The Journey is As Important as the Destination

On Monday morning (or Sunday night for most of our readers), we left Sacred Heart Nursing College and drove seven hours to Chennai. After refreshing with hospitality at the SSHJ convent, and a quick stop at the Shrine of St. Thomas, we hopped on a plane from Chennai to Dubai (four hours), then on a plane to Boston (13.5 hours) and now - we're on our last flight to Buffalo (a mere 1 hour and 10 minutes). Over the past 11 days, we've traveled about 60 hours and 17,000 miles on airplanes and well over 30 hours and 1000 miles in a car or van - why? Why would we do this? Perhaps because the journey is as important as the destination.

On this journey to and through India, we learned so much about ourselves, one another and a new culture and community that is now a part of us. We have laughed - hard and often. We have cried - in overwhelmedness, frustration and joy. We have been humbled - by encountering radical hospitality and extreme poverty. We have been inspired - by women religious, children, medical professionals, diverse faith traditions, strangers, and each another. We are returning - changed, full, and open in new ways.

This is what we have to say to all who are reading - this is not the end. This trip was the beginning of something very important for each of us personally, but also for something bigger than ourselves. We can't wait to see what emerges from the new bridges we have between Gannon University and our teachers and friends in Tamil Nadu.

The photo above is from the Boston airport right before we left Shefali behind to catch her flight to Philadelphia and the rest of us went on to Buffalo. We'd like to introduce you to Linda "Liffy" James - she is a young woman from Vellore who returned with us to the USA in order to work on a research project with Dr. Steve Mauro at Gannon. This journey was not only Liffy's first time to the USA, it was also her first time on an airplane. We are honored that she'll be investing in our community over the next nine months and grateful for opportunity to give back to her a little of the hospitality we experienced in India.