Hi everyone! My Name is Elissa Holland and I live in Bixby Oklahoma, which is a suburb of Tulsa. I'm only 18 years old so it looks like I will be our little baby girl on the trip! :) I love spending time with friends and family and my relationships with others are very important to me. I also love to write and listen to music! I will just be finishing High School when we all finally meet and I will attend Tulsa Community College in the fall. I'm an English major as of now, but I am still waiting to see where The Lord will take me. I know that His plans are great for all of us and I can't wait to see where my life will go!

         I have been involved in missions basically since my birth. My parents were missionaries in The Ivory Coast, West Africa and that is where i spent the first 8 years of my life along with my older brother and sister. We moved back to America in 2000 and I have lived here in good ole' Bixby ever since. My dad is now the pastor of outreach and missions at my church and we are active members. I am so fortunate to have parents that instilled Christ's love into my heart at such a young age, but I finally started to feel everything for myself when i was in middle school and that is when my relationship with Jesus truly began. Now I have found such peace and joy as I learn and discover more about The Lord and His greatness. Oh isn't it wonderful! I have had my ups and downs but God has always stuck by my side through it all and I cannot praise Him enough!

        So how did I end up on a trip to Israel? Well I tried to fight my call into missions for a long time because I didn't want it to be something that I did just following in my parents' footsteps. However, a mission trip to New York City in the summer of 2008 changed it all. I realized my passion for Urban Ministry and for serving others! When I finally decided to stop fighting God, I realized that I will have a life dedicated to missions! I was seeking out a way to minister overseas for the first time since I lived in Africa and I stumbled upon Adventures In Missions. I checked out a lot of different trips and even other organizations, but for some reason the trip to Israel was constantly popping up. It seemed to be jumping out of my computer screen! I took it as a sign that Israel is where God wants me to be. Since then, I am constantly aware of how many experiences i have that deal with Israel in some way. This is clearly the trip for me!

        I am so excited to get to know you all and serve God with you! I know it is in His plan that we are all on this trip together and I can't wait to make lasting friendships, while learning more about Jesus and sharing his love with Israel! Look forward to seeing you all soon!