I am sorry if you think I am irresponsible for taking a semester off school…   I am sorry if you were planning on me graduating in 2014 and getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science…   I am sorry if after those four years of Undergraduate School you were expecting me to go for three more years of Graduate School to Physical Therapy School…   I am sorry if you think raising $4,400 for me to go live in Nicaragua for four months was a waste and that it would have been better for me to just send the money here…   I am sorry if the fact...

Juan Carlos is one of the Vision Nicaragua staff who we have the privilege of working with every day. He is truly a man of God and is full of wisdom and great advice. And, as we are learning more and more each day, he is hilarious. As Lindsey and I write this blog, the conversations become funnier and funnier as we think about all of the Spanglish exchanged throughout the day. Pair him with Mario, and you get quite the dramatic duo. We wish we could remember it all, or know how to type it for that matter. Here is a glimpse of our laughter throughout today as we painted with him all day...

Tu sabes que Dios o tu conoces que Dios??   Do you know God or do you know God?   In Spanish, there are two words for the verb “to know”. These are SABER and CONOCER. Saber is to know of something or someone, on the surface level, like an acquaintance. Conocer is to know someone or something really well, to have a deep relationship with them.   Yesterday, God put Leo in my path, a 32 year old writer, philosopher, and poet, who does not know God. He knows about Him, but admits that he doesn’t even believe in Him. We had a long, long conversation and I learned...

A few weeks back our leader Shawndell challenged us to hear from the Lord what He calls us, what our "name" from Him was… As some of you may know He called me FLAWLESS! So amazing!  But here is something that isn't so great, you see it's one thing to HEAR and another to BELIEVE.  God had to reveal this to me again tonight that I had to believe that I was FLAWLESS because of HIM. That He couldn't move me forward until I believed what He was proclaiming over me.  Debrief so far has been greater than I could have ever imagined. God is RESTORING, REJUVENATING,...

As I write this, there is a bird flying around in our room and scratching along the metal rafters. Today, just like any other day, I killed more spiders than I can count. I just flicked a praying mantis off my bed and I’ve quit swatting the bugs off my computer because their guts just make streaks on the screen afterwards. I hear crickets, frogs, and fireworks outside. I hear roosters crowing every morning. I struggle to keep a smooth breathing pattern as I run through clouds of dust and smoke from burning trash piles. Sometimes, you could play connect the dots in between the bug bites...

This was my life before I was changed forever by the beautiful place I now call home, Nicaragua.   Before Nica (for funsies)…   … I would scream at the top of my lungs when I saw a huge spider, now we have come to be everyday acquaintances. … I thought porter potties were gross.  … Having four or five people in my car seemed to be a full load, now I have seen not only how many people can fit in the back of a truck but also on a bicycle.  … I knew what a hot shower felt like. … I DIDN’T LIKE COFFEE (Most of you...