Meet your leaders!!

Hey Team Nica! 

I know you've been anxiously awaiting this information and today's the day!  I'd like to offiically introduce you to your leaders!  (insert drum roll here……)

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Hope Mendola and Alisa Prox are your fearless leaders!  They couldn't be more excited to join you on this journey to Nicaragua!  Here's a little fun info about each of them.  Feel free to comment here and tell them how awesome they are….because trust me, they are! 🙂

Hope:
      Hey there, I'm Hope. I'm from a crazy family of eight – my dad's a pastor and my mom's a shrink. I was born in New York (…the state, not the city) and was raised in Ohio. During college I realized I wanted to be some sort of missionary, so after I graduated I began exploring my options. First I went to India, which completely opened my eyes to a world of suffering. Then I went on the World Race, where God captivated my heart in a whole new way and showed me how to use my gifts for him. Now I'm leading this Real Life trip and I couldn't be more excited!

     A few things about me: I prefer shorts and tank tops to any other kind of clothes, I like old movies and books, and if I had my way I'd eat ice cream for every meal. I also enjoy writing (blogs, columns, essays, short stories), making silly music videos (get ready for that) and it's my dream to ride in a hot air balloon (among many other things.)

So yeah. Right now I'm on the edge of my seat, ready to meet and get to know my team and spend the next four months in Nicaragua. Until then…

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Alisa:
     So here I go again! Just when I thought I was going to sit and relax, the Lord calls me to yet another mission trip…of course HE would! 

     On November 20th, I got home from 11 months of crazy travel, awesome Holy Spirit moments, and intense community known as the World Race; by far the BEST year of my life so far! So, needless to say, I was exhausted but SO excited to see where our Lord was taking me next; well…now you know!

     Before I get too ahead of myself, I will open the doors of my past to give you a glimpse of just how far Jesus has brought me. As a young child I LOVED our savior deeply and had a wonderful relationship with HIM. However, as I got older I had many traumatic experiences that pushed me away from Christ and into a life full of strongholds and heavy bondages. As a teenager, I was extremely depressed, suicidal, had an eating disorder, became a feminist, and felt as though Jesus had abandoned me. However, at the beginning of my senior year of high school, my family was invited to attend a church in our neighboring town and ever since then Jesus has worked wonders in my life. When I was 19 years old, I gave my life to Christ and as they say, “the rest is history.”

     I felt the call to go on the World Race in the spring of 2009, not knowing how radically changed I would have become. The Lord took me into new freedoms, opened my eyes to the world, helped me understand how important community is, used me in crazy-awesome ways to set the captives free, and so much more. HE broke me-and TRUST me that is NOT a bad thing! By the end of the year, the Lord was talking to me about maybe leading a Real Life team and through A LOT of prayer and doors opening in incredible ways, I am now co-leading a team of excited young adults who LONG to discover Jesus and the world in new ways…YOU! Be excited and BELIEVE that the Lord will rock your world-hold on tight for you have a life-changing adventure awaiting you!
God bless!