Help Exchange- An incredible resource for finding help around your home

Right after my 4th baby was born, I was struggling. I was simultaneously trying to home educate my older children, while at the same time care for my sweet babies. Added to that was a husband who was gone 12 weeks of the year working long hours on the farm. I reached a point where I knew something had to change for both my sanity, and our family's balance. 

I happened to be at the library one day with my kids when I met a new friend. This friend had a hobby farm in the next town over, and she talked about hosting people all over the world through a website called Help Exchange. 

She mentioned that anyone could sign up to be a "host" if they needed help around their home. The host would make a listing detailing the kinds of help they needed, and then put it up on the website. The responsibility of the host was to provide a room and meals for the helper. 

And simultaneously, people from around the world could sign up as "helpers". Helpers committed to working 4-5 hours a day in whatever capacity you had for them. 

You could search the website and reach out to people who you thought would be a good fit for what you needed! It was a mutual agreement! 

I immediately went home that day and made a profile (that's how desperate I was haha). 

A few weeks later, a gal from Belgium named Audrey contacted us. She was working in Canada, and wanted to come down and stay with us in California. She came for 2 months, and to say it was the most incredible experience was an understatement. 

AUDREY WAS AMAZING!!! She literally became an instant part of our family, and brought so much life and love and laughter to our home. She loved our children, baked and cooked delicious meals from Belgium for us, helped in our garden, folded laundry, etc etc etc!! Having her stay with us was a dream come true. She became a soul sister to me, and she became a big sister to our children. 

Since then we've hosted another sweet Help Exchange "helper" named Yona from France. She was also an incredible gift to our family, and blessed us tremendously in a very hard season. 

I've also passed this info on to friends and family who have also used the platform! My friend Kristen who has 4 children and lives Georgia has used it multiple time with great success. 

I know this option is not for everyone, but it has been really lovely situation for us. We like it because there is not money involved (which helps financially), but also, our family gets an incredible cultural experience. We get to introduce someone to American culture, while at the same time learning about their culture. 

Most of these exchanges are short term, so it makes it easy to try out! 

Would you do this? What question do you have? I hope this was helpful for you:) 

Check Help Exchange out HERE!  

Tomorrow I'll be sharing all about having an au pair in our home, stay tuned:) 

How Covid-19 is affecting Ecuador- An interview with Alicia

Whenever we travel, Kevin and I make it a point to meet up with locals, either that we know personally or that mutual friends connect us to. As we prepared to head to Ecuador, we were given a contact for an incredible woman named Alicia, and let me tell you...it was one of the sweetest connections ever:)

Alicia's dad was actually the president of Ecuador years ago, so if anyone knew the country, it was her! Not only that, but she continues to serve her country. She and her husband bought a crumbling mansion in the historic district of Quito and have fixed it up to serve as a community center for families in the area. Kevin and I were privileged to stay there for a few days on our trip and volunteer at her center. Alicia's heart inspired me in such great ways! (You can read about our time at Casa Victoria here) 

{Kevin and I with Alicia} 

I interviewed her about how covid-19 is affecting Ecuador right now and she was so gracious to share her experience. 

1) Where do you currently live and what brought you there?
I am from Quito, Ecuador. My husband and I live in Casa Victoria, a Foundation which has been serving the community of San Roque, in inner city, Old Town, Quito. I founded this organization 19 years ago and, together with many volunteers, have been caring for average of 40 children ages 5 to 12 from very poor families in this part of town.


2) What do you love most about where you live?
I love that is right in the middle of the Historic Center, lovely Colonial houses, churches, plazas. I love the city-neighborhood idea, where everything you need is right here. I love that the people know us and care for us, as we care for their children. And what I love the most is that our Casa Victoria is a gorgeous 100-year-old restored house, and we get to live in it and share it daily with joyful children and their families.

3) How has your city and country been affected by Covid-19?
The worst part about it is that the children have not been able to come to CV for 13 days now! We miss them terribly! But I must say, it has been a wonderful time of rest, of organizing, deep cleaning, thinking, praying, doing our gym in a room we adapted a year ago for that purpose.

