In 2004 my church youth group was planning a mission trip to Haiti which is not even considered a Third World country--but a Fourth World country because of its extreme poverty. However, because there were some travel warnings (as there almost always are to Haiti) out of the 20 or so youth, only 2 of us were allowed to go by our parents. I distinctly remember my parents talking it over and my mom saying, "God doesn't use fear as a way to say no". So I was allowed to go. Because only two of us were able to go, some adults my youth leader knew around the area were invited to come with as well.
(I took these pictures with a disposable camera
so I apologize for the poor quality)
This was one of my favorite pictures I took while I was there. It is of the caretaker who lives at church locking the door. I just thought it looked so humbling.
This picture was actually published in The Times after our trip. We stayed with a pastor of the church above, and he takes in many orphans, and these were two of them. We had so much fun with them and despite the language barrier we were very thankful that laughs, smiles, and hugs are universal.
Here is my favorite little boy, Solomon. He was such a sweetheart and loved playing with the bubbles. He was certainly a charmer. His mother actually lived here too, as she was a widow.
Looking back, I can tell that my trip to Haiti initially opened my eyes to my love of other countries. I loved learning about the different cultural do's and don'ts. Although I was a picky eater, I enjoyed trying very different food as well (and was pleasantly surprised!). However, my favorite part was spending time and laughing with the beautiful Haitian people. It is amazing to see how God is so alive, and His people are so joyful in these countries that are so impoverished. Even now almost 6 years later, I continue to be challenged by their amazing and steadfast faith.
This one turned out the smallest (for some reason they were very hard to keep small!)
All three hats =)
My Grandpa Donald was an artist. He had his Masters degree in Art, and taught art at the high school in Thief River Falls for many years. I remember being a little girl and curiously going into his art room at his house. He would sometimes let me use some of his paints, but usually I wasn't allowed to even be in there. When I was around 7 yrs old, he got diagnosed with something similar to Alzheimers Disease. Because of this, I have very few memories of him when he was his true self. I remember he would always tug on my hair and I'd turn around and he'd look around and whistle, acting all innocent :) I spent alot of time at my grandparents' house, and I watched as the disease slowly took my grandpa away. I am sad that I never got to really know my grandpa. He died in 2001, and now I only can know my grandpa through my fuzzy early childhood memories, my family's shared stories of him, and his art.
The old Depot building in Thief River Falls
I just love his markings--he is one of the most patterned adults I've seen. Most of them seem to be mostly yellow, with spots mainly on the tail.
This was one of my favorite pictures I took while I was there. It is of the caretaker who lives at church locking the door. I just thought it looked so humbling.
This picture was actually published in The Times after our trip. We stayed with a pastor of the church above, and he takes in many orphans, and these were two of them. We had so much fun with them and despite the language barrier we were very thankful that laughs, smiles, and hugs are universal. 
Here is my favorite little boy, Solomon. He was such a sweetheart and loved playing with the bubbles. He was certainly a charmer. His mother actually lived here too, as she was a widow.
