Many gift guides on the internet come loaded with affiliate links, this is not one of them. This year’s guide is a little different, the only one you will need. I have curated a list of unique gifts by fellow entrepreneurs. I have not asked them for any referral codes, nor will I benefit in any way with one exception. That one exception being, having the sheer joy of highlighting their brands for no other reason but because I believe in them and think others might too. Hope Bridges Coffee – as a coffee drinker, there is a vast difference between coffee and good coffee. Hope Bridges happens to roast good coffee that in turn enables them to do good in Thailand. Recycled Firefighter – “Are you looking for tough, unique, and top quality front pocket wallets, backpacks, or other manly gear?” I personally use and love these wallets made out of repurposed fire hose . And a portion of all sales goes to local burn victims. Chunky Junk Jewelry  – Founded for the love of the children of India, Chunky Junk is a fair trade organization that believes in not only supporting but pouring back into the communities they support. Sprymind Coloring Books – Remember the joy a coloring book gave you as a child? The same joy can be found as adults with these handcrafted works of art. Spend hours coloring memories of your past with the creative crafts of Sprymind. Dishonor: One Soldier’s Journey from Desertion to Redemption by David Mike – One of […]

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A little over a week ago I was asked about how I handle re-entry after a mission trip. I just returned from my latest mission, and I think I have an answer. Re-entry is hard; I am not going to lie. I think almost anyone that has gone to serve in another country and allowed their hearts to be broken would agree. It is not hard because of what you left behind in the country you helped, so much as what you are reintroduced to at home. For me, it is the self-absorbed, technology driven, ‘all-about-me’ mentality that hurts upon re-entry. We are called to serve to help others as well as ourselves. Click To Tweet When you spend time loving on people that simply want to be loved. People that accept you for who you are. Who welcome you with open arms like family. It is leaving them and coming back to the ‘real world’ that is hard. I think God chooses people to go on mission trips for varied reasons. Everyone is different on the way they are impacted. If you allow the scales to fall from your eyes to see what God has in store for you. It is when you allow Him to soften your heart that you too will be forever changed and find re-entry just as hard. Here are some ways I have found that help me cope with re-entry. Understanding that they don’t understand – As soon as you get home, you will get bombarded with questions from […]

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Nothing could have prepared me for God’s glory that I found in Haiti. I just got back from my first mission trip and Haiti has my heart for good. I was warned before boarding the plane that my heart would break. I researched and prepared the best I could for this endeavor, all to no avail. Never in a million years could I have prepared for Him in barefooted, hungry but happy faces of the children that awaited. When we got off the plane we met our translators and drivers and headed straight to Canaan, Haiti. Canaan is where the school that I had heard so much about was being built. Traveling through Port-au-Prince, immersed in the sights and sounds only to be experienced. Simple words written here would never give them the due justice they deserved. We all piled into a van, and headed up the rocky mountain roads. Roads is a term used loosely as there is not much of an infrastructure beyond the city limits. We bounced passed homes of the locals, dodged the goats and dogs that ran wild. Traffic in Haiti is a bit different from here in the states, granted they drive on the right side as we do, and the left, middle and anywhere else they like. Street signs are as existent as the streets so you really need to know your way around. As we breached the top of one of the many mountainous hills we could see the school off in the distance. Anticipation was palatable […]

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