HINDUISM

80% of the people living in India are Hindu.

Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.

Many Hindus believe in two main gods, Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe and Shiva the Destroyer of the World.

VISHNU

SHIVA

Hinduism upholds the words of a sacred and ancient text called the Vedas.

 
The Caste System is a division of society regarding the occupations of individuals as well as their family status.

Bramins-Priests

Kshatriyas-Warriors

Vaishyas-Merchants

Shudras-Laborers

Chandalas-'Untouchables'

Many Hindus believe that it is the will of the gods for a person to be in the 'Untouchable' class, and treat them as such.

These are the people we will be helping.

Awareness.

Planning our trip to India has made me more aware of other people. I think a majority of Americans don't fully realize that a massive amount of people in the world live destitute an impoverished. On this trip, I want to become more aware of the world and the human beings in it, instead of always caught up in my own little universe. It's easy to see other people as simply extras in our own performance of life, while in reality, they are just as loved and known by Heavenly Father as we are. Why is it so easy to view people as less than human? Yet we do it all the time.

I hope this trip will make me a less selfish person. I hope I will be able to open my eyes and my heart to experience love for other people who have so much less than I have. I hope I learn all I can and expand my mind to grasp what I wasn't able to grasp before.

I'm afraid I'm sounding very cliche. The truth is, I don't know what to expect in India. I'm scared to be with people who are so different than me. And yet, I know this fear is the fear of so many people I know. Everyone is so afraid of diversity! I don't want to be afraid.

"We are all human beings with desires, with tragedies, with joy, with laughter. And that is much more than what separates us."

Taj Mahal