a huge line waiting for me to swing them. The children find it absolutely hilarious to jump on top of me until I fall over because of too much weight. I won't lie I think it is pretty funny.
Once dinner was over Matthew and I braced ourselves for another chaotic night with our little family. Today everyone seemed to be following me around and I felt on top of the world. Rahtig continued to show me his little jig and his dance moves cease to impress me. Christaraj hung out today which is the cutest little boy with the brightest smile. He gave me the best kisses and loved playing duck duck goose. Once Vanadoss walked in the door tonight I opened my arms and he ran in then kissed me on the cheek. I have established meaningful relationships with many of the different children and I have a greater understanding of why mothers say they would do anything for their children. After playing we started to settle down the children and Christaraj cuddled up next to me making sure I wasn't going to leave. Watching him lay there with his blanket trying to fall asleep gave me a feeling that is hard to describe. Every time I would move Christaraj would grab me and hold me so tight. Being here and staring at the most gorgeous children has be speechless most of the time. These kids feel me with more happiness than I ever thought possible and I do not want to leave. I sat with him and another scratching their heads until they were asleep and just kept thinking to myself that I was the luckiest girl in the world. My thoughts went to the past thinking about the beggars we saw on the street in Dehli and It was surreal to me to think that use to be many of these kids. As hard as it is to deal with the beggars I am reminded that when I see them I need to be more patient and loving because I know how amazing each one of them is. They love to be held and once you set them down they crawl back up.


After one group was asleep I helped Nagaraj with his homework. This is the kid that is so smart and is the leader of the pack. I was laughing while I helped him because I had no idea if I was doing it right. I guess he will find out when he goes to school tomorrow! I love seeing how much he loves to do his homework and is fascinated with learning.
Truthfully I am having a hard time thinking about how my time here is almost over. I feel like this has become my new home and these people are my family. Remember to love everyone around you because in doing this I have felt many things that I will always remember!

Weekend get away

It all started with a 2 hour ride to Chennai, 2 hour plane ride then a 5 hour drive to our hotel! I am glad we all wore our genie pants because they are so comfortable. It was worth getting the weird stares.

As we drove it was surprising how the sites never get old and I am always amazed at how these people get by from day to day. I almost felt guilty when we pulled up to the nicest hotel ever! It was so beautiful and I was so relieved I got to sleep on a soft bed. I have so much respect for the Indians and how they sleep on mats. My back was already screaming at me after only 2 weeks.
This trip we woke up at 5 am to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise but to our surprise a sunrise never happened. We couldn't figure out if we were to late or the pollution in the air just covered the sun. The Taj Mahal was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life. I could not believe I was there looking at it with my own two eyes! We had a tour guide explain to us everything about it and its history. There is the most gorgeous marble inside and a particular piece of marble lights up when you put a light to it. I could not believe a man had built this just for his wife. The time and effort that was put in this took a very long time. I was so glad I got to see one of the 7 wonders of the world.



As we drove we passed the Presidents house and many other neat historic sights. We had the opportunity to walk through one of the oldest temples in India. The intricate designs in these temples are amazing to look at. We drove through a very popular market place and I had never seen so many people. I am learning how to bargain and can now realize when I am getting ripped off.


