Hi everyone, I'm Kelly! :)

I just turned 18 on March 13th and I live in Arnold, Maryland. I'm wrapping up my freshman year of collge at Anne Arundel Community Collge. I'm getting my AA degree at AACC and then transferring for my last two years to the University of Maryland College Park. Right now the plan is to major in journalism, but that could definitely change!

I work part time at St. Martins in-the-field Day School doing aftercare. It's a great job- the kids are awesome! Plus the job was a suprise and now it's helping loads to finance the missions trip!

I don't have a lot of free time, what with school and work, but when I have some I like to read, listen to music (all kinds!), watch good movies, see any plays I can afford, swing dance and hang out with the special people in my life. I love my church community and I have five awesome sibs!

I'm defnitely an English major kind of girl- math and science are not my stregnths. I'm not much of a runner, but I like yoga, dance and rockclimbing. I looove rollercoasters. I hate John Wayne movies. I like the summer. I don't like being cold. Coffee and chocolate are my guilty pleasures. ;)

Books have played a major role in my walk with God...I love Francis Chan, Max Lucado and Philip Yancey. The book Captivating was an incredible gift. And after 16 years of KJV, the Message bible was like a breath of fresh air.

The only previous missions experience I have was a week-long trip to Mississippi that I went on with my church. It was an awesome, crazy learning experience. I learned how to shingle a roof! :)

For this trip, I'm so so excited to connect with God-focused, passionate people who are my age! As wonderful as my church is, it's very small and the one thing I don't have there is (for lack of a better term) spritual peers. I'm excited to form deep connections to last a lifetime! I'm excited to serve and to grow in my relationship with God through an intense two months focused on Him. My prayer is that through this experience I  will learn to rely on Him more fully than ever before. I want to get out of myself and to be the hands and feet of Christ in a real way.

I originally signed up for the trip to Haiti, which was canceled. I guess the only thing that I'm apprehensive about for this trip is whether I'm going to the 'right' place. I feel like God is giving me peace about Nicaragua, but it's going to be a process. I am learning to trust that God is in control and I will be where He wants me to be. :)