Hey guys! For my first blog, I thought it would be fitting to introduce why I've chosen to embark on the World Race Gap Year. Firstly, I thank God for providing me with the opportunity to do missions work by placing me in a wonderful church family. I've been blessed to have a great youth group atmosphere at my church. In 2017 my first youth pastor, Christin Ortiz (best culinary chef in the 585), encouraged me to travel to Haiti with the youth group, but I was hesitant to leave the country without my parents. Although I forgot the persuasion techniques Christin used on me, she ended up convincing me to travel with the youth group. After experiencing Haiti, I came back to the U.S. with a new spirit that guided me in my relationship with Christ. One vivid memory I have with the Haitian children is I played tag with all the little ones for hours at a local park. These children were full of energy, and I had a hard time keeping up with them, so we immediately grew closer with our laughter in between our heavy breathing. Ever since Haiti, I have felt a deep passion to engage in future missions work. With the World Race, I'm able to follow this passion with a bunch of other young adults who share similar interests with me. Between now and when I leave in September, I plan on writing more updates to inform you guys on how this season of my life is going! Thanks for reading my blog!!!
