Hi Guys!

My name is Jeanne Almeida. My name is spelled a little funny and, most people would never guess by looking at it, but its pronounced like Genie (from Aladdin). I am from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, but because I spent seven years (from 5th grade to the end of my junior year in high school) living in Singapore, I call Singapore my home too. I am going to Penn State for a double major in history and International Relations. I'm a freshman this year, but I'm amazed by how quickly God helped me both find my passion and  narrow down my major! I'm loving every minute on campus and, because I love the outdoors, I've been only too happy with the awesome weather that we've had this past week!

As I mentioned above, I lived in Singapore for a little more than a third of my life. Because Singapore's a very small country (the whole country is about half the size of New York City) and is surrounded by lots of other countries,  one of the things that I got to do a lot of is travel. And, I have to confess, I have the travel bug. I love to  travel, learn about different cultures, pick up new languages.  The two things that I love the most about travelling are visiting national parks and visiting historical sites (hence the history major).

While I did go on multiple service trips, one thing that I regret the most is that I didn't go on any missions trips. This is my first missions trip and I'm thrilled that I finally am taking action.

I love hanging out with my friends when I have free time. It's always fun grabbing coffee, watching movies, going shopping, or even just spending time together.

I'm involved with ACF (Alliance Christian Fellowship) here at Penn State, and I love the friends and mentors that I've made there. It's a non-denominational group and one of the things that I love about it is that it doesn't try to just attract members, but rather, gives messages that challenge the congregation to walk, and not just talk, their faith.

Because we moved around quite a bit when I was growing up, I am extremely close with my parents. My mom and my sister (who is three years younger than me) are my best friends. The four of us (my Dad included) love Sunday afternoon family lunches and naps after getting back from church (something that I miss a lot when i'm in the dorm). I love all types of fruits and veggies, especially mango and fresh pineapple!

I did go on a service trip for a week and a half to Cebu, Philippines, where we taught English  to local elementary schoolkids, but this is my first missions trip. I am SO EXCITED! I was looking into missions trips for this summer, and was thinking about a two week trip to Indonesia. The next thing I know, I find myself looking at a two month trip to Nicaragua. I found myself talking to one of the girls in my youth group back home who went on an AIM trip to Thailand and, the more I heard about her experience, the more certain I was that this is what I wanted to do this summer. And, I'm really hoping that my seven years of Spanish will pay off!

I am so excited to meet everyone and I'm even more excited to see what God is going to do in us and through us. I'm kinda nervous about not knowing anyone, but God has been telling me to give everything to him. I'm sure that when we come back, he is will have changed us even more and for the better!

Can't wait to meet you all!

Jeanne