Training at Toccoa Falls went really well. I bonded with my team whom I love like crazy now. It's hard to believe that I've been with my team for a week. It feels like we've been together forever. I was able to gain more insight on my relationship with God and work on the areas I was struggling with. I now feel like I can better discern God's voice in my heart.   Before arriving in Honduras, I was struggling with my expectations for the summer. I was afraid that after being in Honduras before and loving and missing it so much, that I would not feel the same love...

On our first day in Honduras, we were welcomed by several children and teens holding signs, each with a different team members name. There were balloons, rejoicing of all kinds…and that was just the airport. it was one of the most precious greetings I have ever seen. When we arrived at our contact's property, we had a short briefing on the city. We found out that 98% of honduran birth certificates literally have no father listed. 60% of the population is under the age of 16. Most of the mothers in this country have several children, each fathered by a different man. My team and I...

Aqui, aqui, aqui is basically all I hear all day. While the other group members have connected with a teen or two and are practicing their language skills I'm chasing around a 2 year old. A little girl that has figured out the few words I understand in Spanish in order to boss me around. But I love it. Hennessey is literally, my little piece of faith yet symbolically the Honduran version of my niece faith that I miss terribly. How do you find purpose in a country you know nothing about and can barely speak the language? When we hit the runway instead of dreaming...

It has officially been one week since I flew out of Chicago to go to Atlanta… Wow! The days have just blurred together. I already feel like I have known my teammates for months now…some even years.  Zion's Gate feels like home to me, and I'm so exited to be here for another 7 weeks. Training camp was pretty incredible. I was nervous at first that I would be impatient for the three days and that I would just want to leave already.  It was really helpful, though.  I feel like I grew closer to the Lord in just those few days and I gained a pretty solid...

God has really been teaching me how less is more, especially in my worship. Back at home, I usually worship and sing songs along with a guitar, piano, and/or drums. God has been taking me to a deeper place of intimacy by stripping all those things away and leaving me with just my voice. Personal worship for me is sitting alone in my tent, pretending to play the piano on the tarp floor and silently mouthing along lyrics of worship music. Worship as a group is us lifting up our voices acapella, slapping our legs, clapping, and using random things like empty water jugs, the cross-hatched backs...

My eyes filled with tears the moment the plane was descending to the Tegucigalpa airport and the bustle of the city was encroaching. God was speaking to my heart and confirmed to me that he has brought me to Honduras for such a time as this. In that moment with the Lord, my heart was already falling in love with the country and its people.  After proceeding through immigration and customs my team and I entered the arrival area where hundreds of people were waiting. Almost instantly Dan, one of our team leaders, saw the man who runs Zion's Gate Ministry.  As the team and I were...