I'm Here!!

Ahh India... Where do I begin? I'll start with my the first things I noticed when I arrived.

The people are so very nice.

A smudge on the forehead shows you've been to the temple or said your prayers that day.

The head bobble from side to side is a general way of saying ok, yes, or good.

Poverty is no excuse for bad fashion. The women are always looking gorgeous, all decked out in their traditional Indian clothes.

There seems to be more men then women, like 5 to 1. I'm not sure why exactly. (Update: When I asked a friend where all the women are, she replied- Working!)

They don't line up to get somewhere, the just swarm all at once.

The people have a great sense of humor and like to laugh a lot.

Traffic rules are more of a suggestion than law. Their driving is seriously crazy, at times moving within a few inches of each other.

The buildings seem like they should be condemned and I wonder how/if anyone actually lives there.

The streets are dirty and cluttered with everything that should be at a dump.

Overall the air is thick, muggy, and smelly. Every once and awhile you'll get a breeze of something especially foul. Hold your breath until you pass it!

There is so much to take in it's overwhelming! Here are some pictures to give you an idea.

The view outside our hotel window.

I love seeing girls sitting gracefully on the back of a speeding moped.

Rice fields

Rickshaw

Us squished in the back of a rickshaw!

City life

  

I don't know what the tree markings mean but they're cool!

Who needs a family SUV?

I'm sitting here with droopy eyes, trying to think of a way to sum up this post. India is amazing! I can see it through my "India eyes" by noticing all the beautiful things hidden within. Goodnight!

Lessons Learned

I am writing now from India! We made it here safely, and somehow I managed to function throughout the whole trip! I think it was divine intervention that kept me pushing forward for 20+ hours on a plane, about 45 traveling hours and 6 airports to get me from Utah to Rising Star.
My first international flight went from JFK to Abu Dhabi. I didn't quite know what to expect and felt a little uneasy about flying Etihad Air. It sounded so... foreign! I found the plane was VERY classy and comfortable. We had a plush blanket, pillow, and a little kit with earplugs, socks, eye mask, a tooth brush and toothpaste. The lights of the plane when dimming would turn from red to blue to green. The flight attendants wore a hat with a sheer scarf draped under their chin and bright red lip stick!
Despite all the comfort of the plane I still only slept for 3 hours max! I'm not a very good public sleeper!
I made some new friends on our next flight. My sister and I were sitting on the very last row at the back of the plane. An older man and his son came to sit in front of us. The flight attendant was telling them they had too many carry-ons and needed to move some luggage to the front. They didn't understand anything she was saying, obviously they didn't speak English. The son pointed to his mouth, then to his heart, then to his father...we need to keep my father's heart medicine. Finally, after some frustration and shuffling things around they were able to keep their bags by them.
Later, the flight attendants handed out customs forms to be filled out. The father in front of me, through the space in the seats, turned to communicate..We don't know how to fill this out.. He handed me the paper and passport and I did my best to fill in the blanks, motioning different questions..where are you going in India? Where will you sleep (putting my hands to my cheek). The son said, "Ohh" and handed back a paper with an address to a hospital. They were from Bangladesh Iraq, traveling to India to see a heart specialist. In my mind I thought, "Yikes. This man is high risk for a heart attack."
After about an hour of hand motions and talking between seats I had their forms completed. The father handed me an apple through the seats to say thank you. I took a picture of it because I was so touched.
Sadly, an hour after that, the father did have a heart attack! The son yelled at his dad trying to get a response, the attendant said, "We need to get him out of the seat!!" Three men were able to lift him and take him four feet to the open space at the back of the plane. I am a nurse, but rather than rush to the crowded space and assist, I had the sense to observe the attendants as they as they worked and step in only if needed. (I feel kind of guilty about this but I think it was the right choice) One checked the ABC's, (airway, breathing, circulation) his heart wasn't beating. Another was cutting his shirt off. Another was getting out the AED, "Shock" device. Meanwhile, an attendant called out, "Is there a doctor on the plane?" Remarkably a cardiologist stood up! They shocked him a few times and his heart started beating regularly. He was coming back around! I tried to express comfort to the son as I watched him go through emotions of fear, sadness, frustration....
The plane was going to make an emergency landing in Bangalore. Soon the paramedics were carrying the father out of the plane. The son was upset about something, (standing by the exit where I couldn't see him). The attendant assumed he wanted her to go with them. This didn't make sense to me. As she was explaining she couldn't go with him (for the second or third time) I thought, "He wants his luggage and the medicine!!" I quickly started handing her their carry-on bags, and when the son got them the arguing stopped.
We took off an hour later after refueling. As I watched the sunset out my window, I thought about how fragile life is, how the things can change at any moment no matter what you're doing. That you can't know what will happen in life, so why not live it to the fullest! I thought about how I had helped these men and was glad for the opportunity I had to do it, wishing I could have done more. I still have my apple. I can't bring myself to eat it or throw it away. I just like to look at it and remember my special friends from Iraq and the lessons learned from them. 

Oh, and to top it off, we lost our luggage!

Thank You!

