Lauren Bowie – this was only Day One

After 10 months of preparation, $3,700 dollars of fund raising, mountains of excitement and 50 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Chamba! We arrived last night to find a hot dinner and warm beds, both of which helped us rise early to greet our bags and head to our schools and ashrams. We rode 35 minutes to the village of Kalsuin and it was there that we defined ourselves and our purpose. And after all the time it took us to prepare and travel here, it took no time at all for the teens to dive into their lessons and love the kids with every piece of their hearts. They were well prepared and organized, but best of all, the teens were excited and dedicated to these kids. It was truly amazing! They offered patience when it was needed and enthusiasm when it was called for. I wish each of you could have seen your teens hard at work! There wasn’t a minute of the day that wasn’t filled with 100% effort! And you have so much to be proud of.
At the end of the day, I asked each teen what their favorite part of the day was. -James Gessel said his favorite part was “when the kids surrounded you and just wanted to hug you.” -Sierra Myers said her favorite part was “the walk between our school and ashram. Each kid wanted to hold your hand and lead you to their home.” -McKenna Bakker said that she loved “when the kids would take her camera and take pictures of her standing with the other kids.”

The teens showed incredible confidence with the kids and that was the most amazing part of my day. And then the next part of my day… reality! It hit me……this was only Day One!

One Response to “Lauren Bowie – this was only Day One”

1. Julie Myers, on November 19th, 2013 at 10:43 pm Said:

   Thanks for the update, we hang on every word and especially picture on this blog. It connects us to your experience. This adventure is a ymad, child, teen, parent and community adventure and we appreciate all that you share. Thanks