Hey Friends! My name is Zach, I am 20 years old (my birthday is the day after we all
meet in Atlanta!), and next week I'll be finishing up my third year at Grand
Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. I'm majoring in Hospitality and
Tourism Management, but that's really just my "cover" while I'm here learning
how to better love Jesus and His people. So, when I'm not in class pretending to pay attention, I'm usually
drinking coffee with my nose stuck in the best new book I've found, or
socializing over coffee with one of the many awesome people in my life (in case
you couldn't tell, I'm a coffee-junkie!) Although I'm attending school for HTM, my real passion is for people and
the God who loves them.  I love listening
to people's stories, and I desire nothing more than to enter ministry or missions
someday so my "job" can be to love God and pour into His people!  

I am PUMPED (!) about going to Israel with you guys!
God's been busy preparing me for this trip since before I knew it was a
possibility.  I love to travel and learn
about other cultures, and I hope to use that passion to honor God through
missions. A desire to visit Israel has
been on my heart all year, and it has grown significantly as I've taken a class
on Jewish Scriptures and Traditions this semester, and attended a class at
Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI that focuses on connecting with the God of the Old
Testament through the Hebrew language. I
think there is so much of the Bible that we miss out on because we don't know
the culture and language, and because of this, I've developed a fascination with and heart for
the Jewish people.

I was actually considering taking a year off of
school and in the process of applying for the World Race when I started this
application, but I felt God nudging me back to school next year to finish up my
degree. Wanting to do something meaningful with my summer, I began
looking for summer mission trips, ended up on AIM's home website, and saw the summer
trip to Israel. It wasn't even a question! Since then, I've been very affirmed
in participating in this, and I know Israel is exactly where God wants me this
summer.

I have that exact same belief about YOU as well! I
know God's been hard at work putting this team together, and I know this trip
will be awesome and life-changing for all of us! I'll be praying for you guys,
and I can't wait to meet you all and spend the month serving with you!

See you soon!  :)