Rising Star Outreach

Our flight to Chennai was delayed by two hours but we managed to arrive and found a cute driver with our names on a homemade sign who took us on our journey to our final destination.  We saw typical scenes along the way as well as lots of rubble:

We stopped at the supermarket nearest where we’ll be staying, which was about the same size and selection as Maverick.  Except not quite the same products:

We were starving and stopped at the finest restaurant in town called Genesh.  It was actually really good food, but we were the only ones the restaurant using spoons!

What a thrill we felt as we approached the property of this amazing Humanitarian project about an hour and a half south of Chennai.  After being in fascinating places full of smog and tons of rubble, we drove through hurt-your-eyes-green rice paddies and were delighted to find an amazingly beautiful project here at Rising Star!

There are new buildings under construction and a darling school, playground and NO rubble in sight!  There are about 150 adorable kids here who have been lifted from the leprosy affected colonies and are being given a wonderful education!

New buildings are under construction and plans are to double the occupancy to make room for the older children as they progress:

There is an absolutely gorgeous new facility for the volunteers who are coming faster and in greater numbers all the time:

And just in case Charity, Dani and Sara get to the Internet before they arrive on Wednesday, this will be their room:

Everything is beautiful and clean but the very best part is the wonderful people who are hear to help and to run the program. Today we had a very special sacrament meeting which was a first in this beautiful new building.

Every one of these people are truly remarkable. Two young families just came, one with five children 11 and under and one with four children 7 and under (the mom, is taking the picture).  Unbelievably terrific families!  The current directors are found on the front right…both graduates of Stanford and both with the exact talents needed to make this school a success. The cute boy on the back left is the athletic director and the son of Becky and John Douglas who started this truly miraculous project!

But of course, the stars are the kids!

Of course, Dad immediately started pulling off his thumb and doing magic tricks, which they were mesmerized by!

Tal (and Anita) once again, fit right in! 

Have you ever seen such bright faces?

Tomorrow morning we are headed for the Leprosy Affected Colonies where these kids came from and that will be a another new and probably startling story!