Hey guys! Even though I've been apart of this blog since February when I got accepted to this trip, I have yet to post my bio and you may want to know about me before we see each other in 7 DAYS! Anywho, my name is Kira Willimann and I'm 16 years old turning 17 on July 21st while we're in Swazi(: I was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived there for the first 11 years of my life but now I'm in Houston, Texas. I tend to keep myself busy, therefore I'm extremely involved in my school as well as church which is my excuse for not posting this sooner. I'm not very good at making things flow, so I'll be listing sentences with interesting facts about me. I am the oldest of four children, the others being Kristof (15), Kathryn (8) and Karolyn (6). My siblings mean a lot to me, and since I'm so much older than my sisters I tend to nanny them a lot and honestly they're the reason why I've found such a passion for children. My other passions consist of Jesus Christ, reading, singing/music, and traveling. It was the love I have for kids that drew me to this trip to Swazi. I read and researched the devestation of this country with their highest HIV rate in the world and how 15% of the population
are orphans that truely broke my heart. The reason why I'm going is because I felt God calling me to spread His love to children who don't have parent's love. Previous to this trip I've been on three mission trips with my church all to Mexico! That really was my foundation in missions and has given me the courage to go out for God even further. Besides missions and children I really do read alot… and listen to music. Some of my favorite authors are Shane Claiborne, Donald Miller, Francine Rivers, Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Donnelly, and Anna Godbersen. If you have read any of their books, I'll be giving you a high five in a week(: When it comes to music, I kind of have a sketchy history. I played clarinet in elementary school, been in choir my whole life, tried to pick up guitar in 8th grade (unfortunately gave that up) and now I'm in choir at my school along with the youth worship band at my church. Along with playing instruments/singing I also listen to a variety of music. My top three favorite artists/bands are Switchfoot, Coldplay, and A Fine Frenzy. On top of that I enjoy Hillsong United, Jesus Culture, Phil Wickham, Jack Johnson, Jake Hamiltion, Jimmy Needham, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Rector, David Dunn, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Mumford & Sons, and many more.
When it comes to my relationship with Christ, I honestly can't tell you the moment that I completely surrendered myself to Him. When I was in 6th grade I had just moved to Houston and started at this new church. I wanted more desperately than anything else to fit in and so when I was invited to go with the junior highers on a church retreat, I went. During that weekend we had a moment where our speaker talked of Christ's salvation for us and how He died just so we could given that opportunity of Heaven. How we don't deserve that kind of grace, but He still has given it to us. At the end the speaker invited who ever wanted to pray the "prayer of salvation" and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. I prayed this mainly because I just didn't want to go to Hell. It was completely selfish reasons and soon after this retreat I kind of forgot about God and when I thought about Heaven and Hell I always told myself that I was going to Heaven because I prayed that prayer, so I'm good. But as I got older into my 8th grade year and into high school, I've finally realized that this isn't how it is. Over time I've grown into having a personal relationship with Christ for a few years now. Now my faith is stronger than ever and I know that God needs His children to spread the word about Him, which is what I'm hopefully going to be doing on this trip.
Now for some random facts: I'm a heavy sleeper. I fall asleep everywhere and anywhere and there is nothing that can wake me up. This also includes sleep talking, which will be fun for you guys! I don't have a favorite color. My favorite food is probably chicken pot pie, but I really just love Mexican food… and frozen yogurt. I have a beagle named Shiloh (not after the book/movie). I have a hard time picking a favorite book of the bible, but I love James, Phillipians, the gospels… well actually the whole thing. And when it comes to this trip one of my biggest fears is not taking showers… I know, pretty pathetic. I'll get over it after the first week hopefully, haha. Hope all is well with your lives! I seriously can't wait to meet all of you and I'm praying for you all daily. Love you guys already.
In Christ,
Kira Willimann
