Reflections from the Heart – Maddie

Hello from Slobodksoy, Russia! What an amazing journey it has been getting to my fourth trip to this beloved place that has transformed me into the twenty-year-old writing this blog post, who took a week off a college to complete a project I started three years ago. I first came to Russia in 2010, just an 8th grader…

The goodness of the Lord – Kate

As a senior in high school, so many eras in my life are coming to an end. I’ve said goodbye to sports, to teachers, and soon to my friends and even Chapel Hill itself. But the goodbye that I’ll have to say this week stings so much more than all of those. I was leaving…

Christ has Risen. He has Risen Indeed – Patsy

It seems only fitting that we arrive here, Slobodksoy, Russia, on the holiest of holidays, Easter. I acknowledge that it is not by accident that we arrive to the orphanage on Easter Sunday. This is where one part of our journey ends and the other begins… Yes, we left Newark, New Jersey on Friday, and…

Home Bittersweet Home (Kate W)

We are back in Chapel Hill at last. Our last day of travel somehow ended up being the most eventful, complete with a flight cancellation and a night spent asleep on the floor of JFK airport. But even after the joy of seeing family and the relief of being in our comfortable home after nearly…