Poverty in Belize
“I have nothing besides this house,” Marie was telling us. She was right. Her use of house as a description for the shack in front of us was pushing the definition...
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Change in Honduras
Three weeks ago, I left my family, friends, and everything I knew to go to a new country: Honduras. I knew that through the trip I would be changed, but I didn't realize how much. I had seen...
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The Ties of Tradition
It was just past eight o’clock, and night had fallen in Tokyo. Groups of people aged everywhere...
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Journeying in Jamaica: A trip of a Lifetime
One of the most rewarding experiences I have encountered in my life was when I traveled with...
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Swaziland: The People
Swaziland. A small country in southern Africa facing big problems. Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world. Some 200,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS out of a population that...
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Looking through different eyes: the world and how it is perceived differently
Sweat pours down the faces and backs of the volunteers. Our arms are sore, our lips are parched but we continue to nail, sand and paint the pews. We are renovating two churches: Our Lady of Guadeloupe...
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Hidden Treasures in Poverty
One of the best trips I have ever been on was my mission trip to Nicaragua. That trip was the first time I had ever been in a primarily Spanish speaking country. We flew into the capital,...
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Touched By an Angel….Actually 31 Angels
A trip I’ve taken as a teenager that has impacted my life greatly is actually a trip I’ve been on 4 times and plan on...
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The Streets of Ecuador
I have recently been given the opportunity to experience something very humbling; something that has changed my outlook on life dramatically. This summer, I found two weeks...
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Paying It Forward
The traveling experienced that changed my life forever happened in spring of 2012. I signed up to go on the Pay It Forward Tour. Note, that when I decided to embark on this journey I had no...
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Smiles Galore in Jeremie, Haiti
I’m going to Haiti today. That was my first thought when I woke up this past May 6th. The reality still hadn’t hit me, partially because it was 1:00am and I was insanely disoriented,...
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From Everything to Nowhere
We woke up at 3 a.m. to leave our warm beds and the comfort of our homes to embark on...
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Lions, not Tigers, and Elephants
When people hear “Africa”, they think: poverty, wild animals, the Lion King. Initially, my brain was flooded with these same ideas, scenes of singing animals contrasting the reality of...
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The Mark Of A Shadow
Standing in the claustrophobic elevator, I stuffed my hand into my pocket, waiting for the doors to slide open. When they finally do, what hits me is a wave of dusty, humid air, rancid and nauseating....
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Finding My Passion In Ghana, Africa
Being in Ghana, Africa was one of the best experiences I'm sure I'll ever have. I have always felt drawn to the more remote areas of Africa and...
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Ghana, Africa
Let me start off by saying that Ghana was never on the top of my list when it came to "Places I Would Like to See". However, the experiences I had in this country were so great, so different,...
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“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” -Matthew 25:40
It was an early July morning as I groggily stumbled out of bed to head to the Charleston airport. My Mom and I waited for the rest of our church’s teen ministry to arrive so we could depart for Miami,...
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The World Outside
The whole world looks to California as the land of sunshine, surfing and movie stars. I will admit that, as a first time visitor to the "Golden State" and only 15, these were my expectations,...
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A Week with Bugs, Critters, and Horse Poop!
My nose wrinkled at the stench of sweat and horse poop. The magnificent creatures I saw on TV and in magazines was NOTHING like the gigantic, smelly beasts I encountered on my first day volunteering...
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The Experience of a New World… The Ultimate Reality!
My travels to Kolkata, India with 14 other friends and teachers from my school opened my eyes to what most of the world lives like. I now realize how truly blessed I am! I have also learned...
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!Vamos¡ An experience in Spanish
My Spanish teacher recommended that I would be an excellent student to go with a small group to Costa Rica. Our trip was organized by I
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Impact
“¡Bienvendidos a Guatemala!” The large sign welcomed my group and I into the capital city just outside of the immigration desks. There were twenty-two in our group of adults...
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Cuckoo Costa Rica Count Down
In January 2012, eight members of Rock Canyon Key Club hustled to tape the last box shut, zip their suitcases, buy more bug spray, and board the plane to Costa Rica. Eight months before the anticipated...
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Many Firsts in the Dominican Republic
During a school break in November 2011, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Sosua in the Dominican Republic on a trip sponsored by my school’s Spanish Cultural Club. The weeklong trip...
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Senior Trip 2012
On May 26, 2012, my senior class of twenty-six people set out for Garden City South Carolina for our senior trip. When most people think of the term "Senior Trip", partying, drinking and...
