Namaste

Wow I feel so grown up. My very own blog! :-) My parents got there very own stationary and I get to choose backgrounds.... This is actually something that I have wanted to do for awhile but was never really sure where to start. I decided that this blog would be a good way for people to see how I am preparing for my trip to India (and maybe some other random stories along the way). I hope that once I am in India I will be able to update it with some of the happenings there.

As many of you know I am going to Mussoorie, India from April 27-May 19, 2009. Mussoorie is a town, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayan Moutians, northwest of the capital of Dehli. (Click on the map on the right Delhi will be in the upper left corner. Right of Delhi will be Derha Dun which is very close to Mussoorie.) It has long been noted by the British aristocracy for its beauty. They built many resorts and to this day the nearby city of Dehra Dun attracts many tourists. Surrounding Mussoorie are about 9,000 villages reachable only by foot. Many of these villages have never heard of Christ. I am staying with two sisters, Jana and Joni. Jana is a nursing graduate from Indiana Wesleyan. They do a lot of traveling to the villages providing medical care and sharing the gospel. Something exciting is happening as they are starting to see the fruits of their labor with an entire family being baptised! God is defiantly at work there.

As far as what I will be doing I have many options but at the same time very little idea! I know for sure that I will be spending some of my time earning my clinical hours at the hospital/clinic in Mussoorie, watching a lot of surgeries. I also hope to be able to travel with Jana and Joni to the surrounding villages providing basic medical care and building relationships with the people.

I am taking this trip for a few reasons, by the way they are in no particular order 1) To fulfill my course requirement. Indiana Wesleyan University requires all nursing students to complete 42 hours of clinical service in a culture different from there own. Some choose to go to an Amish birthing center while others are going to Africa for the summer. It just depends on where they feel called. 2) India is fascinating to me. They have a beautiful vibrant colorful culture with a very complex religion. Plus who doesn't like a good Bollywood film now and then! 3) I have always, always, always, wanted to travel and study abroad (just ask my parents. I think I caught my great-grandmothers traveling bug...) One of the main attractions to Indiana Wesleyan's nursing program is this class. I am really excited about the new experiences that await! 4) (and most important) I feel that God has a plan for me in this trip. I pray that I will be a willing tool for Him to use in whatever way He wants to further His kingdom.