The driving here is absolutely insane! I used to get nervous driving in Utah but now I will be so calm after what I have seen here. If I cross the street I can most likely expect to die because nobody will stop. Thats a lie, if it was a cow they would stop! ha One thing about this trip that shocked me was how many children were beggars on the street. I had seen slumdog millionaire the movie but it gave it a different meaning once I experienced it for myself. These children look so haggard and will not take no for an answer. I was told they are beat to look this way and have been taught this is the only way to survive. Once you buy something from them they continue to ask you to buy more. We found a PIZZA HUT to eat at that was a sit down restaurant. Might I add that I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time. Pizza had never tasted so good. The sad part was that these kids sat outside the restaurant until we were done eating to beg for more. Matthew gave a mother fruit and she was so upset that it was not money. I told her to put her children in school because the government pays for it and unfortunately she didn't like that either. It is so sad to me that these kids don't know any better and have been raised like they are.
Later that night we went swimming at the outdoor pool which felt so good after a long day. The hotel grounds were huge and very green. We enjoyed a nice Indian dinner after in the basement of the hotel, with live Indian music. I have still not become used to the idea of having to just guess what the menu is saying and hope that it tastes alright, but I haven't striked out yet. I just look for any sentence that has the word 'Masala' and it has always tasted good. Throughout our trip we made different stops to places where different things are made. We saw where rugs are made and the factory where everything was. Watching the man make these rugs on a loom was so fascinating. He worked so fast and efficiently. These rugs were gorgeous and the time it takes to make one really made me appreciate a good rug. The next stop we visited was a marble shop where they carve everything into different designs out of marble. The tools they use here take so much time and is such tedious work.
Just call me Princess Jasmin because I rode an elephant! It was such a fun experience to climb on such a beast and it was sad at the same time. The owners of the elephant kept poking it with a sharp knife and you could see where it was bleeding. I tried not to focus on that but instead smile at the lovely art that was painting on the elephants face instead ha. We only walked around in a circle but at least I can say I have been on an elephant before!


Today was hands down my favorite day and that was because we were able to go to church! It was like finding a home away from home. This church building was very nice and the members were so sweet. We got to meet the missionaries and luck would have it I knew one of them. We stayed for sacrament meeting and it was fast and testimony today. Many were in english but others were not. One man bore his testimony and even though I couldn't not understand the language or had any clue what he was saying I felt the spirit so strongly. He was crying and I began to cry also. It occurred to me how neat it was that we can all speak a different language and grow up in different cultures all around the world but the one thing that brings us together and helps us understand each other is the Holy Ghost. I felt the Holy Ghost through him and he moved me in a way that I felt that I understood his testimony. Another little boy shared a story in english and began to cry about how grateful he is for Heavenly Father always being there for him in his life. I learned so much from these people and loved how the gospel is what brings us all together to form a common foundation. A lady shared how much she misses the temple and wishes they would get one in India. I forgot how privileged I am to have so many around me and hope that I will never take this blessing for granted. For me it was rewarding to see the light in these peoples eyes and i felt so rejuvenated after the meeting.

After this we began our long journey back home where I had another opportunity to share my testimony and how I feel about the church with a volunteer who is with Rising Star. This made a great ending to the whole trip!

Leprosy Colony adventure

Today I traveled to two different leprosy colonies with Dr. Kumar and gained a lot of insight on India’s moral and ethical values. Dr. Kumar is an amazing doctor who works for Rising Star with his wife. Matthew, Audrey and I listened to him in the back of an ambulance type van as we drove to the different colonies. The drive was very scenic and it was a part of India that I fell in love with. There were acres of land with pine trees and palm trees. It was a better kept part of town but the colony we were headed to was one where they cast all the people out and made them live next to the cemetery so they could die there.
The first colony there were not many people but I was able to test everyone for diabetes today. I felt like a nurse!


Matthew had the opportunity to experience what life is like for a fireman. Here in India they burn trash on the side of the road but this one got carried away and almost burned the place we were working at. He grabbed pails of water and put out the fire. He saved the day! There was a nice man there being treated who said he loves to work hard and asked us if we would go see his shop down the street. We followed him and saw that he worked at a little store on the side of the road selling drinks and snacks. This kind man gave us free drinks and was so happy we came! His English was fairly good and he told us about the success of his sons and daughters like a proud father would. I felt bad when he told us he is all-alone now but his spirit was still full of joy. His selfless deed to give us drinks meant a lot to me.

As we drove to the next location I learned about why Dr. Kumar wanted to be a doctor and how he got to Rising Star. This man is so selfless and does the work he does because he loves the patients. He was offered to go work in Chennai at a very nice hospital and also do private practice where he would make much more money and lead a fancy life. Rising Star asked if he would come work for them for one month before he left to Chennai and during his time here is when he realized he wanted to be working with patients in colonies that can’t get health care anywhere else. The miracles he witnessed in one month were enough to make him realize this is where he was supposed to be. My favorite part about today was listening to his uplifting stories. The interesting thing is that in working with him earlier in the week it was hard to understand his English but today everything he said was very clear to me and he was easy to understand. I wonder if this was because the stories he shared were something I needed to here.
I asked him about the moral values that India has and he shared many interesting beliefs about Hinduism and how the North and South of India differ. It is just like in any religion how some are stricter than others. I am going to write a paper on India’s moral and ethical values; what I learned today really helped me have a better understanding of this culture.

