Without Borders.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—  yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15 Who do you think you are? You try to make your own plans? You say that you're going to go to this new city and start your own business? Or you say you're going to travel to a new country? Or that you're going to go to this college? But you never know what could happen tomorrow. You're small and you can't control what happens to you. Instead of focusing on yourself and your ways you should look to God for direction and be looking for His will. I know it was in the Lord's will for me to come to Costa Rica. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't. I can make my own plans but only God knows what each da...

Bucket list: Walking across a border between two countries- check Staying on an island in Panama at a beach hostel- check Snorkeling in the Caribbean- check Taking a water taxi to an island- check Seeing dolphins- check  Meeting missionaries that are teaching natives that traditionally are hunters and gathers to be self-sufficient by farming and collecting water and other things I don't really understand because as the island is becoming more populated they can not move for food- check Digging a ditch to provide better access to water for a school and a crippled man- check Panama was hot and moist. I hate the word moist but there is no better explanation for it. Nothing was dry, but it was an adventure. We left the Villa at 3am on Tuesday. We arrived at the Panama border around 8am. From there we checked out of Costa Rica and into Panama. A couple hours later we were back on the bus headed towards Bocas. All 40 some of us unpacked our stuff from the bus and loaded up four w...

It's been a busy couple of weeks and time is flying by.  I'll fill ya in cause I know you've been missing it. First of all about my ministry: I am helping with a group in Los Guidos. It is a youth group for kids ages 12-17. My first time there we played games and Wii and had a short lesson. The second time we watched a movie called Home. Such a good movie, 10 out of 10, would definitely recommend. Then this Saturday we went in the morning to help. We worked with the kids to paint the building where we all meet, we had lunch, and all sat to talk and pray. Please be praying for that ministry and the kids we are working with. Please pray for me that I will be able to pick Spanish up and that I will be bold with what I know so that I can get to know the kids better. I am also involved with a teaching English ministry. We will be offering classes on Sundays at our church a couple hours before church. It is free to everyone and we just offer an invite to the students to come to...

I got in a taxi for the first time ever last Friday. We caught one just out in front of the Villa. We took the taxi to the bus station where we paid about $3 for a ticket to Guacimo Costa Rica, about an hour and half bus ride from Guapalupe. The weather difference between here and there was almost unbelievable, it was about as hot and humid there as it was in Haiti. We arrived around 6:30 but we were exhausted after a full day of Spanish and bible class. It is also dark outside by about 6pm so we were ready for bed. However, they were having church and we were there to help with the missionary conference at the church. When we got there they asked us to do our games with the kids that we had planned. I didn't know that was part of the plan so we covered it with some "Símon Dice". Then we were introduced to the families we would be staying with. We were all together a group of four, two guys and two girls. The guys were put in a house together but Samie and I were split. I...

I just realized I contacted absolutely no one Monday that is not here with me in CR. Mondays are our free days to go explore or get homework done and do things around the Villa. I saw no status updates, no pictures of friends, and no random tweets. I was completely present with the people around me and I enjoyed it entirely. Some of the different programs I have been involved with that asked us to set aside our phones have been the greatest experiences. It's amazing what happens when all your attention is on the people in front of you. Most of the group started their day at the University of Costa Rica playing ultimate frisbee. We do have at least 3 or 4 girls that are all varying degrees of sick, please be praying for them. I guess it's usual for the students to all get sick at some point while getting used to our new home. After lunch some students went shopping or exploring and others like myself settled in to play some cards. After dinner is when things got real interesti...

Sunday we had church in English at the Villa in the morning. One of the missionaries here, Champ, did the sermon. I loved it. It was a great message about how necessary it is for us to put others first and to be patient when living with so many people. He made a point that I had thought of the day before; there is no show on tv that puts 30+ people in one house and expects them to get along. There will have to be something very different going on in this house to ensure we all get along until the end of April. Champ kept going back to how we all have a choice. We can choose to be patient when our roommate is in the bathroom for too long, we can choose to be meek when one of the guys says something stupid, we can choose to be kind, we choose to forgive and we choose to love each other as much and more than we love ourselves and above all we have the choice to love God. Once our relationship with God is in order our relationships with each other will be better. We can call on him for hel...

So some may describe me as obnoxious, I would say enthusiastic. However, as I have been telling everyone here, my voice must have missed the connecting flight between Atlanta and Costa Rica. God certainly does test people and I am trying to find the right answer here. I started feeling a little sick before leaving home but I ignored it. Now I have a cold that is reducing my voice to a small squeak or whisper. Sounds like I've been chain smoking since I was about five. I swear fellow GAP students this is not my normal. But I am already learning to better sit back and listen and even though I am learning from this experience I would ask that everyone would be praying that I would start feeling better and that I could get my voice back! Now for our trip udate: Our flight was great, and we had almost no delays and actually got to CR a little early. Because Lydia is on crutches we also had a wheelchair and airport staff to help us every part of the trip! Praise Jesus! Also Lydia is go...

