Hey guys! My name is Cassie Trumbower and I dislike eating the top crust of a sandwich. no seriously, the rest of the crust, fine. But not the top crust, it's just too much bread and not enough everything else in the first bite. I am also one of those people that leave the lid to my water bottle off all the time and then knock it over--flooding the place-- all. the. time. And I have awful handwriting so much so that most of the time I can't even read it which is a whole other level of embarrassing.

We all have our own struggles and quirks that make our story. I guess mine begins and ends with a God that never gave up on me despite, well, me. I grew up with vague ideas of who the Lord is from my parents taking me to church as a kid. I think it was the idea of Christianity and perfection that attracted me to hold on and identify as a Christian, not the Lord. In reality, I was following myself throughout high school never giving him a thought of consideration. Soon I was heading into college with a lot of expectations and ideas for my life that I was sure was going to happen--none of it did and I blamed God. I was yelling at the Lord and, in December 2020, I told God to stay out of my life and threw away whatever ideas I had about him. He, of course, came chasing after me a months later when I couldn't keep going and picked me back up. This time, however, I was ready to surrender my life, future, and mind to Him. God began to change me and my life and what followed was the best year of my life full of struggles, but joy, hope, purpose. Specifically, He changed my perspective on other religions and learning to engage with other cultures by learning about the roots of their identity. I took on a religious studies major and tried to find as many people as possible to teach me about their perspective of religion and hope. That's why I want to serve and learn in the Holy Land--a place where three of the largest monotheistic traditions claim roots. The diversity in beliefs can be found in many places across the world, but in the Holy Land the roots of religion are a major aspect of life.

I hope this trip with allow me to connect with people in order to learn their stories, their perspectives, and their beliefs. I pray that the Lord will grow me to connect with Him on deeper levels. Even more so, I really hope the Lord continues to grow the idea of His plan for me and reveal some to me. I know these past years have been hard on everyone and everyone has struggled differently. It seems so much to ask for support when everyone needs it this year. But please, move as Lord moves you. And thank you!