Teacher: a person whose occupation is teaching others, esp children. When I think of the word teacher, a few things run through my mind. My Father. Just about every Elementry school teacher I had. The few I actually liked in Jr. High and High School. My basketball coaches from the age 7 when I picked up my first ball, all the way to my senior year of high school. Just about every Sunday school teacher I have ever had. And of course my parents, pawpaw, stepdad,2nd family, mentors, and friends. Why all of them? Well…..they all have invested time in me, given me advice about life, or...

It’s interesting to me to think of the many different aspects of the word “bond.” In the past few weeks I have bonded with these girls on my team. I know them. We are together every moment of everyday. They are my family away from my real family. In a crowd, they are safety. In the same sense, I want to bond with the people here. I want to build relationships. I want to build friendships and make a difference. I want to see lives change. However, at the same time I have been learning a lot about bondage lately. We all are held down by something. Sin is such an all...

On our 16 hr train ride from Bangalore to Goa, I began to reflect on the journey I’ve taken thus far and how real everything began to look. I’ve crossed the Atlantic Ocean, experienced squatting at a public restroom, avoided eye contact with Indian men, rode on rickshaws, bargained with merchants on Commercial street, tasted authentic Indian cuisine, praised His name at a Hindi church, and witnessed cattle meandering the streets. Now, I am here in Bogmalo Beach, Goa where I’ll be staying for the next month. I look forward to what’s to come but also savoring every...

if i have learned one thing from these past 3 weeks, its been that HE is in control. originally, i signed up to work with women who had been involved with prostitution. however, HE had different plans. it turns out that we are helping with PREVENTION instead of after care. so let me just tell you what that means….basically, i spend 5 days a week in a room with 60 preschoolers!!!! yes. preschoolers. needless to say, this was a complete shock to me and my entire team and leaders. but it turns out that i have learned SOOOO much from this change in plans! out of the 60 children, only 3 of...

This week, my team has been doing something we did not think we’d be doing this summer.Instead of working with women, we have been working at a preschool in a surrounding area, and I absolutely love kids. They are so important for the future because they are the generation that will rise up and lead in the years to come. That is why education is so vital. And it is even more important for them to be taught about the one true *Dad at such a young age. With that being said, I will say that I was not exactly thrilled to find out that my week was going to be with preschoolers. I know the...

It’s so hard to summarize all that’s been happening here because each day is such an adventure unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  However, I had a day a couple of days ago that pretty much encapsulates my life so here we go.   So a bit of a back story: I think it was the first night we were in Goa and my roommates (Lindsey and Kari) and I were settling into our new home for the next few weeks.  We felt incredibly blessed as we turned on the fan and opened all the windows/doors and began to cool down a bit (Goa is wayyyy hotter and more humid than...