College Missions Trips

When I was in college, I was part of a group called HOPE Fellowship which stood for His Own People Eternally. I haven't spoken of this group in a long time. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It started out as the best and after 4 years, it ended up as the worst.

During our good times, we went on missions trips instead of going home for the entire Christmas break or going home for Spring break at all. We went to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, New York City and Washington DC. Our work included: soup kitchens, clothing closets, building houses, visiting churches, prayer walking, playing with kids or any number of tasks.

These trips opened my world to different cultures within our own country. I was exposed to poverty, homeless, religions and lots more. It sounds more tame than it actually was but it was the start of my need to trot the globe. Since then, I've gone more places and found that basically, people have the same needs no matter where they are. They need food, clothing, shelter, acceptance and most importantly love.

New York City soup kitchen

Our team in New Orleans

Our trips always involved a road trip!

Trip Prep

That's right, I'm trying to get my act together for Haiti. Its been a difficult adventure having to prepare lesson plans in detail of the entire program. Not so much doing the plans but having to state the obvious because Haitian teachers don't 1. do lesson plans and 2. do not consider the obvious that we consider. I even have to mention things as rudimentary as "participants will take notes as the presenter talks"--sounds rather blatant but its true these things need to be said. Its like being in undergrad education again!

I'm also waiting on a verdict from our church's Mission Commission to see if they will grant me money for this trip.

I've also been wasting my time as of late on Facebook. I started an account a long time ago with an alias but then decided to own up to my identity. Sure enough, the same day I admitted who I was, where I live and where I went to school people came out of the woodwork rather quickly. Now, I'm struggling with being known and the privacy of anonymity.