A story he shared that touched me was about a man who was blinded my leprosy for the last 20 years. A doctor whose practice was in a hospital would not perform surgery on his eyes. The patient desperately needed a new lens in both of his eyes. Dr. Kumar patiently begged this doctor to perform surgery for two hours; he finally concluded yes as his answer. The reason why the doctor was so hesitant was because there were so many problems that he feared would happen throughout the procedure. Dr. Kumar showed up to this patient’s house uninvited to see how he was after surgery. The man asked why he was here and couldn’t understand why he was in his house. This man had his eyesight back from surgery and then soon realized he recognized Dr. Kumar’s voice and his eyes filled up with tears. He was crying so hard and told Dr. Kumar that because of his willingness to persuade the doctor to perform surgery he can now see his children, his home, nature, and his wife who is more beautiful than he ever remembered. I can’t imagine how rewarding his job is as a doctor to know that he is changing lives.

One man needed his legs to be amputated and this patient who was suffering could not find any doctor to do surgery. Here in India the government pays for any medical treatment but they were only willing to do one of this mans legs. Completely hopeless and on one last wish he called Dr. Kumar. Dr. Kumar answered the phone and called the doctor to tell him he would pay for the medical procedure to be done and any complications that may occur. This patient was able to have both legs amputated and called Dr. Kumar after to tell him that if he would not have answered the phone that die he was planning on jumping in front of a train to kill himself. He was tired of living life as he was and wanted Dr. Kumar to know that because of him he is still alive. I held back the tears and couldn’t believe what I had just heard. This man has made prosthetic legs out of carpet and twigs. They saw him in the colony just the other day and gave him crutches, which he was so happy to have.
Dr. Kumar and his wife have made it so people who can’t make it to hospitals for treatment now have a chance for a better life. He drives to all these different colonies to treat these people and it is not for the money. I love seeing and hearing the progress these patients make after only months. He is able to have 200 patients a day where many other doctors never get to experience this.

These stories have taught me to go the extra mile in life and whatever job I have I need to do because of the love that is in my heart. Money can take you places and buy you nice things but that is only temporary. I have learned today if you learn to love the people you work with in any career you will learn much more about them and life that will be indefinitely meaningful. It will be something I can take and cherish the rest of my life. I want to not just perform the tasks I am given but try and always leave people better than when I found them.

Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.
Mohandas Gandhi

Tonight I played football with the kids and felt like an old grandma. These kids were counting on me to block Matthew because we are the same height. I was warn out!

Later after dinner we had a little dance party in their room. They love when I pick them up and fly them around the room. I noticed a little boy in the corner trying to sleep but his coughing was keeping him awake. I went over to see if he was alright and he threw up. I carried him outside and he threw up twice more. I felt so bad for him and he couldn’t speak any English. His housemother tried to help but she walked away about to throw up after seeing his own. I just kept thinking this is a mess ha. I washed his hands and face then put him to sleep in a room where nobody could bother him. It is so rewarding putting around 20 little boys to sleep every night. Last night I forgot to mention that I had three little boys fall asleep on me. One was on my lap, another on my stomach, and the last one on my shoulder. These children thrive for motherly love because they are away from their families for such a long time. My favorite thing is getting goodnight kisses from the little ones. Making eye contact with others and seeing their faces light up brings me so much joy.
I am grateful for the experiences I had today and the things I continue to learn. These weeks are going by way too fast and I wish I could make time stand still. Tomorrow we leave for a weekend trip to see the Taj Mahal and other sights. I will not be blogging for the next couple of days. When I get back I am excited to share the events that took place and share the sights I have seen!

