MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

 PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS moved to  Meet our team members. 

TARA REILLY

Tara Reilly, a senior at Xenia Christian, plans to study at Sinclair Community College for a few years till God guides her beyond.

Tara will actually be returning “home” on this trip as she lived there as a young teen, helping her parents with ministry at a Christian school and church.  Part of our ministry work on this trip will take us all back to that school, Sojourn Academy.  Even though the “terrain” may be familiar, for Tara, this type of missions trip is a new opportunity for which she is very excited.

“I used to live overseas working with my parents to show Christ to others,” Tara says, “and it has opened my life to all different kinds of possibilities and experiences.”

Tara’s state-side interests include cheerleading, violin, and after-school choir.  Last fall she played on the soccer team, and this spring, she will participate in the musical, Singing in the Rain. 

Over the years, Tara relates, “I have had to overcome different difficulties with the help of God. These different experiences have helped me grow closer to Him. I would encourage others to know that God works through many different mediums and has His own time for his purposeful plans.” 

KELLY HIPPENMEYER

As a senior at Xenia Christian, Kelly Hippenmeyer, plans on majoring next year in fashion merchandising and minoring in journalism.  Kelly shares, “My dream job would be to work for a magazine like Vogue and to be able to write about fashion.”

Kelly believes that short term missions trips are a great way to learn more about how God can use someone to bring glory to his name. She states, “I believe he has specifically called me and all the members on the team together for a very specific purpose and that's what is so intriguing—the fact that God already picked out this team and knows what we are going to experience and what we all will learn.

“I want to know Him better every day and I think going on a trip like this provides an opportunity to focus in on how he wants me to change and grow to be more like him. I think it also provides an opportunity to learn how to serve others and put into practice the servant-like attitude that I should have all the time.”

Another of our team veterans, Kelly knew that if she were to go on a missions trip this year, she definitely wanted to return to Costa Rica.  “It's exciting to see what God is doing there, and I am eager to work with some of the same family in Christ that we made friendships with last year. Truly it's God that even called me to go to Costa Rica in the first place and He who has called me back.” 

Kelly’s first trip was an experience she will never forget. “God taught me a lot about having an unselfish perspective,” she shares. “There are people everywhere headed to hell because they don't know about the love that Christ offers to us. Mostly I feel like God wanted to break my heart for what breaks his and help me to change my perspective to be able to be more open with how he is and has been changing my life.” 

Other interests of Kelly include learning piano, hanging out with friends, playing volleyball, and discovering new music. She also enjoys baking brownies and cookies and even hot dogs.

“Remember that Christ is absolutely worth pursuing. Any other pursuit in life will lead to emptiness. I know a lot of times I look to other things to be a part of my joy. But when I focus on Christ being the only source of life, that is when I feel genuine joy.”