Greetings from Chennai!

Well it is about 2:30 a.m., 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and about 75% humidity! Welcome to India! After a very exciting day or two days (the time changes have really messed us up) of traveling we have finally settled down for the night in the Courtyard Marriott in Chennai, resting up for our first big day tomorrow at the Rising Star Campus. We have been very blessed traveling here because we were able to travel with about seven others from our group the entire way. This came in handy with a few of the mishaps we had along the way. We started by flying from SLC to Chicago and from Chicago to New Delhi. Upon arriving in New Delhi 1 hour and 10 minutes later than we were scheduled to fly in, we had to get off the plane, go through customs, find our luggage, re-check our luggage, and go through security before getting on our flight to Chennai. I must say, we were all a little frazzled and I'm sure we looked pretty silly with nine Americans running around the airport trying to find out where we were supposed to go next. Finally after waiting in a line for about 20 minutes to get into the ONE 6 by 4 foot elevator we got up to the main floor to check our bags. When we all rush up to the counter, unfortunately we find that passengers have to be 45 minutes early in order to get on their flight. We missed it by five minutes! After being told that the only option for us was to wait and take the first flight out the next morning we were all feeling a little overwhelmed. But, with every rainstorm there is always a silver lining and I do have to say we found a wonderful silver lining indeed. Along side us facing the same struggle of not getting on our flight, there was there was the sweetest family from Michigan, going to Chennai to visit their grandparents. When all of us, along with the Sharat family put our heads together we were able to get help from the airport staff and get on a plane scheduled to leave at 9:15. After some struggles and mishaps at security we ended up running as fast as our legs could carry us to gate 51 to get on our plane. Looking back on our crazy experiences of the day, all we can do is smile because we realize that because of those experiences, we were able to meet incredible people that we wouldn't have met otherwise, and we were able to bond as a group so early in the trip which will in turn help us better help the kids in the Rising Star School. After today, we can already see that incredible miracles and experiences are everywhere around us, and they can change us for the better as long as we can keep and open mind. Anyway, until next post, we just want to tell you all how much we love you and thank you for all your love and support!