It began in an attic room that I shared with my roommate, Kim.  With every picture of an orphan and video of missions trips, my heart caved.  With every internet search for my own mission trip, my fingers trembled.  When I first read the word, “Swaziland,” I laughed out loud.  Is that for real? I thought.  But the joke was on me, because this funny little word became my funny little home. 

The dream.

It grew in my heart in 2008 when I went on my first missions trip with a team of 21–seventeen incredible women and four inspiring men who have made me who I am.  That summer was when I first met the smiley, front-tooth missing, twelve year old who changed my life forever.  Tenele-Belle, my child.   

The dream.

It became my heart in 2009 when I went back for my Tenele-Belle, and found out she was in the streets at thirteen years old as a prostitute. She had run away from the hellish life she lived as her step-mother had been selling her to man after man for money. 

The dream.

It broke my heart in 2010-2011 when I spent the year chasing after a girl who kept on running.  The dream died several times, as I felt exhausted, unsuccessful, and most of all…alone.

The dream.

It gripped me during my transition back to the States.  It was painful because it was unfulfilled, but I couldn’t shake it.  I couldn’t ignore it.  I couldn’t quit.  You didn’t let me. 

The dream.

It grew wings in when an old friend from high school, Chris, began the process of helping me start the non-profit, Hosea’s Heart.  After that it gained great momentum as people surrounded the dream and the cause with their own hearts, ensuring I never was alone.

The dream.

It soared the summer of 2012 when Hosea’s Heart took its first mission trip over to Swaziland.  Christina Hostetter remained for the year as a long term volunteer to build the dream and build the home.

The dream.

It became life the summer of 2013. Hosea’s Heart’s second mission trip consisted of a team of eleven that lived daily alongside the girls in Hope for Life home.  Although the team left, Sandy remains for the next year as the rock in the home. 

The dream.

Is no longer a dream…it is reality.  It has transformed into five beautiful Swazi girls, who embody the essence of what it means to have Hope for Life.   

I praise the Lord who gave me the dream and made it come true!