Hyderabad, India: a place of insurmountable beauty and devastating poverty. Despite its higher-than-average per capita income (around $700 annually), children are still going hungry and homeless. Some lost their parents to disease; others were unfortunately abandoned. This is where the orphanage In Jesus' Way steps in. They take in children of all ages and give them food, housing, and education. And while they provide an excellent service for hundreds of children, they cannot do it alone. Cheryl and I will be making the journey to volunteer for this organization and we need your help.

I've been in love with India ever since high school. Stories of Gandhi and his non-violent disobedience inspired me at a young age. Then in college many of my political science and history classes were dedicated to the turbulent and rich history of the area. This extended way beyond the mystical Eat, Pray, Love fascination of India and developed into a genuine curiosity of a people and their many cultures. And you can’t truly learn about a culture without experiencing it firsthand.

Enter Cheryl Black... the greatest thing ever. Well, I couldn't not put a ring on that finger, and in doing so ensuring a lifetime of adventure and excitement. What better way to fulfill that promise than with a destination wedding in some far-away land? We talked about a lot of different locations... Guatemala, Nepal, Indonesia, etc... but when one of my nursing school buddies brought up a medical trip to India, I knew that was the place for us. It really is everything we want from life (distant lands, different cultures, service to others, elephants) all in one.

Dr. Chuck Morrison, a family physician of 47 years, and his wife Lynn Morrison, a pharmacy technician, have taken it upon themselves to gather a group of like-minded folk to help out the orphanage. These two have been participants and leaders of volunteer mobile medical groups since 1988. They came across the orphanage serendipitously a year ago and were so impressed that they had to return. In addition to teaching classes, we Hyderabaddies (group name pending) will be performing medical examinations and treatments for the children and community at large. The orphanage just had an extension built on allowing them to take in an additional 200+ children, bringing the overall total to more than 500. We will be there from August 22nd to September 5th and would love to maximize our benefit during this small window. And you can help us do this!

So instead of the typical wedding presents (appliances, puppies, etc.) Cheryl and I are asking for donations for our trip. Plane tickets alone are $3000+. The money we collect will go to room and board, medicines for the children, supplies to keep us alive, as well as covering adventure related expenses. Please donate whatever you can to help us make the most of this volunteer / wedding trip! We will be posting online updates as often as we can, as well as sharing all sorts of photos when we return. Everything helps! Feel free to share with friends and family so that we can maximize our impact in the area. Thank you and goodnight!