Hey guys,

      My name is Jarah and I’m 19 years old. I go to University of Maryland but Im not from Maryland. I was born in Florida, lived in Georgia, Oklahoma then spent 10 years in Houston, Tx and 6 years ago we moved to New York. My dad still lives in NY on Long Island now and I live with him for the most part when I’m not at school. My parents got divorced when I was a junior in high school and my mom sort of lives in NY but spend a lot of her time in Connecticut with her boyfriend which is part of the reason why I don't live with her. Most of my time is spent at school in Maryland and I really love it here. I also spend quite a bit of time in Virginia because my older sister (she's 21) lives there and is about to graduate form George Mason as a nurse. We moved around a lot so she’s always been my best friend but after the divorce we got that much closer. All of my education is riding on student loans cause my dad cant afford to put two kids through college at the same time. I have a job on campus to help pay for my loans, I sit behind a desk and give people mail, packages, keys ect. Im an early childhood education major and a global poverty minor. These are the two things I am most passionate about and I love being able to study them both.

    I love cats, they are absolute my favorite animal....just kidding, I hate them so much, they seriously gross me out. Im sorry if you’re a cat lover. Im not a total animal hater,  I’ve had all kids of pets growing up but right now I have a snake who lives in NY his name is Spike, he’s pretty cool. I can be a little bit of a girly girl sometimes but a majority of my friends are guys and I would much rather hang out with my boys than go get my nails done. My closest friends at school are boys, we all studied abroad together in London our first semester and were been close ever since. I have a serious addiction to coffee, I’ve tried to quite more times than I can count and I always go back, never fails. Im trying to scale back now so by the time we go to Africa I wont be fending for it but well see... I love Maryland sports and even though our mascot is a little lame I love love love being a TERP! I really hate jinks... I know its really strange...but I just feel like we had the same thought at the same exact time and I feel awkward about it. Im pretty active, I try and work out everyday or at least go on a run or something. I like to be doing stuff, I get bored pretty easy. I eat health, when I don’t I feel really sluggish and thats no fun so I try and take care of myself. Sometimes I need time to myself but I would much rather be around people and in community than on my own. Im very outgoing once you get to know me but sometimes it takes me a little bit to warm up. I wear toms almost everyday, (don’t worry I have more than one pair) I love the cause and I love the shoes so its a win win. I just got a new camera for Africa, I definitely wouldn't call myself a photographer but I do love photography and I’m workin on my skills. Im a big tweeter so if you’re a twitter fan hit me up @jradglover.  I have Joshua 1:9 tattooed on my foot and thats how I (try to) live my life everyday. Im a part of a christian fellowship on campus called The Gathering and I love it so much, its like a fresh breath of air every time we come together for worship and a message.

    All throughout high school I went on week long summer mission trips with my home church. My first three were abroad and we went to the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Mexico and we took those trips with Mission Discovery. My next two trips were in the States, we went into New York City and then went to Los Angeles and those trips were with CSM (center for student missions). I also went on a mission trip with University of Maryland Inter-varsity last spring break into inner DC. I feel most alive on the mission field and feel God has called me to be a missionary.

    I am beyond excited for this trip for so many reasons. I really feel as if God has put Africa on my heart for many years but I’ve never had the opportunity to go and now here it is! This trip is going to change our lives forever and Im so thrilled to see what God has in store for all of us. While I’ve done a fair share of mission work, my trips were all on a much smaller scale and I feel like God is calling me to be on the mission field for a longer period of time and start considering being a full time missionary. Im absolutely nervous about raising enough money, which I’m sure most of us are. Other than that, I cannot wait to meet all of you and share this amazing experience with you guys!