Meeting Time!

I just received my schedule for the meetings we will have for our India trip. The reality of the trip is starting to kick in! I'm excited to have our first meeting and see some of my friends that I volunteered in Cambodia with, as well as meet the other people who will be going with us on this trip.

Unfortunately, along with the schedule, we received news that the cost of the trip is increasing. I am still planning on sharing a room with my friend Terry to keep our costs lower and I will just have to budget more (and hopefully get some more donations between now and December!) to make it happen. But if there's one thing my friends know about me, it's that I WILL make it happen!

For whatever reason, this is usually about the point where my excitement mixes in with some anxiety and nervousness about the trip. I will be spending my winter "break" from a rigorous academic program to travel to India and work very hard every day. I know that it will be physically and emotionally exhausting. I will miss my home and the comforts that come with it. What am I doing?! I could take the time and money spent on this trip and take a relaxing vacation instead! Or I could stay home and relax a bit while working and getting an income, since I certainly don't get paid time off in my job! But I'll push the pettiness aside and remind myself that the need of the people we are going to serve far outweighs any of this. And, as with my volunteer experiences in Cambodia, with hospice and in the NICCU: the beautiful experience that I will have during this trip will be MORE than worth any sacrifices I have to make to take the trip. There is just so much fulfillment that comes when you give of yourself.