...and welcome to my site! Among these pages you can learn all about my trip, the organization behind it, what I learned, and much more! I also want to thank my mom for her help. She was my proof-reader on this site and also showed me how to size and save the photos so that they wouldn't take forever to load up. She also showed how to build a site and it was easy as pie!! So - sit back, relax and come along 'down under' with me!

First - a summary. I received a letter in the summer of 2006 inviting me to attend an orientation and find out more about People To People and the educational experience they offer. It sounded interesting but I was going to be gone on a youth group trip that weekend and couldn't go to the orientation. My mom went for me and came home so excited! She said this would be a great opportunity to learn more about other parts of the world first hand, in a safe environment, filled with educational benefits. However, the total cost was going to run over $6,000 and I knew that was more money than we could afford. But, People To People expects that price tag to be a stumbling block so they have a lot of great fundraising ideas and my mom assured me she would help me every step of the way.

But coming up with the money was just part of being a delegate on this trip. FIRST I had to get letters of recommendation from friends, family, and teachers. SECOND, I had to be interviewed. Oh man! That scared me!! I have never been interviewed for anything before and I was so nervous. I had no idea if the interview was going to be me and one other person, me and a bunch of people asking questions, or a bunch of prospective delegates all together. Lucky for me it was that last one! I was interviewed once and then called back a few days later for round two. That second time I knew more of what to expect so I wasn't quite so nervous.

A few days after the second interview my mom got a phone call. I had been accepted and would soon be receiving my delegation materials in the mail. I was surprised! I really didn't think I'd be accepted. I don't know why - but I just figured I wouldn't be chosen for one of the 38 slots on this trip. Afterall, there were over 300 people at that orientation and at least half that at the interview sessions. Now the real work began... fundraising!! (You can read more about that by clicking on the link above.)

However, for me, this wasn't just going to be a 3 week educational trip. I was really going to step out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways. Early on someone asked "So, where is God in this opportunity?" You see, God is very important to me and since I was 5 years old I have known that I wanted to do something in the missionary field. I've never been exactly sure what or how or when.... but I know I want to do SOMETHING with missions. So when I was asked that question, I had to think for a while. I believe that everything we have is a blessing, a gift, from God. I also believe that everything we do should be done for God. No matter what you choose to do in life - from being an Architect to a Zoologist - you should glorify God in the way you talk, act, and think. You should conduct yourself with honesty and integrity in dealing with people or business or whatever. THAT is "doing it for God".

So how could I make this trip - this blessing that God was giving me - into something that glorified Him? I could have just gone on the trip and tried to learn all I could and treat people nice, and stuff like that. But I decided to use it as my own not-so-in-your-face, quiet, little mission trip. I took along candies wrapped in Bible verses, "Jesus" bracelets, key rings in the shape of a cross, plastic coins with Bible verses on them, and other "trinkets". I left candies and things behind everywhere I went. I left them on the table in restaurants for waiters and waitresses. I left them in my hotel room for the maids. I handed them out to kids I saw along the way. On the trip we had two main bus - or coach - drivers, and one delegation manager who was a native of Australia and was with us the whole time. At the end of their time with us, as we would move on to the next destination and coach driver, I gave the one we were leaving a plastic bag with a can of Blue Diamond almonds (a souvenir from California) and several candies, a bracelet, key ring, etc. I also gave a bag to the delegation manager at the end of our trip.

Sometimes I felt silly doing that stuff. But I knew that on a "true" mission trip I would be doing so much more than just handing out trinkets and I needed to get over feeling "silly". Every time we changed hotels, we had different roommates so I had the opportunity to really get to know several of the girls on the trip. We also got to have a home stay with an Australian family over a weekend. I asked them if they could take me to church so I could experience it "Aussie Style". They had not been in years and - praise God - gladly took me! I pray that is the beginning of their return to regular church attendance.

From the moment we started fundraising, I started asking people to pray for me and for the trip. I asked them to pray for my safety but also that I would have chances to share my faith in some way. I can't thank you all enough. Your prayers were "felt" as I traveled and God opened doors for me to share Him and make some new friends.

The music you hear playing is "Home Amongst The Gum Trees" by Tony George, an Australian musician