Holly (holly@sidebysideindia.com) is 15 years old, and was born on August 29th.  She lives in Linwood, MI, but she attends Living Hope Christian Church and is a Junior at Valley Lutheran High School, both of which are in Saginaw.  Some of her hobbies include softball, shopping, dancing, singing, and hanging out with friends.

When asked how she felt about her experience in India, Holly said, "I really loved it.  At first, I really wasn't sure why God wanted me to go on this trip.  I had never done anything this big before, so I didn't know why He suddenly wanted me to jump into something like this.  Now, I know that He wanted me there so that those women could learn how to teach each other.  I somehow feel responsible for helping them to lead people to Christ.  I also formed some great friendships that I know God really wanted me to have."

Roy Heflin (roy@sidebysideindia.com) is, in his words, "just another servant in Christ" who lives in Lubbock, TX, where he is a Campus Minister at Texas Tech.

Jocelyn Johnston (jocelyn@sidebysideindia.com) is a 19 year old sophomore at Grove City College, where she's majoring in Music Education.   She plays a variety of instruments, but her concentration is Alto Saxophone.   She's a member of various musical ensembles on campus, and also Historian of the GCC chapter of MENC (Music Educator's National Conference).  She also participates in Intramural Basketball, and enjoys other sports.

Jocelyn remarks, "I decided to go on the trip to India because I felt called by God through Shawn's invitation and encouragement.  I've never really done anything big like this to challenge myself; I've always been in a comfort zone.  I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do something to really serve God and others.  I was very humbled on the trip, and my heart was touched by my crew members and the people of India.  I think the trip has also helped me to challenge myself and take risks more often."

Erica Lambart (erica@sidebysideindia.com) was born on the morning of Sunday, February 5, 1984.   Erica has always thought that it was unique that God chose her to be born at that time for two reasons.  One of the reasons is that her father is a pastor, and he got out of preaching in order to be at her birth, and the second is because her best friend of 11 years, Allison, was baptized at the very exact time on the same day of her birth.   Pretty neat, eh?!

Skipping to the present day, Erica is 16 years old and a junior at Valley Lutheran High School in Michigan.  She has an elder sister who is 19 and studies at the University of Michigan.  Her father is still a pastor, and he loves to sail to Put-in Bay, Ohio.   Her mother also enjoys sailing, and she works at Dow Chemical.  Finally, Erica's dog, Bosco, is a Chow and was named after the really old chocolate drink.

Now 22 years Old, Darren O'Hare (darren@sidebysideindia.com) was born and raised on Long Island, NY.  Straight out of High school Darren joined the Army, and he's now in the reserve while attending college, where he's taking a double major in Business Management and Theatre.  For the last few years Darren has been volunteering at his church working with the youth group, Church Nerds.

Darren shared a little bit about what made him decide to go on this trip and his plans for the future: "I originally heard about the Side By Side program from Michael of Lost and Found.  I talked with my friend, Justin--he is the Youth Director at my church--about his experience with Lost and Found in India.  After hearing about their trip, I knew this was something I wanted to do.  I am deeply grateful for all the support I received from my friends, family, and congregation, and I thank you for making this trip possible for me.  We are now in the process of planning a similar type of mission for the Cherch Nurdz."

A highlight of the trip for Darren was the children from the village next to the work site.  They would come over everyday--even cutting school sometimes--and do everything they could to get us to stop working so we would play with them.

Darren concluded, "This trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life.   Thanks again to all who made it possible."

Tracey Pollick (tracey@sidebysideindia.com) is 32 and lives in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Philadelphia).  Tracey was born and raised in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and she attended The Pennsylvania State University, where she earned both her B.S. and M.ed. in Special Education.  Tracey has been teaching for ten years, and she is a special education teacher at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.

When Tracey was asked why she felt called by God to participate in this trip, she replied, "God works in amazing ways!  I feel that God worked through my dear friend, Shawn Smith, by way of a personal invitation to join the work crew.  God has blessed me with a very special ability to lead youth.  I was excited to be able to use this gift to do God's work in India.  In addition, I welcomed the opportunity to escape my comfort zone and challenge my faith."

