Thanks for visiting my blog. Needless to say, I am excited about heading off to India this Saturday. A number of you have been kind enough to ask questions about the mission trip. I thought that this blog could help provide some answers. Additionally, I am told that I will be able to use my iphone upon arrival. If that works (I am skeptical), then I will be able to provide some updates and photos during the trip! Now for the specifics:
Where are you going? If you look at the lower portion of the map above, you will see the city of Chennai. It is located on the east coast, just above Sri Lanka. Chennai is the major city where our plane will land. From there, we are taking a bus to the village of Puttur. It looks to be about 60 miles to the northwest.Puttur will be our home for two weeks. That is where we will be hosting medical camps, sleeping and eating. However, we will also be hosting medical camps in neighboring villages.
Where are you staying? We are staying at a place called Good Shepherd Mission. It is a christian-based orphanage that coordinates a lot of medical, educational, religious needs for the poverty stricken people in that region.
What will you be doing? Primarily, we will be providing immunization shots and medical supplies to those in need. (I know that you are telling yourself, "Chad doesn't know anything about giving shots!" Don't worry, I'll let the others handle that task.) We are taking 12 suitcases full of medical supplies with us. These supplies include everything from eyedrops to bandages to toothpaste. We will be handing these out at the daily clinics. In addition, we raised funds prior to the trip. We will be taking these funds with us to purchase additional medical supplies once we arrive.
Who are you going with? There are 12 of us that are going on this mission trip. Primarily, we are from Wyatt Park Christian Church. There are a few from Grace Evangelical Church. Wyatt Park generally sends two groups a year on this trip to the Good Shepherd Mission in Puttur. (Julie isn't going along. She is doing the real work of keeping up with Carson and Ava at home.)
How long will you be gone? How long does it take to get there? We will be gone for two weeks. The total travel time is about 24 hours each way.
What is the time change? There is an 11.5 hour time difference between Puttur and Missouri. To make it easy, all you really have to do is switch the a.m./p.m. If it is 10:00 a.m. in Missouri, it is 9:30 p.m. in Puttur.
In conclusion, I am really looking forward to this trip. Keep checking back, as I hope to have some updates on a semi-regular basis. (If you don't see any, then you know that the iphone idea didn't pan out.!)