The city has been on strict lockdown since March 12: first, NO schools, no events at all, no church services, no pubic transportation. EVERYTHING is closed, except for grocery places, pharmacies, neighborhood tiendas (little convenience stores) BUT ONLY UNTIL 2PM, time in which, first Quito, now, the whole country is on strict CURFEW from 2PM until 5AM the following day. Fines are steep for those out and about...
During the mornings, there is controlled private vehicle circulation, depending on the last digit of your license plate number. And you can leave your home ONLY to get groceries, bank, pharmacy, and ONLY until 12:30 midday.

The amount of confirmed COVID 19 people in Quito, to this day, March 29, 2020, is 181. In Guayaquil where they did not observe such strict preventive measures, especially at the beginning-two weeks ago--the number is 1400 with COVID 19

4) How have you personally be affected?
Healthwise, thank God, not affected. None in my family here. My husband, his 35 year old son, and I, are fine...so far....

5) How have you seen God work in the midst of this time?
I think the biggest and most beautiful result of this "putting on the brakes" in a radical way, has been to see and feel the pureness of the AIR! No contamination, no trash, no peeing on the corners outside CV, no noise, no honking, no soot from the busses.....it´s been heaven!! Our garden and middle patio have beautiful, brightly colored flowers. There are so many visiting humming birds...! The planet surely needed a REST from humans and our toys!!
There is also more meaningful communication with family, friends, and even acquaintances, the chats, zoom, face time...we are truly much more connected than before! I even have a little nightly prayer group via zoom...!

6) Any last things you want to share?
I pray we ALL learn important lessons from this Quarantine. It has all been shared and said already: closer families, more creativity, more appreciation of TIME, family, space, clean air. We NEED to do things to KEEP them going...


Thanks so much for sharing Alicia!

How to culturally enhance your travel

Kevin and I don't travel just to travel. We travel to become learners and friends with the world. 

It is very easy to travel to a new place, check the "sites" off your list, and move on, without ever truly digging deeper into the culture. But Kevin and I have found that the real magic and charm of entering a new world, is to become both a learner and a friend of the place and the phenomenal people that live there. With some intentionality, it is actually quite easy to do, and as a result, you will have a pocket full of stories and treasure of new friends!

Below are some ways you can culturally enhance your next trip:

Meet and connect with Local People!
The best way to gain traction in a new city is to sit with the locals that live there! They are the experts:) Here are some of our favorite ways we've met new people:

1. Through your vocation: My dad is a rice farmer, and well connected in the industry. Growing up, whenever we would travel the world as a family, he would always search for the contacts of rice farmers in that country. And you know what? The local contacts were ALWAYS delighted to host us! We stayed in a rice farming towns all over the world, it was wild! If you find yourself in a niche industry, use your contacts to see if you might be able to connect with someone in that field. You will have a storehouse of cultural knowledge at your doorstep!

2. Through your church or faith community: Whenever we travel, Kevin and I always network with friends to see if they know anyone doing ministry or non-profit work in that country! Before taking our most recent trip to Turkey last month, we were given some Turkish contacts that we promptly emailed. This led to meeting up with one friend in Istanbul, and the other in Izmir. I have to say, these were two of my most favorite days of the trip. As people of faith, Kevin and I were so encouraged and moved to tears by the way we saw God working in Turkey through these wonderful people! In another instance, when I was a sophomore in college {almost 10 years ago, yikes!} my best friend and I traveled to Croatia to visit some missionaries there. I couldn't believe how much we learned about Croatia in those four days because of our excellent {and fluent!} tour guides! Whatever faith community you belong to, there will probably be a network of people you can contact to meet up with!

3. Social Media: In the age of rapid globalization and instant connection via instagram and specifically blogging, it may be that you have contacts in other countries that you didn't even know! I once instagramed that I was visiting a particular city, and one of my blog readers emailed back and asked if I could meet up with her! Obviously you need to use your common sense on this one {and screen people and meet in a public place!}, but most of the time your readers will be genuine wonderful people willing to show you around town! A few weeks ago I instragrammed that I was thinking of visiting South America, and I had numerous followers in different countries welcome me to their city and offer to show us around! Amazing!


