First Fundraiser...WOW!!

As you may have guessed, I will be fundraising for the costs for my trip. My plan is to have a total of three fundraising events. Two are in the works and one is already finished. My first fundraiser was a community concert at my church that took place in April. A number of friends of mine volunteered to perform. I had a total of thirteen musical acts. I charged admission and had numerous snacks available during intermission. Going into it, I had no idea what would come of it or if it would even be successful at all. Boy, did God have a surprise for me!

My concert raised $833...I was stunned to say the least. The audience (of about 100 PEOPLE!!) really seemed to enjoy themselves. Friends from all different corners of my life came out to enjoy the concert.The performers were fantastic and blew me away. I was touched by how many people came out and supported my dream. The Lord has given me such wonderful friends and a caring, supportive family. I am SO lucky.

God is amazing. Whether it is through answering an insignificant prayer or lining up everything for success, He is always at work. Even when times are rough, He is at work. "God is at work" is a phrase I learned from a sermon I heard at Carmel that I will never forget. It really spoke to me because it is a statement full of truths and can help even the most discouraged. It is encouraging to know that He is always at work. You will probably hear this statement frequently from me.

When I think about September and all of the preparations I need to do, it's a little scary. But when things occur such as my surprisingly successful fundraiser, I know that God is at work and is setting everything up for me. He is doing all of this so that I know I am doing the right thing. Thanks to the Lord, I have no doubts or regrets when I think about being in India for six months. I know that it is where I am supposed to be for that time and God will take care of me before, during and after. He and I know what I need to be doing and that work is way more important than any worries I could have. I am so grateful to God for always providing for me. PRAISE GOD.

What is this "Carmel Love?"

In 2009, I had the amazing opportunity to take a two-week mission trip to India...yes, India! My church supports Carmel Ministries, which is a Christian school and hostel in southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu. Carmel Ministries was started by a young couple, Backie and Freena. Backie and Freena grew up in an orphanage themselves and it was there that they were introduced to the love of Jesus. After graduating from the school there and getting married, Backie and Freena decided to open their own school and hostel in the poorest area they could find so that they were able to reach the families who needed the most help. Carmel Matriculation School has grown considerably since first opening. It has grown from about 650 students to almost one thousand students in just five short years.

My family had been sponsoring a little boy named Tamilarasan for quite a few years and I was very excited to have the opportunity to go and meet him. At the young age of nineteen, I was nervous about flying that long fourteen-hour plane ride all the way across the world. It would be my first time visiting a developing country and seeing a kind of poverty that is very rarely seen. The team that goes each year is a group of people from various churches stretching from Elkins Park, PA to York, PA. They visit every January and stay for two weeks, spending time teaching at the school and, most importantly, spending precious time with the children.

Well, let me tell you how my first trip turned my world upside down. I fell in love with the country of India as well as the community of Carmel. The love and happiness that I saw in a place that is known for its poverty was overwhelming. How these children could be so joyous and have such a strong faith in the Lord when they had gone through things I could never even imagine was clearly God at work. My relationship with the Lord strengthened in a way that I had never felt before. And might I say, after leaving Carmel with red tear-stained eyes, I was HOOKED (for lack of a better term). I couldn't imagine never returning to Carmel. It was all I thought about and all I talked about. I had India on the brain!

It had such an impact that since my first trip in 2009, I have returned four times with the team (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013). I have never missed a trip because it would have literally broken my heart to do so. Since my first trip, things have changed. My family's sponsor child has changed to a wonderful little boy by the name of Jones. I have picked up a sponsor child of my own...the adorable and one of a kind, Karthick! New faces have replaced some of the old ones at both the school and hostel as families move away from Dharmapuri or remove their children from the school. But the most important thing that has not changed? My relationships with the children and Backie and Freena have grown deeper and stronger.

Each and every moment that I've spent at Carmel I've never felt happier. Spending time with those kids makes me feel close to God in a way that is difficult to describe. It's as if that is where I am supposed to be. I look into the eyes of innocent children while playing Zim Zam Zoom or into the breathtaking starlit sky at nighttime and I am at home. Each time that I go, this feeling only grows.

During my trip in 2012, I received a push from the Lord. When the team arrived in January, there was a family there who had been at Carmel since September (and would be staying until March; for a total of six months). The Schwartzman's included Jason and Michelle and their young daughter, Zaili. Their close friend, Glen Richards had joined them on their journey. Michelle was expecting another child, which they had found out prior to leaving for India in September. Jason and Glen were teaching a "Spoken English" class at Carmel School for the fourth through the ninth standards (grades). Michelle was assisting Freena with the sponsor program, among other things. All this time, they were staying at the hostel with Backie, Freena and all of the children. When we arrived, we noticed such a difference in the children's speaking. It was incredible. The Schwartzman's and Glen showed me that living at Carmel for six months was POSSIBLE. Anyone who wanted to could do it! I got a chance to talk to Jason about it and a hear a few of the details that went into their planning. Seeing that a six-month stay at Carmel was something that could actually happen really opened my eyes. It was on my most recent trip, this past January (after a great conversation with Glen and his wife, Julia), when I felt a call from the Lord. When I came home, I knew that it was no longer an idea that was constantly on my mind; it was my FUTURE!!

So, now I look towards September with GREAT anticipation. I will leave in September and return in March. I'll get to go to Carmel Matriculation School almost every day and teach conversational English to children in standards three through nine. Every morning I will wake up to lead morning chapel for the most inspiring children I have ever met. I'll assist Freena with the details of the sponsor program so that the children's connection with their sponsors can grow. Carmel will feel even more like a home to me. AND I CAN'T WAIT!!

My travels to India have taught me that you don't need much to live besides the love of Jesus. Material things are absolutely unnecessary in our relationship with God. He doesn't care about the things that we own or things that we wish we owned. The only thing that matters is that we strive to better our relationship with Him and that we work to follow His plan for us. My experiences in India are what I would consider the defining moments of my life because they have shaped the person that I am today. Carmel has taught me the power of God's love.

My main goal for my trip in September will be to share that love with as many people in Dharmapuri as I possibly can. I want to give the children of Carmel an idea of how much God loves them and just how special they are. I want to give these kids the speaking skills that will help them to escape the never-ending cycle of poverty that engulfs their community.

Those are my goals...well, no. Those are God's plans that He has placed on my heart. I can't wait to be a part of Carmel's love. Want to know about Carmel love? Then join me on my journey and you will see!