Kevin White says India transformed his life. And earlier this year, he shared that experience with 21 local high school students and nine adults.

White first visited India in 1998 as a staff member at Hope Community Church in Cary. He continued to make trips to the area for more than a decade and founded Global Hope India, a nonprofit that aims to bring housing, water, latrines, sustainable agriculture and a Christian faith to the poorest villages in India.

Last year, he organized a trip for 21 teenagers at the church. The teenagers raised $2,600 to pay for the 10-day mission trip and departed in June to visit a leper colony and orphanage in Hyderabad. Drew Hood, a junior at Cary Christian Academy, and Katie Derr, a junior at Green Hope High School, were two of the teens who returned believing their lives were forever altered.

Q: What is the biggest takeaway from the trip?

White: Every team I take to India says the children are some of the happiest kids they've ever seen.

Hood: At the leper colony, I saw how privileged and blessed we are. To see how they live, when they have so little, was eye-opening. They are so friendly and have such good attitudes.

Derr: The children brought us necklaces of flowers, sang us songs and wanted to make us happy. All of my experiences brought tears to my eyes, and I don't cry easily. I thought I knew what it was like to love, but this experience has shown me a whole different way of showing others I care about them.

Q: What makes this particular trip so life-changing?

White: You see a land of incredible contrasts - you don't see the middle class, and the majority of the people you see are extremely poor. However, there is a complete lack of materialism. The people there can live on $1.25 per day. For just $18 a year, you can buy a uniform and school supplies for a child.

Hood: I just didn't expect what I saw. At one of the schools, there was a mixture of religions, and so much love.

Derr: I used to want to be a doctor and help heal people physically. I still want to do that, but I want to travel now and help people who can't afford medical care.

Q: What was one of the most memorable parts?

White: I think the trips take people out of their comfort zones. They see the value of prayer and the presence of God that you can't get out of a sermon.

Derr: On one of the last days, I went to an orphanage for children with HIV and AIDS. It was so hard to see. The difference between these kids and any of the other ones we had visited was that these kids were dying. Not only was it difficult to see that their life expectancy was so short, but they don't even have parents there to comfort them.

Q: Where do you go from here?

Hood: My mom goes on mission trips to India and Romania, and I will try to go with her.

Derr: I will absolutely, definitely go back. I can't see myself not doing something; I'm just not sure what it will be yet.

White: We hope to provide medical assistance and support and empower the people there. Half of the world's orphans are living in India, and you don't have to be a millionaire to help. By getting to know them and building friendships, you see the impact it has; it's contagious.