I'm Going to Uganda!!

So, after many years of dreaming/working, God has finally presented me with the opportunity to travel to Uganda in April to film a documentary for Bite Back. I can't believe this is happening! For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed about working with a group to make a documentary about something I'm passionate about. I can't believe I'm actually going to Uganda to film this. God loves to keep surprising me! Please keep this trip in your prayers as we're working on figuring out all the details.

Thank You Letter From My Russia Trip

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for my mission trip to Russia. I had such a wonderful time over there and was truly blessed to see God’s work through the wonderful people at St. Nicholas Orphanage and the Caritas Center. Though the travel was a little crazy (30+ hours to get there!), it was all worth it in the end when we arrived in Novosibirsk. Once we were there, we stayed at the Caritas Center, which is a battered women’s shelter, and we ran a Kid’s Club every afternoon in their facility with a group of Russian mentors. We also spent time next door at St. Nicholas Orphanage playing with the kids there. Some of the days were really cold, but we had so much fun having snowball fights with the kids. The nuns at the orphanage were wonderful cooks and they made us lunch or dinner every day. Overall, Russia was very different than I expected it to be – it felt almost like I had stepped back in time to the 1940’s. The effects of Communism felt as if they hadn’t completely faded away and some of the areas, like Moscow, seemed very sad and depressed. The cities were very gray and smoggy and the people felt very isolated from one another. However, the warmth and kindness that the nuns and the mentors displayed was such a wonderful example for the kids and for their community. The influence that Christ has on their lives was very evident in their attitudes and in their constant acts of service they displayed for us, the Americans, and for the kids at the orphanage. Seeing such devoted mentors encouraged my team and me and I know Novosibirsk is slowly becoming more encouraged and hopeful itself as a city because of people like the nuns and mentors and places like the Caritas Center and St. Nicholas. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers – I truly believed God had His hand on my group as we traveled and as we spent time with the people in Russia. Please continue to keep the people of Novosibirsk in your prayers – pray that they will continue to be encouraged by Christ and that God continues to reveal new hope in their lives.