Whew...that was a long one!

Our last days in India seem to all blur together now that I lay in my oh so lovely bed with all my fluffy pillows surrounding me in my oh so quite, peaceful house. It's such a blessing living in America and yet, sometimes, it's a curse. Curse maybe too powerful of a word, but at this point, I'm not sure what other word to use. It's so beautiful to have freedom, to have fresh air, hot, clean water, an array of places to eat and not think twice about if it's safe or not, clean spotless streets, safety, comfort, electricity....a plethora of options. The list is endless. But many times, all those things limit my view...limit my scope....limit my vision....limit my heart. I don't see what it is really like....or feel or know or begin to understand what it really means to be poor. To only have one meal. To work 16 to 18 hours of manual labor. To walk miles for clean water. To never be touched. To not be wanted by your own family...your own mother who gave birth to you. To not be free. It's something we pondered and grappled with all week....of what it would be like if we really depended on Him for everything and not just out of convenience, but out of necessity. I think whether these people know it or not, their faith and relentless persistence through this life is incredible and amazing....and awe-inspiring.

The last few days in India were a blessing for our team. As Carla said, we all really had to dig deep to go the extra mile the last few days. I can't speak for the whole team, but I was ready to come home last Sunday. To think about providing two more medical camps, traveling 4 hours to one place, 3 to the next and then coming back to meet up with Stan, Nate, and Carla to leave for home was a daunting thought....but we did it and of course, it was very fruitful and a great experience. We had the opportunity to work with a great team of people, see beautiful parts of India I never imagined existed, and touch beautiful people who have worked countless, endless hours of hard labor through bonded slavery....who are now FREE.

Thursday was a LONG day to say the least, but by far the best day of the week. We started the day about 7am and were at the medical camp site by 8:30ish. Our first patients came around 9 and I don't think we stopped moving and seeing people until around 3:00. Needless to say, it was much more busy than Tuesday and we had the opportunity to see so many precious souls. So many run down, beaten up, run ragged through the deepest mud, stretched beyond imagination were the people who walked up the dirt road to our medical tent. Their histories and life stories were written all over their faces, their dry, cracked hands and feet, and their skin and bone bodies. Wow....our small medical camp that provided a few pills to relieve the pain for just a few days didn't seem quite adequate or enough....but, as I handed the interpreter the pills to explain to each person and tried to shake their hand as they left, connecting with them through touch and looking them in the eyes, each one was so grateful and I believe felt His love. My hope and prayer is they felt like kings and queens for just a brief moment...that they felt our touch, our love, our hope for them, our blessings for them....because each time we touched them, we felt honored and blessed a million times over to be in their presence. It was an exhausting medical camp....but such an honor and SO worth it!!

As we ended the day, we had one last meal with our friends from IJM and got to celebrate the wonderful week together. What an amazing group of people and people with such HUGE hearts for His justice in this world. They are His hands and feet everyday and putting in the grueling work of providing peace and hope for these people every single day. What a pleasure and honor to walk beside them on that journey for just a short time!!

And then, after dinner, we headed back to the hotel, packed up our stuff and headed to the airport around 11:30pm. Our flight left at 3:40am India time....so I think Thursday lasted about 3 days for some of us....or 2...or whatever...it was LONG!

As we landed in Chicago, it was kind of surreal. It didn't feel like we just went on a two week trip across the world. It felt like we should have been going back and starting all over. It's hard to stay and you miss home, but a piece of you is still there...a large piece of your heart remains there. You cannot not be changed. He is doing amazing work over there. He is doing amazing work here in all of us. He is everywhere....which is incredible and there aren't even words to describe how and what that really means.

Needless to say, it was an amazing trip....again. I don't think I ever realize how amazing it is until I return home. Sometimes, it's hard to always be in the moment when you are there because it is so overwhelming physically, emotionally and spiritually. But as I transition back into my life in America, I am forever grateful for my eyes to be open a little wider, my heart to be touched a little deeper, and for my faith to be a bit stronger.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, your support, and your love throughout and beyond this trip. We couldn't do it without all of you and we know in our heart of hearts that your love was also spread throughout India the past 14 days.

With love,

Katie