it's hard to believe that i am a half a sleep away from seeing yet another one of my dreams come true. [a dream that has been ten years in the making].

people keep asking me what it is that my team and i are doing over in honduras this week. my response? we're doing whatever we can to assist the organization down there by serving in whichever capacity they need us to [rocking babies, running a camp etc]. i refuse to board the plane tomorrow morning with the mindset that i'm going to 'change honduras' or 'bring them the help 'that they need' from canada, like some assume i'm going to do.

truth be told, when we go on short term 'mission' trips with that mentality, we fail; when we go with a servant's heart, and with a mindset that we are no better than the people we will serve, we succeed. trips like this should involve partnership.

though i plan on giving my all in all that i do there, with as much heart as possible, my mission lies within the five students that will be coming with us.

i want my students to experience what it's like to live in a different country. i want them to learn that you can lack [and i use lack lightly] all of things that we north americans strive for and be content. i want them to see firsthand how love can break down any language barrier. i want them to see that people, such as myself and my fellow leaders, believe in them and are willing to journey with them through all of the emotions they have felt, and will feel, in this process.

and most importantly, i want them to see that they, no matter where they come from or what their past looks like, can make a difference far beyond the community they live in. because they can.