"Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see.. everything that I keep missing.. give me your love for humanity."

"Give me your arms for the broken hearted

the ones that are far beyond my reach.

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see."

Last night at approximately 9:15pm... I booked a flight to India.

Yup, It's official! I'm going overseas for a month and a half this summer. I am super scared... but also excited beyond words. 

I will be doing some volunteer work while I'm there in Dharamsala which is located in northern India in the Himalayan region. Rumor has it, the home base where I will be staying is in the foothills and has a gorgeous view that I get to wake up to every morning. However, that is not why I am going. I am going to serve in the rural schools. Teaching English and working with special needs children.  I have been informed that while I am working in the school setting I will be required to wear traditional dress. So, apparently when I arrive I will be taken shopping and my clothes will be custom made for me. Kind of exciting but it should be interesting... My trip is all through an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions, which is not necessarily a Christian organization so I am excited to meet and work with people from all over the world. 

I have to admit pushing the "continue to purchase" button on nwa.com was a little nerve wreaking. I am spending a good amount of money to go over there and I will be leaving my family and friends to pursue this ambition alone. It's scary, but I know that this is something that the Lord has put on my heart for a long time so there must be a reason. He will get me through. I know that I will have time of adjustments and times that I will miss home, but the opportunity to serve those in need and to possibly show them the love of Christ far surpasses any anxiety that I feel. 

So the details are... 

I leave June 26th at 7:10pm from Detroit Metro Airport. I have a stop in Amsterdam and then arrive in New Dehli on June 27th at 10:50pm. 

(I remember this type of flight from Cambodia.. ehhh..)

I will have orientation in the city for the first few days and then I will hop a flight up to Dharamsala where I will be working in the schools. 

After about 5 weeks in Dharamsala, I will be flying back to New Dehli for a debriefing session that will last a couple days. I will fly out on August 2nd at 12:50am and return to the U.S. at 10:40am the morning of the 2nd. I'm going to have some major jet lag to recover from. 

Well there's the big news for now. I have to start getting everything together such as my visa application and immunizations and so forth. 

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Other tid bits for you..

I ran 8 miles the other day as part of my training for the half marathon (ahhh it's in 3 weeks!) and thought I was going to die. But I will not give up! NEVER!

I've started meeting with Ron again since things have still been a little rough. It helps to keep me focused and he really has such a great gift of compassion and reason. I really appreciate how he takes time to listen to me. 

California in 2 days!! Complete with wonderful friends, 70 degree weather, hiking, a wild animal park, my first experience wine tasting, a visit to the mexican market, and maybe a beach run.

I went to an Invisible Children meeting on campus last week and was really inspired by their story. It's so amazing how God can work through people to change a nation and rally the world.

I cleaned my room! I'm usually a neat person but for the last couple months I've lacked in motivation entirely. 

I've been really considering getting a masters in Special Education lately. Depending on how my experience in India turns out, this may be a possibility in the next year. Hopefully I can find a job (for next fall) first though.

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Teach me Lord, how to love as you loved. I can't do it on my own. I need your Spirit's presence in my life. You laid down your life and even forgave your enemies form the cross. I want to love in such a way that people see you in me. 

Happy Palm Sunday this week...

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I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.

Mother Teresa