My Secret Passion

Hey all you family and friends!  It's time to let you in on a little secret that I've been keeping for the past few months.  I'm super excited about it.  I'm a bit obsessed with the whole thing.  I gotta tell ya that it's kinda crazy and some of you might not really get why on earth I'd even want to do this or touch foot in the place I'm dying to go.  I get that... because sometimes I stop and think about it and wonder the same things...but then those rational thoughts get pushed aside quickly by the adventurous side of me that is wanting to burst out.

So, remember how my fav show is The Amazing Race... hence, the name of my blog!  For years, I have watched that show, wishing that I could travel to all of those places.  Some day I will get to do that.  There are so many intriguing places.  But, there has been one that I've been particularly drawn to... INDIA.  Re-read this blog post I did last year when AR went to India.

An opportunity has presented itself to me that will take me to India this coming year!  Matt is supportive of this, and he's even accepted my invitation to come along with me.  Honestly, I don't want to have this life changing experience without him.  I'm happy that he wants to come with me.

I will be volunteering with an organization called Rising Star Outreach.  This is what I will be doing.  (click right hand corner and enlarge to full screen view)

The more I learn about Rising Star and the more I watch these videos and read other volunteer's experiences, I get all choked up and know that this is what I want to do.  I will make it happen.

Watch these two videos.  They give me goose bumps and make me cry.

Are you thinking I'm crazy yet?
I'm not.  It's something I need to do.  I don't know why.  There's not much I get passionate and obsessed over.  But for some reason, this has done that for me.  I really think that Heavenly Father has placed this before me for a reason.

The dates for the volunteer sessions in 2013 haven't been set yet, but I have been in contact with Rising Star and I'm told that they will have them on their website in September.  They will be similar to the 2012 dates.  Most of the sessions are two weeks long, but there are a couple of sessions that are a week long.  We will have to choose one of the shorter ones due to work and the kids.  I'm hoping that we will be going at the end of March; perhaps it will coincide with Spring Break.  We'd have to make arrangements for the care of Josh and Emma, so things will need to be worked out.

And at the end of our volunteer session, we will take the optional 3 day tour to Delhi and Agra.  How awesome it will be to see the Taj Mahal! So cool!  I just read a novel about it called "Beneath A Marble Sky".

So that's it!  That's my secret passion.  I'm going to India to help those affected by leprosy!