The Backstory

I am a start-at-the-beginning sort of person. So, let me begin by explaining a little bit about me and what has led me to write this blog.

I am a student at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University. I will graduate with my M.P.A in a month, June 14th to be exact. It has been five years since I began taking classes at OSU as an undergraduate in Political Science. Through involvement with the university community, I began attending Mosaic church and was offered the opportunity of participating in a missions trip to the Dominican Republic with a group from the church over Spring Break of 2008. Though not my first trip out of the country, this was my first missions trip, which is vastly different from a tourist vacation. The trip was an amazing and eye opening adventure where I experienced God in new ways day after day. Relationships that I formed in the DR with the students on the trip, the staff of Mission Emanuel and the people of the Cielo and Nazaret communities -- along with the spiritual connection and growth -- prompted me to volunteer to lead a group back to the DR the following Spring Break.

I have just returned from my March 2009 Spring Break Trip to the DR and I can honestly say that it was even more amazing than the first trip! I felt God's presence in every situation and circumstance while I was there. It is a challenge to lead and be responsible for a group of your peers. I have a much greater respect for those in leadership now that I have had the opportunity to be involved in the intricacies of planning the trip and guiding students on a journey of spiritual exploration and growth. God has been working on me and my heart and has given me a love for the Dominican and its people. I began to feel a calling to do relief aid work at the end of my sophomore year of college. Over the last few years I have prayed for God to show me where He wanted me to work and though I have been frustrated by a lack of direction at times, I feel as though His call is clear now. I am thankful to all the friends and family who have been praying over the last few months for my decision to step out in faith and trust the Lord's calling to the Dominican Republic. I know that God will be teaching me many important lessons throughout the next few years as I raise support and move to the DR to do His work. Knowing that despite the inevitable tribulations and trials that occur, I will never be alone, I feel encouraged and excited for what is to come.

I return to the Dominican Republic in June, immediately following the conclusion of finals and will spend a week with the Mission's Director, Jack, to figure out the logistics of living in the Dominican Republic for a year. When I return I will begin support raising. I will continue my current job on a part-time basis, which fortunately gives me the opportunity to attend the Leadership Training that my new church H2O is hosting this summer. I will also have time to take a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in preparation for some of the work I will be doing with the youth in Bayona. And of course, I will be improving my Spanish, which will be much easier now thanks to my friend David's gift of his Rosetta Stone CDs! Hopefully after a very busy summer, I will be able to leave for the Dominican in September. At least that is the plan for now.

Check out the links to Mission Emanuel, H2O and my Alma Mater.

Blessings,
Anna

http://missionemanuel.org/

http://h2osu.org/

http://glennschool.osu.edu/