The Basics: My name is Mindy. Before I got married, my initials were MnM. :) I am a thirty-something mom of three boys. I live in a state I always swore I would never live in, but have come to like, maybe even love. I like to read, when I have time, and I LOVE to travel and learn about new cultures. I am a "stay at home" mom, but serve on the Adivosry Council of HELP International, sit on the Area Review Committee for a HUD sponsored community development grant, volunteer as an Ally for Circles (a national campaign to bring people out of poverty), serve as a Unit Commissioner over 2 Cub Scout Packs for Boy Scouts of America and spend many hours with church responsibilities. And like most moms, I always seem to have a hundred things going on all at once.
My Background: I figured out what I wanted to do with my life when I traveled to Russia at the age of 14. And when my son asks me "what I want to be when I grow up", it's still the same - I want to travel the world and help people. I have, of course, since learned that it is a bit more complicated than that, but serving others and working to eliminate poverty is still my life's ambition.
I have a degree in International Relations with a Development emphasis. I also minored in Latin American studies, which means nothing except that I am supposedly able to speak Spanish and that I can probably identify and name the capitals of all the countries in the region. I have actually been to several Latin American countries though, so maybe that gives me some sort of credibility.
I have traveled to numerous European countries and to Mexico (but just to Tijuana and Ensenada, so maybe it doesn't really count). I was also an exchange student in Paraguay. These were more or less for fun. But I have worked to change lives, help build self reliance, and end the cycle of poverty in Russia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uganda, India and vicariously in Brazil, Fiji, Thailand, Belize and other countries to which I have contributed time, knowledge, and occasionally funds.
How this fits: As a mom, I have spent less and less time on helping others and more amd more time on the needs of my family. But I have found that the best thing has been being able to share my passion with my kids. Like many parents before me, I am constantly reminding my kids to "Eat up, because there are starving kids in [whatever country is in the news at the time]". And telling them they should be grateful for what they have, because "some kids don't have any toys and they have to work all day long". But I feel blessed, because unlike other parents, I have real stories to share. Like the family in Guatemala who lived in a one room, wood-slat house and slept on cardboard on the dirt floor, but were the happiest, friendliest, most hospitable people I have ever stayed with. Or the kids in Uganda who couldn't go to school because it was too far to walk and they didn't have shoes - but the one older child in the town was teaching them all to read from one worn out old newspaper. And why do I share this with my children? Yes, I want them to be grateful for what they have, but I also want them to see that there is good in the world. Mostly, I want to share my stories and expereinces with them, because I want them to see that it is the little things that make a difference. Helping one person or one family IS worth it and is something that they can do.
So since my children are so young, I have decided that excursions to less developed countries may be out of the question (for now) . . . but. . . there is no reason why they can't learn to serve right here and now. This is stepping out of my comfort zone a bit, so I will be learning and growing along with them. The most important thing that I hope to teach them is that service should be a part of their life, a part of who they are.
My Background: I figured out what I wanted to do with my life when I traveled to Russia at the age of 14. And when my son asks me "what I want to be when I grow up", it's still the same - I want to travel the world and help people. I have, of course, since learned that it is a bit more complicated than that, but serving others and working to eliminate poverty is still my life's ambition.
I have a degree in International Relations with a Development emphasis. I also minored in Latin American studies, which means nothing except that I am supposedly able to speak Spanish and that I can probably identify and name the capitals of all the countries in the region. I have actually been to several Latin American countries though, so maybe that gives me some sort of credibility.
I have traveled to numerous European countries and to Mexico (but just to Tijuana and Ensenada, so maybe it doesn't really count). I was also an exchange student in Paraguay. These were more or less for fun. But I have worked to change lives, help build self reliance, and end the cycle of poverty in Russia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uganda, India and vicariously in Brazil, Fiji, Thailand, Belize and other countries to which I have contributed time, knowledge, and occasionally funds.
How this fits: As a mom, I have spent less and less time on helping others and more amd more time on the needs of my family. But I have found that the best thing has been being able to share my passion with my kids. Like many parents before me, I am constantly reminding my kids to "Eat up, because there are starving kids in [whatever country is in the news at the time]". And telling them they should be grateful for what they have, because "some kids don't have any toys and they have to work all day long". But I feel blessed, because unlike other parents, I have real stories to share. Like the family in Guatemala who lived in a one room, wood-slat house and slept on cardboard on the dirt floor, but were the happiest, friendliest, most hospitable people I have ever stayed with. Or the kids in Uganda who couldn't go to school because it was too far to walk and they didn't have shoes - but the one older child in the town was teaching them all to read from one worn out old newspaper. And why do I share this with my children? Yes, I want them to be grateful for what they have, but I also want them to see that there is good in the world. Mostly, I want to share my stories and expereinces with them, because I want them to see that it is the little things that make a difference. Helping one person or one family IS worth it and is something that they can do.
So since my children are so young, I have decided that excursions to less developed countries may be out of the question (for now) . . . but. . . there is no reason why they can't learn to serve right here and now. This is stepping out of my comfort zone a bit, so I will be learning and growing along with them. The most important thing that I hope to teach them is that service should be a part of their life, a part of who they are.