Tomorrow night I will sleep in Costa Rica. I am getting on a plane at 3pm Tuesday August 25th and I am flying to Costa Rica to live there for four months. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I anxious, and happy, and confused, and joyous? Yes yes yes. It's going to be an adventure. And it's a journey I am excited to share. It was hard to say goodbye to my friends and family. I am leaving everything that is familiar. But I am so thankful for the new experience. And I am also looking forward to the many new friendships that await me in Costa Rica. I know who my roomies are and I am looking forward to the hugs when I get there ! Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this year. And thank you to everyone that is praying for me. My bags are packed and I'm headed to Philadelphia to meet up with my best friend who will be on this awesome adventure with me. And tomorrow we fly. I'll be blogging and Lydia and I will also take a go at vlogging on YouTube. Anyon...

And so another journey comes to an end. I was ready to be home in my own bed with my friends and family but it's hard to leave. I love the kids there. I love holding and hugging them. I love reading to them and singing with them, and I love teaching them. I love serving the people of Haiti. I didn't want to say bye to Pastor Vincent's kids or the kids at Mother Teresa's children's hospital. I miss the beaches and palm trees and I miss the city and the crazy driving. We left Haiti around 9am yesterday Wednesday July 8th. Our first stop was in Fort Lauderdale where we had to go through immigration with our bags and then get them rechecked and back through security. When we got to our gate we had about 3 minutes before it was time to board. Then we were off to Charlotte. There we had enough time to eat and I finally got my bacon cheeseburger. I was ready for that. Then we were supposed to leave there by 4:30 pm. I fell asleep on the plane and when u woke up we were st...

Today was my last full day in Haiti and it was Jen's first full day to go around Port Au Prince so we had to fit in a lot. We started our day at Mother Teresa's children's hospital. That was my third time there in these 10 days. Some of the other visitors were confused why I was there and none of my other group was. I got to spend some more time with the lovely little guys I had gotten to know and I also had some play time with another little boy. He was the cutest thing. But I could tell he didn't feel good and it kind of hit him in waves. One second he would smile and laugh for me and the next he was just uncomfortable. But he was good. And he had my heart. Leaving today was sad but I know they are in a good place, somewhere they are cared for and fed and will get some lovin. Next we went to visit Ken and Andrea at their new clinic/ community center. I fell in love. They have many more rooms. They have space for a couple doctor benches and dentist chairs, they have h...

Sorry the post is late but I needed a breather and some sleep last night so this post is actually about yesterday. We left Saint Marc around 8:30am to go back to Grande Saline. The trip was much shorter from there, about an hour and thirty minutes. We took the guys right to the water filtration system so they could start working as early as possible. Again there was a lot to work on but they fixed a few programing issues and got it all cleaned out by the end of the day. The four of us ladies walked down to the school to work on more computer lessons and art projects. We cleared out the school to set up. That was step one of the plan that went really well. Step two was to let 20 kids in. Five for each station to work with each of us. Jen was working on using USB'S and saving and opening files. Marcia was using the Paint program on a few of the computers with the students. Jean was making little cutouts for fans/puppets. And I was on finger prints with ink on a big paper and then d...

When I was with the other group some of them were jealous that I was going to stay longer but when it came to going to Grande Saline they were happy to let me go. It has been a long day. We left the guesthouse this morning at 8am. We arrived in Grande Saline around 12:30pm. On the way there we stopped at our hotel in Saint Marc to check-in. The hotel is about 2 hours away from Grande Saline. But the worst part of the trip is the 10 miles of road we have to go down that is full of holes, ditches, and rocks that takes us about 45 minutes to an hour to drive down. But we made it. And it was an awesome day. We started by unloading the suitcases that had equipment and supplies in them for the water filtration system. Then we went back to the school/church building to unload computers, clothing, and art supplies. Today with the kids Jen worked on teaching PowerPoint and having the kids open up files from a flash drive. A group of students in NY made PowerPoints that were translated into Kr...

Well this is going to be an early post. Who would have ever thought I would have a second alone in Haiti? Well at this very moment I am sitting on the roof at the guest house soaking up some sun and feeling the breeze all by myself. I have no idea where the closest American is and no I'm not scared. And don't freak out. I was supposed to be left behind. My second round of Americans will be here in about 2 hours. This morning we spent some more time at Mother Teresa's children's hospital and then everyone packed up. We just all said our goodbyes and gave hugs. I gave exactly 9 hugs. There were 10 of us together. I'm happy that I get to stay longer and work with Jen. I know I am going to love every minute of it. But I also want to travel home with my girls and my family. And I want to go to Chili's with them at the airport in Florida. And I want pasta. So it was sad to see them leave but it was also a great feeling to be privileged and honored to get to stay behi...

Today was really the last day for everyone on the trip. Tomorrow the first one leaves around 10am. Then the group gets on a plane at 5pm. But I am so blessed because get to stay behind with Jen Musa who arrives at 4:30pm tomorrow. Her and our small group will be doing an art project with the kids in Grande Saline, working with the computers, checking on the water filtration system, visiting pastor Vincent's kids, going to Mother Teresa's children's hospital, and visiting Dr. Ken at his new clinic. The first part of the trip was geared towards medical missions. And this part will be more of the hands on working with the kids and teaching. This is more of what I did on our last trip. I am not very involved in anything in the medical field so a lot of that part of the work was new to me. I am really going to miss everyone I was with for the first six days. I would say I love them all. I learned from them as I worked with them. We had fun and we laughed a lot. And we really di...