4. Exchange Programs: If you plan to live somewhere for a longer amount of time, consider an exchange program. In college, I studied abroad in Siena, Italy, and chose to live with a family (instead of getting my own apartment with other Americans). This was an amazing experience where I was welcomed in to the home of an Italian family, and I learned all about growing my own vegetables to make the freshest pasta sauce and pesto! Not to mention, my language skills rapidly developed!

5. Couch Surfing and AirBnB: Both these sites allow you to be the guests in someone's home {couchsurfing is free, and AirBnB you pay a fee}. Kevin and I have used AirBnB quite frequently, and have met some really wonderful people. In Turkey, we stayed with a French man, and one night we sat out on the balcony with him, drinking French wine, and hearing him talk about his time living in Turkey. It was so fascinating seeing the city through his eyes! He was helpful in giving us tips on where to visit  and what to do! Our stay here was so much more personal (and cheap!) than a hotel!!

6. Family: Obviously it is a huge bonus to have family around the world. I feel extremely blessed to have many family members that live in Europe, and they are by far the most fun and spirited people to stay with. However, many of you probably do have family members abroad, you just don't know them. Considering doing some genealogy tracing to find your relatives! This could be a fun project to do as a family, that could really lead to some incredible connections!

7. Volunteer/Serve: As you already know, the world we live in is not fair or particularly kind to everyone. There is widespread poverty, human trafficking, disease, lack of food and water, etc. that plagues our globe. Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and SERVE somewhere. Teach English! Join a team building water wells in Africa! Build houses in Mexico! The list is endless. And in the process of serving, you will meet the most incredible people and have your eyes opened to the realities and daily life for millions around the world. You will be changed, and leave with new friendships and perspectives! Our time living in Nepal changed our life!

8. Immersion Classes: Sign up for a language program or a cooking class! When I was living in Thailand, my cousin came to visit and we took a cooking class. It was so much fun, and we really received a deeper glimpse of the culture through their techniques, fresh ingredients, and spices! We laughed and had a grand ol' time eating the fruits of our labor with our new friends!


Educate yourself! 

There are resources at your fingertips to learn about the countries and cities where you are traveling! Take advantage of this opportunity, and you will deepen yourself in a special way.

1. Read Books: Almost all of us can get a library card where you have access to FREE books, friends! And if you want to buy books, we have incredible deals on amazon.com or other great websites! Google books that give you a taste of the world you are traveling to. Before we moved to Nepal, I read a book called "The Little Princes" by Connor Grennan. It was a fantastic read {that I would recommend to anyone!} and gave me a deeper understanding of the issues facing Nepal. I was able to think more critically and deeply because I did my research before we moved abroad.

2. Watch Movies: Not all movies are super educational, but they will at least allow you a foray into a country you know nothing about. When we were in Vietnam, Kevin bought the movie "Good Morning Vietnam" {with Robin Williams}, and while it was a comedy, it also gave me the smallest glimpse into certain issues during the Vietnam war. I think I appreciated the Vietnamese people all the more after I watched this. Before visiting the Normandy beaches, in northern France, Kevin and I watched the entire HBO series of Band of Brothers (about the D-Day invasion on the Normandy beaches). It was incredibly sobering to watch this before entering such a sacred place, where lives were lost for the sake of freedom. Utilize Netflix {and google} to find films that take place in the country where you are traveling.


3. You-Tube: You know you are a travel-nerd when you and your husband watch "Rick Steves" videos on a Friday night for fun! Rick Steve's has the best European travel books around, and he airs specials on different European countries. You can find almost all of them on youtube, and they are humorous, fun, and a great resources if planning a trip!

4. Talk to Friends: The best way to learn about a country is to chat with people who used to live there, or friends who have visited! Find out where your friends stayed, if a city was "worth" the visit or not, and what type of transportation they would suggest. Those who have been before you, know the best way:)

I hope when planning your next trip, you will intentionally look for ways to culturally enhance your journey! Years down the line you probably won't remember too many of the "things" you bought or even the names of the towns you stayed, but you WILL remember the people you met and the culture you immersed yourself in:)

Happy Travels!