Touching the Untouchables

Well, we finally had our first meeting for Heart Touch International! Even though the trip is 6 months away, there is a lot of planning to do, which is why we start the meetings early. It was great to see a few of my old friends and wonderful to meet the rest of the group that will be going with us. It feels like we are going to have as wonderful of a group for this trip as we did for our Cambodia trip. And that is SO important when doing this work. You need just the right mix of seriousness and light-heartedness, along with understanding, comfort and the ability to know when to give each person either the space or the hug they need.

We also learned more about the hospital where we will be volunteering: AIMS Hospital. Amma created this hospital so that everyone in India would have access to advanced medical care, regardless of their income or place in society. As a result, the hospital is very advanced and will be VERY different from the hospitals we visited in Cambodia. But, the patients at the hospital will be very much the same: the poorest of the poor. Or, the "untouchables," as they are known. And that is completely in line with the mission of Heart Touch: Touching the Untouchables. Those who others are scared (for whatever reason) to touch and show love and compassion to, those are the ones we will step in for and touch. To show them that they are worthwhile, they are loved, and they do matter. It is always so much more than a simple touch. We will offer what we can and while it might not be advanced medical care, it is emotional care, and those two can, and should, go hand in hand.

 (At work at the hospital in Cambodia)

Amma also has an orphanage that is a bit far from the hospital. So as of now, it looks like we will be spending most of our time at the hospital and not the orphanage. This is fine with me, as I'm happy to serve wherever I can. We will also have the opportunity to do "community outreach" and go into the more remote villages with hospital staff to do our work.


And so begins the planning! I have vaccinations to get, a visa to apply for, funds to raise, and so many other things to take care of. Good thing I have six months to do it all!

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.