Another rewarding day

Covered in dirt and sweat but I am still smiling! Today we got split up into 3 groups which consisted of one group helping tutor kids all day, one going to the leprosy colony, and the other doing construction. Since Matthew was in a group with Audrey and I we got lucky and went to do construction ha! We thought we would be building toilets but instead we got a job that required more demanding work. The construction site had three huge holes and they needed to level all of the dirt off to a certain height. They handed us our man made looking shovels and we hacked into the dirt. Best part about the whole day was the Indians just watched us do their work and were laughing because Audrey and I were singing. The first song I started to belt out was, “God, Bless America!” ha ha One more thing I found I am thankful for is the machinery that we have in America. The labor here takes so much longer and is not the easiest thing for them to do. Audrey suggested singing an uplifting song and we both broke out into, “You raise me up!”, at the same time. We are getting to know each other way to well. From the second we started working we didn’t stop and I felt like I had jumped into a pool but we were having so much fun it didn’t matter. It feels good to work hard. Dad you never thought you would hear me say this but I appreciate you always making me cut down trees, mowing the lawn, and taking a chain saw to bushes. If I had just done laundry like most women this job would not have been the easiest. We were all covered in dirt and had it dripping into our eyes; blinded! I was amazed at how much we got done and how fast we did it. I can see how having a positive attitude allows me to learn things that I may not have been able to with a bad attitude.


It was now time to head back and eat lunch and take a break. The bucket shower never felt so good. I have really come to love these bucket showers and that is not a joke.
From 4 to 6 was playtime with all of the little kids. While most of the volunteers chose to play jump rope with the little girls I decided to play soccer with all of the boys. Matthew was one captain and I was the other. Sad to say my team fought a good fight but we lost by one point. These kids are so talented at soccer and have such a passion for it! The little ones have no fear and would go full force to try and kick the ball. Playing soccer for an hour and a half about did me over. These kids are like energizer bunnies.
Dinner was served early, which was fun because then we got to go watch the kids eat.

My best friend Nagaraj, who gave me candy the other day, is a genius. We sat down next to each other and he told me my birthday, how many people were in my family and Matthews birthday. He had remembered all of that information from the day before which astounds me because I can only remember a name for 5 seconds then its gone from my memory. He is very special and so smart. I watched him tell everyone to pray for their meal and the kids began to chant a certain prayer; they were bobbing their heads back and forth with hands clasped. If this wasn’t a sight to see I don’t know what was. I couldn’t even get my camera out in time because I was frozen. Nagaraj aspires to be an engineer when he grows up and I don’t doubt he will do it. Everyone in this world is born with a certain gift or talent and Nagaraj was born a leader. Later I will explain why I see this attribute in him.
I had the chance to read the children books and tell stories for an hour before it was time to go to sleep!


The same reoccurring thoughts that I seem to find myself thinking are about how these children have changed me for good. I have learned from them passion and brilliance! Indian children are very unique and so lovable. School is one of their favorite things and they get so excited when you start counting or recite the alphabet. There is one little boy named Cartig that ran around all day like a chicken with his head cut off. He was so fun to watch and carried a teddy bear around that sang. As it was getting closer for bed I noticed Nagaraj handing everyone their toothbrush and telling them to brush their teeth. Let me remind you that this kid is the same age as everyone he is directing. Everyone listens to him and then he pulled out the mats for everyone to sleep on. Tonight took forever to get everyone to calm down so I asked Nagaraj if he would tell everyone to lay down and they did. It was like baby geniuses, something from a movie you don’t see everyday. He acts as an adult figure and has the biggest heart. Nagaraj shows me how to be selfless and to take action when help is needed. The little things like remembering information someone tells us makes others feel special and being aware of where to offer a helping hand. These things are what I learned from a ten year old boy.
Rising Star helps all of these children to get an education and help them to have a life they may not have been capable of reaching. They see their families for the Holidays and once a month. Just to see what opportunities these children will now be able to have gets me so excited. My heart is so full and many times I just find myself in awe with the people I am surrounded with. Watching Cartig go to each person and play his teddy bear song for them was the cutest thing. I received many kisses goodnight from the kids!
Thoughts that I have had today are ones about losing yourself through others to find you. When we are charitable is when we are able to be the person we strive to be. My favorite scripture is….
Moroni 7:45
And charity suffereth long, and is kind and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Nagaraj is only 10 but we talked about Jesus today and he told me he has many pictures of him that he would like to show me. I talked to him about heaven and how much I love Jesus too. He told me that he would love to come visit my in America and I promised him that someday we would meet again. The children have taught to me to embrace every moment in life and not care about the small and stressful things. I want to become someone and do the most I can throughout my life. Seeing the hopes and dreams of these children makes me want to continually push myself and remember the sky is the limit. Not everyone in other parts of the world are given the resources we have to do and become what we want. I hope I can remember to always work my hardest and that is when I will receive the greatest reward. These children are given very little but that doesn’t stop them from reaching what they hope to become. I love these children like they are my own and the way they love others and me reminds me how to love everyone I meet.