I owe a huge THANK YOU to all the business who donated the majority of my funding for India!

Your generosity will be a blessing to many in need. Thank you for sharing in this endeavor with me!

CHILDREN'S DENTAL

FIFTY STATES SAVINGS

S & S STEEL FABRICATION

OFFICE MAX

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAANA

Winner!!

The quilt raffle ends today! I had my son Blakely draw a folded name out of his cowboy hat!

The winner is....(drum roll).....BRENDA MACBETH!

Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

I had a great time chatting with you all.

(ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT! Eeee!!)

The Good(s)

This weekend I hosted a neighborhood yard sale!

A few days before the sale I handed out flyers, letting my friends and neighbors know I was putting on a yard sale and would gladly take anything they were wanting to get rid of.

(The weather at this time was TERRIBLE. Cold and windy.. and I mean WINDY.. all day and all night.)

When Friday came, the sun was shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, it was the warmest spring day we'd had so far!

My husband and I set out the few meager items we'd collected from our house, not nearly enough to last through the weekend. I can remember saying to him, "I hope this doesn't turn out to be a flop!"

We put signs up anyway and cars started coming our way. The next thing we knew, friends were coming out of their houses with smiles on their faces and arms full of donations! Trash bags full of clothes. Items still in boxes never opened; things to decorate the home.

At first glance our yard sale looked pitiful, barely filling our driveway, hardly worth stopping for. But pitiful looking as it was, the driveway never emptied. Things seemed to show up out of nowhere! I could barely keep track of what was coming and going! Saturday morning came and again I found a tub of donations sitting outside our garage door!

I thought of a couple comparisons to this event.

The miracle of Jesus and the never-ending basket of loaves and fishes.

Hermione and her tiny satchel that could hold ANYTHING.. tents, clothes, swords.. Where did it come from? :)

The first comparison is more amazing than the second of course, that's just what popped into my head!

(Right: Me sporting a Wile Coyote band aid from my recent vaccination, and a nice farmer tan. It felt so good to be actively working with a goal in mind!)

At the end of the sale, we were surprised to find we had made over $600.00!! A monetary success!

However, in my mind, the money earned is just a side note to everything I learned and experienced in such a small time!

A couple came to the sale and told me they lived in a poor neighborhood, where the children didn't have much, and they were buying up as many items as they could afford to give them. I was so happy to be able to help them.

One lady was buying shoes and said if they didn't fit her, she would send them to family in the Philippines. Amazing!

I was touched when a little girl gave me a handful of change, just as a donation to the cause, expecting nothing in return.

I could FEEL the love coming from friends and family as they pulled together and supported me. My heart has been so full of gratitude and humility because of their efforts.

In a world where everything negative seems to be the focus, it is a breath of fresh air to see and experience the GOOD in people. I was truly blessed to be a part of it.

Thank you again to the Campbells, Honeys, Browns, Hughes, Scholzens, Scotts, Haights, Staples, Parkers, my Mom in law and my Mom, my kids and of course my adoring husband for helping to make this fundraiser a success! Those in India will most definitely be blessed by your service!

Wrap Me Up

It's finished! The quilt I have been making for months is finally finished and ready to raffle!

This is my first attempt at machine quilting and it was a lot of fun! I also learned how to make a a binding. I think it turned out fabulously if I do say so myself. It isn't perfect, it has... character.

You can be entered to win this Trina Wright original, vintage design quilt (haha) by making a donation (even the smallest amount helps).

It's the size of a throw for your couch. 100% cotton on the front, soft minky on the back.

The raffle ends March 19th!

Thank you to Heidi Stout for helping me complete this fund raising project!

Healing

The other day my husband asked me,

"You know those bandages you used to make? What were they called?"

I looked up at him with a puzzled expression, and then it hit me, "Oh my goodness! Leper bandages!!"

I have been crocheting leper bandages for the past twelve years! It's been my favorite humanitarian aid project. I've made dozens of them!

When I worked as a theater manager for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, I would sit on the grounds of the outdoor theater and crochet bandages (in the moon light) while supervising the show. (My co-workers thought I was a little wacko!)

Not once did I think the bandages could actually be used for those affected by leprosy! I assumed it was a nick name of sorts, for bandages used for various types of wounds. After all, leprosy was an ancient disease from biblical times...

It's kind of a crazy thought to entertain, the thought that somehow I've had this cause in my heart for years and didn't even know it! Coincidence?

While pondering the irony of this story, I've thought about the wounds that can't be healed with medicine or crocheted bandages. The wounds of the heart. The wounds of the spirit. Wounds inflicted by prejudice, discrimination and lack of understanding. I think about the deep sadness these people must experience on a daily basis. I can't comprehend what their emotional scars must be, but I'm willing to try!

I've had a lot of mixed reactions from those around me about going to India. Most of which have been pure excitement and support. A few seem to think what I'm doing doesn't make sense. One person said to me, "what good can you do in two weeks?"

This question has stuck with me, and really when it comes down to it, if I am able to help ONE person feel loved, even for a small moment, it will be worth it!

So off to India I go...with all different types of bandages.

Wish me luck!