In reflection, Tracey feels this trip has profoundly affected her life.  Although the beautiful and humble brothers and sisters of Christ in India couldn't thank us enough for giving them our gifts of love and labor, Tracey feels the people and experiences of India were the greatest gifts she could ever receive.  "I learned the most valuable life lessons during my time in India.  I felt privileged to live among people who were so rich in spirit and joy despite their monetary poverty.  As I was taken from my comfort zone, my faith was tested daily.  Of course, God was with me and carried me through the more difficult times.  Although our wonderful hosts made us very comfortable, I gained a new appreciation for the daily struggles to obtain basic needs, such as food and water.  I have a renewed respect for my freedom of religion, as Christians in India suffer religious persecution daily.  In addition to being a religious minority, I was also in the racial and gender minorities.  I learned what it was like to be treated differently because of the color of my skin.  As a woman, I brought home a whole new perspective on what it means to be a woman.  I admit that, as a strong and independent woman, I had reservations about how I would be treated in India.  Traditionally, women are submissive to men in India, and I thought I would struggle with this concept.  However, I learned that equality does not necessarily equal respect.  Indian women are treated with great respect and reverence.   There is no doubt a father, brother, son, or husband would lay down his life for a woman he loved.  I was treated with this same respect.  In the U.S., I always felt women would never earn true respect until we were perceived as equals to men.   Now, I have stopped fighting those differences.  I am celebrating the beauty and grace that only women share.  I respect myself more for this change and hope others will too."

"I thank God daily for this gift of new life for me.  I carry a piece of everyone I came in contact with in my heart, and I do this to replace the piece of me which will always remain in India.  It is my prayer that God will keep my experiences fresh in my heart and mind forever."

Wendy Schelper (wendy@sidebysideindia.com) lives in Minnetonka, MN and attends All Saints Lutheran Church.  She is 15 years old and will be a sophomore this fall at West Lutheran.   Some of her interests include dancing, cheerleading, swimming, hanging out with friends, teaching Sunday school, short-term mission work, and more!

When asked why she decided to go on this trip to India, Wendy said, "I've always had a passion for any kind mission work, and I really felt like this was something that God wanted me to do.  I knew there was a purpose for the desire God had placed in my heart, but I wasn't sure why.  I was told a million times that this trip would impact my life, but I had no idea as to what God can truly do when you give yourself up to His ways!  I know that God "hand picked" everyone in our group and put us together for a reason, and for that I am truly thankful.  Looking back, I can't believe what an opportunity it really was.  I now know that God will provide for His children, and He uses each and every one of us to speak to others in our words, actions, and love.  I was able to see that everyday from the nationals and my group!  I can now say that this experience has touched my life and will be treasured forever!"

At sixteen, Becky Taylor (becky@sidebysideindia.com) is a fiery redhead who lives in Caledonia, Michigan.  She attends Grace Lutheran Church in Wyoming, Michigan and enjoys being active through volunteering for many church functions.  She loves to dance and finds herself quite busy throughout the school year.  Some of her other passions include swimming, reading, shopping, talking on the phone, and ice cream!  Before India, Becky had never had any overseas adventures, but now she vows she will fly over the great ocean once again to explore!

When asked why she decided to go on this trip she responded, "The whole experience just sounded like such an adventure.  I was sick of walking around in my comfort zone all of the time, so when God threw this awesome opportunity at me, I was all for it.   I am thrilled about all of the exciting things we were able to accomplish under God, and I can't wait to finish telling the rest of my family and friends all about it.   I met some wonderful people on my India Crew who have touched my life forever.   I know that people like these guys didn't show up by mere coincidence.  I praise God for how he has blessed me through my new, aspiring friendships and facilitated me to be an awesome witness through my mission experience!"

The highlights of the trip for Becky were learning dances from the children at the orphanage and swimming in the Bay of Bengal.  She couldn't wait to go home and tell her family that she had now been swimming in THREE oceans!  Becky strongly encourages anyone considering a mission trip through Side by Side to go for it!