Hello-

My name is Claire Brown.  I am 21 years old and I am currently a junior at Anderson University in Central Indiana.  My hometown though is Dayton Ohio.  My major is Biblical Studies with a Minor in Christian Ministries.  I love college, I lead Prayer Ministry for my University.  I am involved in many campus ministries that work in different ways to serve the city of Anderson along with it's residents.  I also work giving tours for my school as a second job.  

About me:

-I love prayer walks

-Spending time with the Lord through worship and scripture

- I love serving others and living for Christ's upside-down kingdom

-I played soccer for 18 years of my life

-I love riding my bike

- I have won a triathlon in high school

-I can ride an unicycle

-I am super organized!

- I am a super picky eater 

- I am also dyslexic

-I love the outdoors and nature and I want to work at or start a Christian Wilderness Therapy Program for troubled teenagers.

I have been on many mission trips before.  I have been to Jamaica, New York City, Mexico, Cass Lake Minnesota, small mission trips around Ohio and Kentucky.  All the trips were through my home church except Cass Lake.  I worked for YouthWorks in Cass Lake, Minnesota last summer on a Native Reservation for 12 weeks leading mission trips for high school age students.  We hosted about 80 students each week.  We cooked, lead a evening service, served and played along side of the students.  At my site I was one of 5 staff members who led these trips for the summer.  YouthWorks really challenged me in my perspective on missions.  I have lots of mission experience and I would love to be a full time missionary after I graduate for at least a few years but we will see what the Lord has planned!

I am super excited about this trip to have the chance to serve along side a group of other students my age for 2 months!  I am excited to be the hands and feet of Christ!  Also, I am using the trip in order to fill a requirement of an internship for my major at school so it will be a great experience reflecting on the trip while studying/reading about missions as a whole.  I am nervous about safety.  I had emergency surgery about 4 weeks ago and all I could image was what if that would have happened this summer.  I just keep placing my trust in the Lord for his protection.  God has been working in my heart to be more mission and service minded.  I have been growing in my understanding of living for this upside down kingdom and serving the least of theses.  I am excited to have yet another opportunity to serve the Lord.  I have been also been listing to God about being more mission and service minded in my everyday life not just on mission trips.  So I have made a commitment for the next 30 days to be intentional about doing at least one act of service a day.  Overall, just praying for our trip as a whole and just trusting that the Lord will work through our hands and feet to make an impacted for his kingdom.  

I can't wait to meet all of you!  I will continue to pray for everyone's fundraising and for the Lord to continue to prepare each persons hearts for our trip and the things we will experience in Swaziland!