Hey everyone!! My name is Kaitlin Shinn; I am 18 years old and am a senior in high school. These are some recent pictures of me in Nicaragua from last week. I have two sisters: one is a freshman at University of Georgia and the other is in 8th grade.
I live in Norcross, Georgia, a suburb 20-25 minutes north of Atlanta. Right now I go to a private christian school called Wesleyan with about 400 students in the high school, but next year I will go to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There are SO many things I am interested in studying right now in college, but I'm thinking mainly Global Studies, Psychology, and/or Studio Art.
I work at Chickfila! It is such a fun job, even though I only make minimum wage. Also, this summer I am going to nanny for three kids. Last year and the year before I was a summer league swim coach at the club in my neighborhood. I go to Passion City Church; I don't know if y'all have heard of it, but its the one that Louie Giglio leads and Chris Tomlin plays at.
My school basically requires you to be super involved, so even though I am not very athletic I played a sport every season in high school except this one. I've played softball, water polo, run track, played soccer, and finally my favorite was swimming. Swimming was probably one of the most important things I did in high school; almost every single one of my best friends were on the team. Other then sports, I am in a bible study with some other senior girls, and I'm a Wyldlife leader (the branch of Younglife for middle schoolers). I am also really passionate about art; I'm currently doing a series of twelve pieces on cardboard concentrating on poverty for AP Art. When I finish the series, I'll post it on the blog! I also LOVE music and going to concerts; I am so excited about going to Bonnaroo in June this summer.
What makes me unique?
- Well, I have a heart shaped scar on my foot from an accident last year when I was camping when I accidently spilled boiling water on my foot and got a second degree burn. I consider this beautiful though, because immediately after it happened my friend prayed over me and the excruciating pain went away; its like a constant reminder of God's love always with me.
- My friends say my laugh sounds like a mixture between Squidward and Kitty from That Seventies Show.
- I am severely directionally challenged; I still get lost with a GPS 🙂
- My favorite fruit is pineapple. I am obsessed with Chickfila's food, which is good for their business but BAD for my waistline haha… My ideal meal would be chips and queso, a burger from Chili's with macaroni and cheese with the crumbly stuff on the top as the side, a brownie a la mode for desert. yuummmm
- Some of my favorite bands: Needtobreathe, Tenth Avenue North, Citizen Cope, David Crowder Band, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Chris Tomlin, Bob Dylan, Lupe Fiasco, anything from Passion, Passion Pit, Zach Brown Band, Hootie, Mumford and Sons etc..
- Favorite Verse: Romans 8:38-39
- Favorite Quotes: "We're all just regular folk walkin down the road God done set in front of us. The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless– just workin our way toward home." Same Kind of Different as me AND "I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze" Blue Like Jazz
I've been so blessed to have been on several mission trips through my school. My first was to a township outside of Cape Town, South Africa, which was probably the beginning of my passion for Africa. I have always had a heart for Africa, and I've desparately wanted to go back ever since I was able to go the first time. Last year I was able to go to Kiev, Ukraine and this year I went to Granada, Nicaragua through AIM. I feel like God's been leading me back to Africa for a long time, but the constraints of school have been holding me back. I expect when I get back there to feel like I am finally coming home 🙂 My experiences in Africa have played a huge role; the passion for Christ I saw there was a huge turning point in my faith. I actually wrote an essay for my application for UNC about one of my experiences there that I absolutely love, so I thought I would include it:
My team, New Zealand, was slowly getting defeated by our archrivals. The small boys were extremely dusty and panting heavily. Frustrated by my relegation to the sidelines as coach, I paced back and forth and yelled out snippets of encouragement. While it would have been ridiculous to be the 16 year-old American girl getting outplayed by several eight-year-old South Africans, I was ready to jump in the game at a moment’s notice. Gradually, though, it seemed the tide of the game was turning. We were catching up, goal by goal, and the tension on the side of the court was rising. “Come on, guys! You can do it! You’re playing fantastic!” I yelled to the boys who had begun to grin with pleasure. Finally as the time ticked down to the end of the game, Ahi kicked the tying goal and the audience of neighborhood children erupted. Jordan, the opposing coach, and I raced over to the referee to find out what the rules were for settling a dispute such as this. “Well, this has never happened before,” Mr. Lisson, the team leader of my mission trip, said, laughing. “But I think that the proper way to settle this dispute is to have a shoot-out between the coaches.”
I toed the dirt several yards from the goal, desperately attempting to psych myself up. Just over the walls of the community center, I could see the roofs of haphazard shacks constructed with billboards, cardboard, and chunks of wood. The dusty tin roofs slanted, as if weighted with the burden of poverty. I could feel the hopeful eyes of the kids on me, and at that moment it felt like I was carrying the weight of their futures in this one kick. My foot swept through the ball, and it arched towards the goal, as time came to a screeching halt. The ball missed the goal entirely, hitting the net behind it. My face fell. I was certain that my new eight year-old friends would hate me for my failure in their time of desperate need. I squeezed my eyes shut in hopes that the situation would disappear, but I was shocked to feel several pairs of tiny arms wrap around me tightly. “It’s okay, It’s okay,” my players whispered to me.
At that moment, wrapped in a cloud of African dust and the arms of my loving players, I knew that I had forged a deeper connection than I ever could have by getting the goal. I finally understood the necessity of that community center and how it had shed light and hope into the township, and I saw these children as human beings who did not simply just need my help but as individuals who deserved it. I felt a tug towards this continent; I discovered my calling. When I missed that goal I learned about grace, and to this day I hope to be to others what those children were to me when they accepted me in the midst of my own failure.
I cant WAIT to meet you guys!! Africa will be amazing 🙂
