Introducing Halen Seevinck The Winner of Our Expedition Giveaway

We want to introduce you to someone really special! Her name is Halen Seevinck, and she is a REALLY lucky girl :)

Halen attended our winter Sundance Eco-Hideaway Brunch, where we gave away an expedition for two. But enough from our perspective, let's learn more from her!

"Hold on - let's see who wins! I have really good luck..." And those were my famous last words before I heard my name, or a version of my name, called out over the loud speakers. And here I am now, planning out a trip to Peru with Ascend Humanitarian! I can't wait to experience a humanitarian service project with the fine folks at Ascend, my husband and the Peruvian community we'll be working with this summer.

I've been a part of a non-profit for the last few years, and have been privileged to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to visit our program headquarters and meet the people I raised money for. It was an incredible experience and my heart still swells when I think about the good things happening out in the community we've been working with. However, as a project coordinator, I was definitely in work mode. I'm really excited to work with Ascend on this trip and to experience it without the to-do list of what needs to be followed up on, or how to communicate the project to donors, or keeping track of all of my foreign currency, which I inevitably lost. I almost wrote that I wanted a trip with 'no strings attached' but aside from the coordination details that I'm happy to leave behind, I know it's not possible to invest in a community with a group of likeminded people and not get attached.

And to be honest, I want to be moved by a mission. I want to be reminded of the good in humanity and that we all have the same baseline needs. I want to have the same teary response and fierce devotion to a country after visiting it, and loving its people, and playing in its dirt.

There's something about humanitarian travel that overwhelms your system and starts pumping new blood through your veins. It grows your heart and your dreams to believe in greater connectivity and goodness. Adventure and mishap tinge your memories into bravery and laughter.  And I hope after this trip to Peru with Ascend, my heart beats faster for doing good, and the subsequent process of 'getting good'.

So there's my heart dump. The next post will be more practical and involve things about wet wipes and medicine and what to do about missing green cards in the mail, or something...

Until then, your excited traveler and thankful trip-winner,

Halen Seevinck