Everyday is exhausting for all of us. We do a lot in a day. Today we saw around 150 patients at the clinic. We got to hold some babies, play some soccer, and treat a lot of people for arthritis, anemia, malaria, infections, worms, heartburn, and more. We had one man that was a celebrity. Everyone wanted a picture with him because he was 102 years old still walking on his own and relatively healthy. A real accomplishment in Haiti. So our patients age ranged from a few months to 102 years old. We also gave out toys and soccer balls to the kids. We gave an elderly man one of our suitcases to use as a dresser. We sent one man to hospital for emergency care because his breathing was so bad. After the clinic we went back to the guesthouse to clean up and grab some money for souvenir shopping. We went to the place we visited before in January where there are a bunch of vendors along the road. We have to be careful and mindful of the traffic but our translators do a great job of keeping us s...

So I just typed the beginning of this and then it got deleted and I don't feel like trying to remember everything it said. So here is the short of it: we woke up, ate breakfast, got ready, and headed to Cité Soleil for a clinic. Cité Soleil is the largest slum in the western hemisphere. The people living there are living in extreme poverty. The city is very dirty, the people do not have access to clean water, and overall the living conditions are awful. We worked again today with Dr.Robinson at a school in Cité Soleil that we have worked in before. We use the classrooms for triage, pharmacy, and the Dr's office. I worked in pharmacy aging today. And today it was nicely organized but somehow all the pills that were to have been packed to bring with us were not. For example we had no ibeprofen. Which made it kind of difficult to be a pharmacist. But we gave put many vitamins intending to improve their overall health. We saw some babies, some elderly, and really people of...

Today our project was helping at a clinic in Carre Fourfaille. We brought a bag of toys and a suitcase of medical supplies. At the clinic we worked with a few nurses and Dr . Robinson. They usually have the clinic there 3 times a week. A lot of money donated goes towards buying supplies and medicine for the clinic. Everyday I learn a little more about the challenges that people face in Haiti and the challenges groups like ours face to help make changes in these communities. However, those on this trip that have been here a dozen or dozens of times before say that they can see the country developing and can see where the communities they are serving are healthier. When they began the clinic they treated many more serious illnesses where now they are able to do more preventive care, more vitamins, and more aches and pains. It is awesome to know that we are part of a group that is having an impact on the community in Haiti. So here's a funny story. Maybe a couple. We ran out of toys ...

Well I am tired. Past 9? Past my bedtime. Today started around 7am for breakfast prepared by Barbra, our lovely cook here at Estinfil Guesthouse. I missed those scrambled eggs and the grapefruit juice was on-point this morning. We had to leave for Mother Teresa's children's hospital to make it there by 9. Driving is always an adventure in Haiti but today... even more so. The bus just wasn't squishing through those little spaces as expected. However we made it. And we were let in at about 9:30 along with two other groups to go play with the kids. Some of us helped with feeding them or we just held them, sang with them, prayed for them, and tossed them in the air as they yelled "again again"! We spent about an hour and a half with the kids then headed back to the guesthouse. After taking a breather and getting the luggage slightly more organized we headed to Pastor Vincent's orphanage. A few of us in the group had some very special friends to reconnect with a...

Today I flew to Haiti for a second time. And when I walked off of the plane I was singing. I couldn't be happier. I love working here. I love the people. And we have an amazing group of people all working together. They inspire me constantly. We drove to Newburg NY at 1am and got on a plane at 6am. From there we flew to Fort Lauderdale where we had a four hour layover. Then we flew to Haiti. Last time coming into the airport was chaotic and somewhat scary. But I'll give myself some credit and say I'm getting better at this. We, as always, had to hurry up and wait, but that just seems to be the way it is. We were waiting for one more of the group to make it to the airport because there had been a thunder storm in FL that delayed our flights. But in the end we all made it safe and sound to the airport. Again walking outside there was chaos as we tried to haul all of our bags through while being watched by a crowd. But this time it just felt normal and expected. We got to ou...

Hmm... blogging? I'll take a whack at it. Writing is not my thing so don't judge too harshly. I am hoping this blog will grow with me. Who knows someday I might be good enough to actually buy my own domain. I graduated from High School June 2014. I went to community college and graduated with my liberal arts degree in a year. I think travel is my thing because every time I hear of a new place I spend a couple hours Googling pictures of the places to visit, the people, the scenery, the hotels, and the price for a plane ticket. So... I obsess a little, what's the problem? I traveled to Costa Rica in 2012. I think I fell in love. Who knew that there could be a country that just felt different from home? A place where everyone I met was friendly and relaxed? #PuraVida It was my first time away from home by myself and my first real adventure. We went surfing, white water rafting, zip lining, and horseback riding through the jungle. We also visited a couple of schools and orph...