Food

Carson & Ava want to know about the food, so I am sending this picture. Simply put, the food is very good. We have rice with every meal, along with some meat. Indian food is very spicy, but they tone it down for us. There is a lot of curry. Of note is the lack of silverware. The Indians don't use it, and we don't either. Basically, you pick everything up with your hand. You mix the sauces with the rice to make clumps, which are easier to pick up. (Carson & Ava - If you want to eat with your hands until I get back, I am cool with it. Tell your Mom I said that it was OK.)

Thursday

Today we held a medical camp here at Good Shepherd. Yesterday, they had a cart travel around Puttur with speakers on it. They used it to announce to the residents that we would be giving shots. Around 100 kids received Hepatitis B shots. The kids are happy to see us - until they realize what is going on. However, things are soothed over once we give them a Tootsie Roll. The parents are very appreciative of our efforts. Some adults also come to the camp for other issues. There are some Indian doctors that treat them. Today we had an eye doctor and a dentist. Our group provides a number of the medicines to help the adults too. Here is a picture of some of the medicines distributed today. Tomorrow we have another camp. It is located in a village about 15K away. More fun to come!

Wednesday - Arrival

We made it! After a brief delay in Brussels, we arrived in Chennai on Wednesday morning at 9 (your Tuesday evening at 9). It is good to be back. We were greeted upon our arrival at Good Shepherd with a band. They, along with the children, led us on a small parade to our living quarters. Talk about getting the royal treatment! Tomorrow morning we are doing a medical camp here at the Good Shepherd clinic. I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with a number of the familiar faces after getting settled in.

Introduction

I'm headed back to India! Many of you have been kind enough to ask about the trip, and this blog is a simple way to keep everyone updated. I had a blog for the 2009 trip, and it worked out pretty well. Here are the details for this trip:

Where are you going? We are going back to Good Shepherd Mission in Puttur, India. In the map above, the city of Chennai is circled. That is the closest major city. Puttur is a small rural village that is 2-3 hours inland. We are leaving on December 27th, 2010.




What is Good Shepherd Mission? It is a facility that serves a number of functions, but is primarily an orphanage and primitive medical clinic. It also has a building that houses elderly and some AIDS patients. Residents of that area rely on GSM when they have no where else to turn. The depth of the poverty is remarkable. Our church has partnered with Good Shepherd for a number of years and regularly sends groups over.


What are you doing? Like last time, we will be traveling to various villages providing immunizations to children along with some basic medical supplies. (I'm sure at some point I have hit you up for cash to send to GSM. A lot of it is used to buy these immunizations and supplies. Thanks!)


Other facts: The travel time is just over 24 hours. We are flying from KCI to Chicago to Brussels to Chennai. Those are some LONG flights. If you flip the clock, you can just about compensate for the time change. For instance, when it is noon in Missouri, it is 11:30 p.m. in Puttur. Although it is their winter, it will be in the neighborhood of 80 degrees. I'm going with a group of 11 total people.


In any event, keep checking back. Last time, whenever I could find coverage, I was able to use my phone to send blog updates and pictures back. Hopefully, I can do it again.