As we started our trek up the long hill to the school for the first time this summer, memories came to mind of having to walk up and down this hill several times a day while teaching with CRRS two years ago. This time, however, the hill was much more wet and slippery more often than not. We had to be very careful with every step we took. As rain poured down each day, it reminded me of how our program was called Project 'W'. In one sense, we wanted to bring Living Water to these trainees, but ironically, water seemed to be more of an obstacle for us during this trip. Nevertheless, I marveled as the trainees darted up the hill with their colorful umbrellas each day. With fresh faces and personalities as colorful as their umbrellas, these trainees inspired me to never give up in tough times.

The first meal we sat down to, one of trainees asked why I looked Chinese but only spoke English. I felt embarrassed by her comment and did not know how to respond. She continued to ramble on very quickly with those who understood her, but I couldn't catch a word she was saying. The next day, when I discovered she was in my class, I decided I would try to get to know her better. We ended up giving her the name "Stella", which actually means "star" and she truly turned out to be the star of our class. She was never afraid to ask questions and her journal entries were always fun to read. She also really wanted to get to know us. She was the first trainee to ask if I was married and when she found out I was dating Geoff, she asked Irena to translate for me some of her best advice on relationships.

A few others in my class also really encouraged me. Two girls, Shona and Samantha were so shy at the beginning of the program. They did not know how to say many things in English. But somehow, Shona and I got to have a great conversation in English about the importance of not comparing our beauty with other girls. Samantha also chose to give a presentation in English for our entire class about her minority tribe's culture and traditions. I was also really   encouraged by Julie, another trainee who told us that she had gained so much weight in college that after she had lost all the weight, she could fit both legs in one leg of her old pants! She truly did not give up! Meeting each of the trainees was a wonderful experience and I would come back and do it all over again in a heartbeat, rain or shine.