People of Beauty

4 days and counting! Home of the Pure Heart | Kolkata, India

Today, I step into a dream, five-years in the making. A dream reflecting the core values of my life, the journey of service with Hear the Hungry and through 11 countries in 11 months providing humanitarian assistance to children and adults in the slums, leprosy hospitals and orphanages. In a few days, I will be heading to Kolkata, India, to serve with the Mother Teresa Home, the Home of the Pure Heart: a free hospice center for the destitute of India. People perishing from unimaginable disease, and in dire need of medical attention, dignity and love. I've got a one-way ticket—help me share OUR love with those least likely to receive it!


While working with HIV-positive children in the slums Africa, the starvation of these abandoned children broke my heart. They were starving and many sniffed glue to numb their hunger. However, they were starved for love too, with no one there to guide or care for them. Reading Mother Teresa's biography gave me the strength and determination to live on that compound in Kenya amongst the poor and later to serve in 11 countries in 11 months. This experience, along with working on my non-profit, Hear The Hungry, has inspired me to devote my life to giving and serving those in need.

Home of the Pure Heart, Mother Teresa's hospice center for the destitute, will be my next pursuit.  In just a few short weeks, I will be leaving the comforts of home and arriving at the hostel across the street from the center. I'm bringing only a backpack of essentials. I don't know how long I'll stay, but I know this is where I need to be. 

Home of the Pure Heart, exists solely due to the generosity of its volunteers and the sisters of M.T. Without the help of the volunteers, hundredes of people would be left to their own despair. Each day starts at 6:00 a.m. with meditation and prayer with the sisters. Next the sisters, other volunteers, and I will help tend to the needs of the dying and destitute that are rescued from one of the largest slums in Kolkata. We'll be massaging their weak, frail bodies, bathing, feeding and clothing them and giving those who live in the streets an opportunity to feel loved, nurtured, and cared for. Most of these people are dying of Tuberculosis, Leprosy, HIV and other diseases and do not have the means to receive proper treatment. At Home of the Pure Heart, they will be able to. I know we won't be able to save everyone's life, but we'll seek to give dignity and love to the dying.. Most of these people have never been looked at, touched or taken care of. I will be given the opportunity to do this, six days a week, and I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me.

"The world today is hungry not only for bread but hungry for love; hungry to be wanted, to be loved and cared for." -Mother Teresa
Photographer: Eric B| The New Agency |Kalighat, the Home of the Pure Heart (formerly Mother Teresa's Kalighat Home for the Dying and Destitutes).

I invite you to join me in this mission to bring love, dignity, and compassion to all human beings. Those are the core values of my non-profit, Hear the Hungry, and I'm bringing them to Kolkata!

With a one-way ticket already paid for, I still need to raise an additional $6,000-$7,500.

Please visit: http://ppleofbeauty.tumblr.com/ to hear more about this journey and why this means so much to me!

To read more about a personal experience from a volunteer at the Mother Teresa home, visit: http://guillaumegauthereau.com/time-to-surrender/

A million thanks to everyone who has been supporting and encouraging me to chase after this endeavor. You've helped me spread my wings and fly!

My love, 
Rebecca