Got to be a tourist today!

Word of advice for anyone who is reading....Never say you are American when shopping in a tourist town. Today we went to some random town about an hour away to do some shopping, more so bargaining. Audrey and I asked Matthew to take a picture of us and all of a sudden there was the loudest sound of firecrackers. Naturally, I started running towards the sound to see what it was and Audrey bolted in the opposite direction. It was quite the site to see!

I found many great purchases that I am excited about. I am not the best at bargaining but I learned from Audrey today. I always feel bad and back down. Because of this many of the indian men were intense and would not back down for me but all the deals seemed to be following Audrey. The only thing that seemed to be following me around was an Indian man that I bought some rings from. To give some background information I bargained for quite some time and he told me about how he wanted to find a good girl to date. I made a huge mistake and told him he was handsome and that it was great he wanted to find a quality woman. My advice was to be patient and I left with my jewelry. During lunch, which once again was rice and red sauce for only 3 dollars I noticed my finger turned green from the ring I had recently purchased. This man had told me it was silver, little liar. Usually I would just not think twice but I was determined to get a better deal since I had been ripped off. I asked another man in a store if he thought it was silver and he said it was steel. Sad thing is that in America I got this ring for a steal of a deal either way and in India I just kept trying to go lower. We went back and I told him that it wasn't silver and I wanted some money back. He told me I was mistaken and closed his store to have me show him who told him it wasn't really silver. At this point I figured he was telling the truth and I felt bad. As we were waiting in the bus for everyone else I noticed the man from the jewelry store staring at us outside. Sure enough he was knocking on the window and told Matthew that he went to a store and the man said the ring is really silver but If I want my money back i can have it. He wanted us to trust him, sweet guy. The weird thing was that 20 minutes passed by and he was still standing there staring at us. Naturally I turned around and gave him a thumbs up then blew a kiss not knowing it may just get me in trouble. Five minutes later he knocks on the window and hands me a hand made jewelry case. Too my surprise it had a note that said......

This definitely made for a good laugh on the bus.
To get back to the other events that took place throughout the day I can't forget to mention we got to see the beach! We played in the waves which was fun to see.





As we were walking on the street we saw a man who had a wild monkey tied to a leash and dressed up in some exotic outfit. Little did we know it cost money just to take a picture of him. Yeah right, we bounced! The fun thing about where we were was there was so much architecture in the place where we were at. There were really intricate ruins and something they call the butter ball. This ball looks like it is falling off a cliff and the legend is they have had elephants try to pull it and nothing seems to be able to work. Hiking to the cliff was one of the best parts of the day. There was the best breeze and we sat up there forever! The best way to describe the place we were at was the zoo but with people instead of animals. ha





Once we got home we ate dinner....YES THAT'S RIGHT RICE IT WAS! I was in a hurry to eat my food so I could go talk in all the little boys in my family. Matthew and I walked in and the ones that were asleep woke up to play with us for a bit. I had a circle form around me and we played a game then they insisted I tell them a funny story. I was totally put on the spot so the best thing I came up with was to retell the movie "Elf". The looks on their faces were priceless. They must have been thinking, "Is this really her idea of a funny story?" ha I tucked them in and tomorrow they told me to bring books to read them. I guess that is much safer then my stories.

I am definately exhausted because it has been a long day but was so glad I was able to see this fun town today. Matthew had a missionary opportunity which was fun to see. I love being here in India and I am learning things everywhere I go. I am so grateful to be out here and love the people and the things that are being placed in my path to teach me and help me grow!

