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| Karlene J. Hibbard |
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Life in Minnesota
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As the middle child in a family of seven, it was important that I do what I could to stand out. If my sisters played piano, I wanted to play bass. They played volleyball, so I was a cheerleader. My goal to be unique made me the energetic, personable, and grounded person I am today. I grew up in a small, farming town in Southeast Minnesota where I yearned to travel and learn about the world beyond my own county lines. From eighth grade on, I spent all my summers working in other parts of the country, which taught me that people are people, wherever you go. Though you may live in a certain city, drive a certain car, or speak a certain language, you have something in common with every person you will ever meet. The challenge comes in recognizing those commonalities.
Although Justin and I first met 8 years ago at the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference, we didn't strike up a good friendship until we were both in college. Ironically enough, our friendship started because he had a crush on my best friend, Kris, who was busy chasing someone else. Justin would come to our room to see Kris, but end up hanging out with me. We would spend hours just sharing about what we had learned in life, and what we wanted out of it. Although we both felt an immediate connection, we waited a year before actually dating. In the fall of 2001, Justin was studying in Sevilla, Spain. Needless to say, we spent a lot of money on phone calls, and a lot of time on e-mail. He kept telling me how wonderful Spain was, and how much he would love to show me. So when I found a cheap ticket to Madrid, I planned to spend Thanksgiving with Justin in Spain. Justin was so amazed that someone cared enough to travel more than 4000 miles to see the country he had fallen in love with. Although Spain was great, the increased quality in our relationship surpassed any sight we saw. By the time I headed home, I knew that I would spend the rest of my life with him. We were married on Feb. 15, 2003.
During my trip to Romania in March of 2001, I was able to see first hand the effects of emotional and physical neglect. I was horrified to see 4-year-olds who couldn't walk, and babies who were so unfamiliar with human touch that they rejected it. My job was to display a loving and caring environment to each child, as well as their care-taker, hoping that the healthy parenting skills we taught would continue to be applied after we left.
In the summer of 2002, I worked with the Faith Orphanage Foundation in Zambia. Unlike Romania, we didn't have to teach these caretakers how to love and care for the children, they needed to learn basic health and hygiene skills. According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Zambia is one of the ten worst affected countries in terms of HIV prevalence. For this reason, we focused much of our attention on AIDS prevention. In between classes, we were able to spend time with the children, who were eager to show us everything about their lives. Most of all, they just wanted to know that people knew they were in need, and cared enough to do something about it.
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