In the world there are many cultures. These cultures have impacted people for centuries. You don't even have to live in one for very long to find out that it has changed you in one way or another. Being a missionary kid has really helped me grasp this concept. People will ask me where I am from, but it is hard for me to answer because I have been so impacted by the many places I have lived that I can no longer fully fit into any one culture. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. My world view has opened up drastically. The different aspects of countries have molded me into the person that I've become.


When I was five my family moved from Canada to Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. It was very strange for me especially since everyone there had dark skin and hair. They would all look at my sister and me because we were blonde-haired and blued eyed. I remember walking down the streets with my parents and people would randomly touch my head. I didn't understand then that they really had never seen blonde hair and blue eyes so I was afraid of going into crowded areas. I went to a mission school for Kindergarten. That was where I started to learn Spanish. Then when I was 7 we moved down to a small mission base in the middle of the jungle called Tama Tama. That was where I had some of my best childhood memories. There was only a few of us missionary families there so we became very close. We would swim in the piranha-infested river (piranhas don't bite you unless your bleeding), play outside among the trees or go for boat rides down the Orinoco river. My dad was a pilot for NTMA and so he would fly all the time. He even taught me and my sister how to steer a plane. There was one time that I will never forget though. There was a missions conference in a city that our whole mission base went to except my family. We had stayed behind to look after the pets and the houses. In the middle of the night my mom woke me and my sister up and told us to get dressed and not turn any lights on. I was really confused but my mom sounded worried. She threw something into a couple of bags and then my dad grabbed my hand and my mom got my sister and we went outside. One of our indian friends was with us and he was talking to my dad but I didn't understand him. My dad told us that there was a threat of guerrillas coming and that we had to leave now! We were all being very quiet and it was really dark. I was afraid of the dark then and I remember shaking and crying a bit. We got into the airplane and my dad quickly prayed then we took off with out any one to flight follow us and in the middle of the night. At one point we saw another plane following us and I knew my dad was worried but it soon disappeared and we made it to the city. That was one of the scariest times I have ever experienced. It ended up that it was only a political party trying to scare some people in the village, so we could safely return to Tama Tama.


For four years we were in Venezuela then we went back to Canada for a year. While we were in Canada we found out that we were no longer able to go back to Venezuela because the government had kicked us out. I was heart broken and so was the rest of my family. My dad only went back to sort our stuff and bring back what he could. This event really taught me that possessions aren't that important especially since I can't even remember most of them. I went to fourth grade in Canada and it was one of my best years in school. I also got to experience winter for the first time in four years. I made really good friends and got to be with my extended family more. The summer of 2006 we traveled all around Canada and the USA visiting people. We were on the road for over two months. I wanted to stay in Canada, but my parents felt like God was calling them to another place.



When I was in fifth grade we moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia. At first I hated it there. It was a stinky dry city. It also was at a really high elevation so it was hard to breath at first. I wanted to go back to Canada so bad. It took me a while before I started to warm up to the people in my school and the city and culture. By the time I was in ninth grade I finally like living in Bolivia. The city is surrounded by mountains and they're really beautiful. The city is pretty too except for the pollution and garbage problem. I have grown to love it here and I have made very close friendships.


We have to chose to find the good things in new places and people or else we will end up being miserable. If you asked me where I am from I would say that I am not from one specific place but that three different places hold my heart. Venezuela, Canada, and Bolivia. Most people never get to experience the things I have. So I am thankful for where God has taken us and how he has changed me. I loved my childhood and I wouldn't change it for the world.