Well, after 36 hours of travel, we’ve arrived safely in India!    Our host picked us up in the city of Hyderabad, and tomorrow we will drive another 6 hours to get to our main home base in another city.  It’s just after noon now, so we’re about to enjoy some curry, bucket showers, and a quick nap before orientation tonight.    We will each post a blog again soon with our first impressions … !   Meanwhile, meet the Real Life summer 2010 India – Andhra Pradesh team: (left to right) Shea Ashcraft, Kaitlin Cathey, Mina...

For the record, I absolutely hate goodbyes. Leaving home on Friday was so incredibly hard — much harder than I could have imagined. It seems so silly, even to me, but the weight of what I was leaving to do and the time I would be gone seemed heavier than ever before. However, I was lucky enough to sit next to a quiet woman on the plane, giving me plenty of time to think and pray and hear from the Lord. He is so faithful in showing me Truth when I need it most, and on the plane ride from Dallas, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia, He reminded me of the simple truth that this feeling of...

When I was thinking of what to write about for my first blog, I came up with so many options.  The past few days have been full of amazing experiences and incredible changes, but what I thought of the most was how easily we let satan sneak in and trick us.  We are free from fear because of Jesus!  Satan is mischievous and he wants to distract us!  Each one of the 150 people going around the world with AIM are extraordinarily important to God’s plan.  We are small pieces, but without each one, it is incomplete.  We have power and strength in Jesus and we...

Wow… This week has been amazing. It’s been intense, but also kind of slow at times. But it has been really fantastic. One of the most important parts of the day here are the ‘sessions’. Everyone gathers in a long (and thankfully air-conditioned) room to listen to a talk on something. For me they have been really impactful, but it has been difficult too.They have really challenged me in some ways, but at the same time, really encouraged me and I’m more certain than ever that this is exactly where God want’s me right now. It’s been especially...

Most parents should have received this update via email, but because several email addresses bounced back, we’re including it here as well:   We know many of you are aware of the recent volcano eruption in Iceland and the effect this is having on flights through Europe.  Unfortunately, our Real Life teams in Kenya and India are scheduled to fly through Amsterdam and London this weekend.  We are in regular communication with our travel agent and both airports are currently open.  Since all participants do currently have seats, they should not be bumped from any of...

So I was planning to post this the past couple weeks, but we were in Hyderabad for debrief. Which was amazing!! That’s what the pictures are from. And then the other two weeks the internet decided not to work. So here it is finally! This is at a fort we went to. It’s Golkonda Forts or something like that. It was crazy to see everything. There was like the kings room and the ballroom, and court house and it was all made from this stone stuff. It was really cool I would just tell you the one experience, but there are two moments that I really want to share. So here’s the...