The kids Came!

LICE....does anyone know what it looks like? Well I sure do. Let's just say I learned a lot about it today! To start off the morning the children arrived at the school throughout the day. Matthew and I were put into a family together and were put in charge of about 15 little boys. We sat before the kids got here and had flash cards so we could memorize their names. Matthew owned me in this process. I still mix them up because they are the longest names ever. This campus went from being a ghost town to an absolute mad house! We called in each child for lice checks and I was so nervous I was going to leave with a head hair of lice. The second I saw these kids faces and the best outfits in the world, I immediately stopped caring. I would leave India with lice any day if it meant I could stroke their heads all day. We put a lice shampoo in their hair and let it sit for 10 minutes then rinsed it out. There was a lice comb we used and BAM there they were; the littlest creatures I have ever seen. Some of the boys had a head of lice and others were pretty clean. These kids were so patient and just sat there enjoying every second of it. I guess they are just used to this process being done once a month. Lice looks like little tiny spiders and the eggs are white. It was important to find the eggs because the shampoo does not kill them.





For lunch I made Matthew and I an egg salad sandwich and Matthew was in heaven. He would be the easiest husband to please. I felt like a chef and all I had to do was crush eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. After a good nap and some rest we went back to finish the infestation of lice. We can't have any more of these eggs hatching on my soon to be children heads now can we. I went outside to make sure we had done every boy and I found a little boy crying out on the playground. I went over to talk to him and he was crying so hard he couldn't speak. Some of the other children translated to me that he missed his mom and wanted to play outside. I took him in to do his hair and got him to calm down. I must have a mothers touch! ha. I carried him around for a while after that while I chased other kids that would lie to me and say they had already been checked. One little boy said he had already been done and I grabbed his head and said, "Yeah right ya little rat, get in there!" His head had lice written all over it!. Overall we spent 4 hours cleaning out lice and I realized through this whole process that I want a lot more kids than I thought I did. Seeing how much I love them and didn't care I was picking out lice gave me a glimpse of how even more amazing it will be when I have children of my own. The kids here are so fun to be around and they love playing with each other.


One little boy was so homesick and he threw up on Audrey. I could not help but laugh. All the boys loved saying Matthew's name because it was easy for them to understand. They struggled with mine because I guess they aren't used to saying Z's. Matthew played soccer with all the children and they soaked it all up. Or should I say Matthew soaked up the sweat.





Nice smooth part!

Before dinner we had a chance to play with them outside on the playground. The children all eat dinner somewhere separate then us. For dinner we had chapatas with rice, beans, chicken and salsa. We are getting closer to american food and it was so good. Now it was time to tuck the children in and read them books before they went to bed. We went to our dorm where our group was with their house mother and she was on top of things. They were all lying down on their mats next to each other in 2 rows. I am pretty sure I have never seen anything cuter in my life, but I say that a lot! I laid down with Nagaraj and he asked me all about my family and how old I was. I told him I had my birthday yesterday and he said he had chocolate for me. I corrected him and said you mean I have chocolate for you? In India you give people candy when it is your birthday. He said to me again, "No, I have chocolate for you." Out of his pocket came a piece of chocolate candy that said, Happy Birthday and he asked me to take it. This is HUGE for a kid to offer something that they cherish because they have so little. I had the biggest smile on my face. After this they said goodnight, lizey! I gave them handshakes and blew some kisses. I am so anxious to tuck them in again tomorrow and the see them everyday from here on out.


Some stories that were shared today were hard to hear. Amy the director told us that there was were many families camped out front hoping their children would have a chance to come to Rising Star. They had to turn away five families. One family in particular said that their grandpa had leprosy and they found out it was a lie and he was just sick. The children from this family who thought they would be able to attend the school were quickly turned down after hearing this news. To attend Rising Star they have to come from leprosy colonies. The lengths parents go to do get their children an education amazes me. It is so neat to see how much these parents love their children. Anywhere in the world you look its the same even though we all come from different cultures. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given and the education I received. Rising Star is doing amazing things out here for a lot of people!

Moroni: 8:17
And I am filled with Charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation."