My Dad thought it might be a good idea to start off this blog with a little introduction of how this trip all came about. There's a lot of parts to it, and I'm not a very organized thinker/blogger so I'll try to make sense.
Around March of this year I was feeling down and stressed out about a lot of stuff that was going on in my life at that time. I remember calling my Dad for advice and he said something that really kind of started this whole thing. He said something like, "The best way to help yourself when you're feeling discouraged is to look outward and help somebody else." That really hit home and I started about ways that I could give back and serve.
Earlier that month I had received a notice from the Financial Aid Office saying that due to a calculating error, they were sending me a refund that would give me some extra funds that I had not been counting on receiving. HUGE BLESSING, and I had started thinking about ways that I could use that money. It was during this time that my Dad gave me the advice and I thought maybe I could use this extra money to do a service trip or something like that. And that's when I started thinking about my mission.
These are pictures from the last day of my mission... they really were the best 2 years of my life.
Me, President Douglas, Hermana Douglas
Last night in the Mission Home
I am so grateful for the Mission, and especially for being blessed with an incredible couple to lead our Mission. President and Hermana Douglas were big advocates of charity, service and demonstrating pure love towards our fellowman. On several occasions they showed us videos of Rising Star Outreach, which was actually founded by Hermana Douglas. A couple of links to those videos are posted below here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLYKIUcfRkg
https://youtu.be/9X_XSnYdBJM
These were always so inspiring, and made such an impact on me. As I was thinking about what to do with that money, I thought back to the mission and thought of Rising Star Outreach. I finally had my idea of what I wanted to do! As I looked into the program and saw what it was all about, I got even more excited. It was going to be an expensive trip, one where I couldn't cover the entire cost... but I knew that's what I wanted to do.
I applied to the program, was accepted, and that's when I started my fundraising... hoping to raise the money that I was lacking. I was overwhelmed by the goodness of friends and family who donated and made this trip possible. I couldn't believe how many times my Mom called saying someone had dropped off a check or money at the house... and also checking my donor page, I couldn't believe the generosity of all of you who made this possible. There were/are many tears of gratitude for you all.
I thank you all so much and am so blessed by having you all in my life. This trip is dedicated to all of you, and I hope that you will be proud of the service I will be giving the people of India.
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