As soon as we entered those gates

Hello friends and family!
So, I’m not one to blog or do write-ups, but I figure, might as well try so bear with me people. Seven months ago, I heard the high school group was going to India…again! My friend, Steven, went two years ago, so I had heard many stories about the trip. One of those stories was being bitten by a scorpion and waiting 45 minutes to see if he would die or not. Maybe this trip wasn’t exactly the trip for me. But, one night I was at my house and I came to the realization that something inside of me needed to change. This trip has been exactly that. As soon as we entered those gates to Little Flock and got out of the car, nothing else mattered. The feeling that I got as we walked into the chapel/hut, was amazing. I didn’t even have to know any of the kids names, or what they were like, just that we shared the one common trait that everyone had brought to the trip, the love of Jesus Christ. Everyday has been a struggle. We all know it. I mean, the heat index for one of the days was 113. Now, I’m not sure if that actually happened or not but, still, you probably just got a little sunburned reading that. But, the struggles seem to fade away as our team gathers in the chapel and we talk about how we’re not doing this for ourselves, we’re doing it to put smiles on the face of the children, and to serve and worship God. Whether it’s painting, teaching English, or playing soccer, everything we do is for those two reasons. I’m so glad I came on this trip; it has truly been life changing. The people I’ve become closer with are now relationships that will last for a long time. Sitting with different people on our cabin porch and talking til late at night, one on one was definitely one of the things that I will remember. All the work in preparation was worth it. Every single dollar that I spent to make deadlines out of my own pocket would seem wasteful if it was ever spent on anything else. Thank you for everyone who is reading this, and to even those who are not, you’ve changed lives here for every single person on this team. When we get home, if we aren’t too excited to get on facebook, or watch the finale of the bachelorette, don’t be surprised. Most of us will probably be at In n Out. At least that’s where you’ll find me.

Chris Duke