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Something Just….Clicked
Life changing experiences are rare. Even more rare are the moments where you can recognize their significance as the fabric of your life unfolds. Many people spend years seeking such moments, searching...
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Poco A Poco: My Trip to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Before my trip to the Dominican Republic, I considered myself useless and was ignorant to the world from its problems to its beauty. I believed the world was a gloomy place full of poverty, war and...
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Untold Stories
A group of us sat in the dimly lighted restaurant with watering mouths anxiously waiting for our supper to be brought out to us. I loved Italian food and was really looking forward to devouring...
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A Lesson That Will Last A Lifetime
This past summer I took a trip that I didn’t realize would change my life forever. I took my first steps out of my country and onto the soil of the Dominican Republic....
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108 and Climbing
The summer after my freshman year was when I lost everything I took for granted and gained a necessary new perspective. The most impacting part of the trip actually began before even arriving...
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Healing Hands, Healing Heart
On the morning of June 16, 2012, my team and I touched ground in Haiti, prepared for the devastation but also thankful for the chance to help. As we traveled...
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Finding God in Atlanta
Last summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a mission trip with my church family to Atlanta, Georgia through
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The Little Smiles that Taught Me
March 24, 2012, was a day of apprehension and excitement. My stomach churned like the ocean that we were about to fly over. I had learned as much as I could about Bogota, Colombia, but...
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Love: The Right Track to Prosperity
When I think of culture, I think about how a certain civilization lives. Being from Scottsdale and vacationing in places much like it, I see only the upscale sides of destinations....
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An Exchange for Change
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. I am proud to say that I am an optimist. I have taken the opportunity to travel to Peru...
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Beautifully Impoverished
Finally landing on the tarmac of the Belizean Airport was such a relief. I am a terrible...
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Remembing Haiti
Throughout the beginning of my high school career I never really knew where I fit in. I’d had my troubles through my freshman year of high school, and I guess you could say I was ready to give...
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A Different Perspective
Last summer, I went on a mission trip to Los Angeles, California with my church's youth group. While we were there, we served at various missions and worked at a daycare for Hispanic children...
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How God Healed me in the Alabama Heat
Last Sunday, my choir and I took a trip that would impact our lives. We were headed to tornado alley in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where a tornado had struck a multigenerational community. Prior to the...
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La Dominica–and 19 New Friends
In the summer of 2010, at the age of 15, I applied for a program with the Boston Red Sox. I had no idea what to expect, no knowledge of who I would meet, and only a small description of what I would...
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A Fire of Hope
Mixed feelings of excitement and fear filled my mind as I came upon my destination. I had imagined a town that was like mine, but it just needed a little push to get back on its feet - to get...
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My Name is Now Mzungu.
Hello! I am writing to you from Kampala, Uganda! It is 7:04pm on Wednesday night. The highlight of the day was definitely the Hospital visit. Katherine and I went to meet Nicolette for a tour of the Hospital.
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Education is the key to life.
Hello, My name is Julia Saravia, I am 17 years old and currently a senior at Oakland High, class of 2013. I have been living in Oakland, Ca for my whole life. I have been victim of crime and abuse...
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My experience at the Rock Quarry Village
Last summer, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Cambodia for a week and a half with my church's youth group as well as my father, the church's pastor. We stayed in the capital, Phnom Penh,...
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“L is for Love”- Summer 2011 in Taiwan
On June 30, 2011, at 3:00 P.M., at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, I boarded the China Airlines airplane alone. I was ready to embark on an adventure to Taiwan, ready to teach English as...
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Banjar, India – The Best Experience Of My Life
March 29, 2012 was the day I stepped onto a plane to India. It would be thirty three hours from the time we left Salt Lake City to reach the little village of Banjar in Himachal Pradesh, India. ...
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Finding Joy in Helping Others
This summer I traveled to Zambia with Heart of the Bride. Heart of the Bride is a missions organization...
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Ohio Key Club DIstrict Convention 2012
This past April, I traveled with some of my fellow Key Clubbers from Avon Lake to the Ohio Key Club District Convention in Columbus. I was not excited about going. The convention seemed to be boring...
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“Traveling; it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”. –Ibn Battuta
Although I have not traveled nearly as much as Ibn Battuta, I have almost as much to tell. Through two short trips to the Middle East, I have gained the knowledge and experience...
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