Honey, I’m home.

Finally, after a 3-year COVID gap we returned to Bhopal, India for our “annual” mission. We had a team of 26 incredible volunteers from Kansas City, Chicago, and Atlanta. We were excited to welcome a crew from Rush University Medical Center Urology Department, we LOVE new volunteers. This year our team consisted of mostly newbies, we’re thrilled to add such talented and passionate people to the One Global Village team.

Our final surgery count was 101. We brought and purchased many supplies that were used and many that were left for use as needed. There was a lot of teaching, within our team and with locals. We also had the pleasure of working with some long-time local volunteers. Our partners at Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital welcomed us with open arms.

The week was crazy busy with work, exploring, and even an Indian wedding (more on that in another blog.) We started our days with yoga and ended with time together, talking about our day and learning about each other. Some of us knew each other prior to the mission, most did not. Some team members were on their first mission, some on their 20+ mission. The consensus was the same though: we all get way more out of these missions than we give.

Our team is all home now, back to work, back to our families. The memories and feeling of gratitude are still and will always be at the forefront – until next year when we do it again.