Blessed Before I Begin

I wanted to post one last update before I leave for Kolkata in the morning. I will fly first to Chicago where I will meet up with several other members of the servant team and board a non-stop flight to Delhi, where we will meet our last member and fly to Kolkata. There, I will be staying in a flat in the Dum Dum Cantonment with my four teammates, cooking and cleaning for ourselves. I'm very prepared and hoping I'm not over-packed and going to look like a total materialist when I get there, but I am carrying gifts for several people as well as Sari Bari tags for the shop, so it's not all mine.

This is Rasheeda. She Is almost 15.

I am so happy to say that thanks to the contributions of all my family, friends, and church congregations I was able to raise all the money required for the trip! This was a huge relief, and a big blessing. I never expected to be able to raise all the money, and not have to pay anything out of pocket (especially since I was only half way there a month ago). God was really watching out for me in my hour of need. Thanks to everyone who donated, I will have enough personal money to be able to visit my sponsored child, Rasheeda, whom I sponsor through Compassion International. I have sponsored Rasheeda for four years, she lives in a village near Erode in the Tamil Nadu province in southern India. I cannot wait to meet her. The amount of fundraising also means that I will have enough savings to apply to grad schools and start job searches once I return. Again, I am just so blessed by the outpouring of love and support I have received in the last months and wanted to let everyone know so that you can celebrate with me and know my thanks to those of you who gave!

I was recently led to two really great books that would be awesome for anyone wanting to learn more about modern slavery, or human trafficking. If you're interested in learning more about sex trafficking these would be really good choices. One is The Slave Next Door by Theresa Flores, it's a true story about sex trafficking of Americans within the United States. The other is a fiction, based on the reality of sex trafficking in India and Europe, it's great if you like a novel but want to learn a little about the issues involved, It's called A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison! AND it was written by the relative of the Executive Director of the Civic Theater here in Indianapolis!

I am not sure of how often I will be able to write posts while in India, but I promised my mother to call her at least once a week, so hopefully I can do the same with checking emails and writing updates. I believe where I will be living is going to be a very good place for sanitation and transport, but please pray for my safety and quick adjustment to life there nonetheless. I am so excited for this new adventure and I hope all of you will enjoy going on this journey with me!

And now all there is to do is quote the words of Dr. Who a he plunges into the unknown:
"Allons-y!!!"