Antiques Roadshow is on, and I am missing my daughter, who is out of the country. She has been working in central India, and traveling in the south in the backwaters area along the west coast-- Chinnia, Mt. St. Thomas, and many other locations. She will be back home on the 5th of May for her big brother's graduation from college.

We are the typical family, man, woman, with a boy and a girl, both growing into fairly functional adults. We live in a middle class Nashville neighborhood, work typical middle class American jobs. We were typical--until Lauryn announced in January of 2009 that she was going to take the semester off from college and go to India. Being the mother I am, I rolled my eyes and thought, yeah, sure! But then she said, You don't understand, I want to go over to work with Dr. Henry at Mungeli Christian Hospital, and help at the school there.

Since I traveled extensively when I was 19-20 years old (only in the US, and as a flower child in the 70s) I had to admire her courage and adventurous spirit, so I retorted that if Dr. Henry said she could come, and if she could raise the money, she could indeed travel to India. So I wrote the inquiry to Anil (Henry) and sat back and waited. From Saturday midnight until Thursday early morning we heard nothing back, but then came the email. "Yes, send Lauryn to us, we have plenty she can do!" (At this point Lauryn had not met Dr. Anil Henry, his wife Teresa, or any of their 3 children at church, as they had been gone since 2004 to rennovate and build up the hospital and school in Mungeli. All she knew was what I had said about powerpoint presentations I had heard at church when Anil was visiting and doing fundraising efforts for the ministry.)

Thus began the adventure of a lifetime for my 19 year old daughter. The child who is sick at the sight of blood is going to volunteer at Mungeli Christian Hospital, and see how she could be of service in a different culture? Would she get an eye full? Sure thing! Since going she has shared about observing at the surgical theatre many, many times, and has seen twin boys born--something she told us she won't quickly forget. She has helped teach English as a second language at the Victor Rambo Memorial School that enrolls 350 children from age 6 to 16. Add to that experience, teaching microsoft word and excel to 20 student nurses in saris and little white nursing caps. Lauryn is not a computer expert, but Anil Henry has a talent for finding your gifts, and putting you to work no matter who you may be.

After Lauryn left I discovered Kyle Packer's blog from his 2 month stay at the hospital complex right before Lauryn went to Mungeli. His blog, Indiaaaaa, was fascinating reading. I don't know if I would have been so open to her going alone, had I read his posts earlier. God, in wisdom, did not let me read this until she was well out of my reach. http://packerk.wordpress.com/

About a week ago Lauryn was available to talk, and we heard of a wonderful visit to an ashram, a theosophical garden, and Mt. St. Thomas. Describing the scene at the ashram she said, "Everyone here wears white, and in the morning, all 3,000 residents rise at 4:15 a.m. to greet the sun on the beach, by singing the 1000 names of God." Breakfast consisted of rice and vegetables, which one eats with their hands. As her Dad said, being taught to wash up before you eat has a whole new meaning to you now, doesn't it?

For Lauryn's 20th birthday, about 150 people sang happy birthday after morning prayers. She was asked to give a speech, but she was too shy to say anything. Imagine, leaving behind family and friends, and going across the world to see how another people group lives, to immerse yourself in their culture, and to live with them for two and a half months. Lauryn is destined for greatness, I think. How can one go so far, do so much, and not be changed for life?