KIVU Global Gap Year Program: Destinations Across the Globe

The KIVU gap year has been transformative to my life. Coming out of my senior year of high school I was never sure what I wanted to do with my life, or what my place in the world was. However after my time with KIVU all that has changed.
While there is a still a lot of uncertainty in my life, like what I want to do for college (let alone after college) the way in which KIVU helped me was by teaching me how to understand, manage, and embrace the turmoil within myself and the world around me in order to live a fuller, happier, more meaningful life.
That came in many forms, including all the travel we did, seeing the streets of South Philly and the people that inhabit them, the hills of Rwanda, and its struggle to emerge from colonalisation and genocide as a strong, United leader among nations, to the political and spiritual turmoil within the Middle East, and Learning the heart of Latin American identity in Bolivia.
Beyond all the amazing and eye opening travels that I participated in, I learned more about myself through the classes we took, and the relationships I made with the other students, my hosts and my leaders.
I feel like I've matured as a person, ready to take on the physical, emotional and intellectual hardships that will come with living life and trying to make it more livable for me and everyone else.

While on the KIVU Gap Year, we had the chance to climb the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, Mt Kilimanjaro. Looking back now, the 7 day trek up this
Mountain was the biggest test of my faith thus far. I was born with severe asthma, induced by allergen and exercise induced. We came to Tanzania from Rwanda, which is basically sea level and I was completely unprepared and untrained. As the days of our hike went up, the number of my fellow KIVU students continuing to the summit went down. But I had faith that The Lord would take me where I was meant to go, even if that meant 19,000 feet up, without the help of an oxygen tank and WAY out of my comfort zone. I prayed through psalm 23, speaking "The Lord is my shepherd" every. single. step. of every single day and was forced to put my entire life in his hands, literally, because with little oxygen and lots of hiking, an asthma attack could have been deadly. I know it sounds dramatic but this is the truth!! But boy did God remain faithful to me. I only had to use my inhaler at the start of our 5-10 hour hikes ( for reference I can barely run on the treadmill for a solid 5 minutes or walk up multiple floors without using my inhaler a second time ) fast-forward through the toughest, most beautiful, humbling 7 days of my life + there I am standing at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, solely on the strength of my savior and the encouragement and prayers of my team, leaders, family and friends. It was to this day one of the most surreal moments of my life. I could have never had this, or any of the other life changing experiences I had abroad if it wasn't for the KIVU Gap year & for that I am forever grateful!

The KIVU Gap Year was an invaluable launching pad for me in regards to my cultural competency, social responsibility, and chosen profession. The exposure to novel (for me) ideas and experiences started a process in my life that has continued to cultivate growth. I am more mature, better equipped for engagement in my community, and able to bring the eclectic experiences from Gap Year to any discussion or environment I enter. The Gap Year reoriented my perception from one of myopic, self-concerned focus, to one that is able to understand the need of the world and discern my responsibility and relationship to that need.

The emphasis the KIVU Gap Year has on actively stretching and challenging its participants makes this program an extraordinary and unique choice for students. This program inherently creates and fosters leaders. I would not recommend it to those who are seeking a carefree, unregulated, or typical travel experience. I would recommend it to those who are seeking a demanding, tremendously meaningful, and transformational life experience.

This experience left me with life long friends and immense personal growth. The memories I've made and the adventures we went on I will cherish forever. I'm so thankful I made the choice to go on this journey as a scared and lost senior in high school.

KIVU Gap Year helped me discover my true self and my passions. I met so many amazing people in every destination with stories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
When we made it to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro I realized that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I saw the world so differently from that peak but I also had a sense of self-belief that I had never felt before. I am who I am today because of KIVU Gap Year. I'm stronger, more confident, and more understanding of life all around me.

The Kivu Gap year Program, is in short the greatest choice I have made.

As a high student I struggled with picking the "right" college for me. That's when I came across the Gap Year program. I had heard about it before and dreamed of experiencing what others had but thought "it's just a dream." As a senior I printed out the application, printed off reviews and facts and filled out my application and presented the idea to my parents. Speaking from experience parents usually need a little more convincing then their adventurous daughter, but given the choice I know they would send me again in a heart beat.

This program is unlike any program I have ever heard of. From the beginning you are surround with others from around the country that begin to expand your cultural knowledge and view the world outside the one you were raised in (which is GREAT thing). The program then invites you to the city where you learn your independence in a safe environment. I can honestly say through all six countries, and climbing Mt. Kili those months were the safest I have felt in any situation to date. They train you to be aware, they train you to be a safe traveler.

Host families abroad change you beyond any words could describe. They introduce a new cultural and teach you about their way of life that not only brings you to appreciate what you have but what is to come. The internships is just a PLUS. Every morning in Rwanda I was so excited for the day to come. I made friends with locals that had smiles I will cherish forever. I learned how to love others in ways I didn't know I could.

I don't think I can ever explain in words why everyone in the world should experience this program, besides just do it and don't hold back because it will change your life. I graduated from the gap year program in May 2014 and now in September 2015 I am STILL learning things from the program and using what I learned in my college town. Things that I never thought would interest me, do. Passions that I didn't have before are leaping from chest. It was the best time of my life, and continues to be my greatest lesson.

Gap Year changed my life in every way I did't expect it to. I was pushed and challenged in ways I've never been challenged before. The real life, real world experience and perspective I gained this past year simply cannot be replicated in any classroom or church building. I'm so thankful I got to go and see...
Throughout this trip, there were many highs and lows; moments that I never want to forget and moments that felt like a trial by fire. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced their fiery furnace in Daniel 3, they demonstrated that they had placed their faith not in the outcome of the situation, not in what God would do, but rather their faith was in the person of God, in His character. After gap year, I stand able to boldly echo their declaration of: no matter what happens, I know God is faithful. I have seen His consistency with my own eyes. No matter where I found myself in the world or what crazy, unexpected situation I was in, God was there.
I learned to rely on the Lord in a very real way. Here in the United States where we are taught and highly encouraged to be self-sufficient, the concept of relying on God can be hard to grasp. However, when placed in situations where we truly realize our own insufficiency, our desperate need for God and others is revealed. It was incredibly humbling to find myself in such situations all throughout the gap year, whether it was hiking through the night in a blizzard on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro or working long days in the tropical humidity of the Philippines with the ultra poor...
All this to say, if you're looking for something easy, don't sign up, but if you are willing to take a step of great courage, to be truly broken down, if you let Him, God will use those broken pieces to to piece together deep passions, life-altering perspectives, and real perseverance.

The Kivu Gap Year can completely change your life. Kivu is unique in that it specifically creates a space for you to ask difficult questions about your faith and about who you are. They give you tools and vocabulary to begin trying to explain questions you have never even thought to ask, while providing you with people and resources to guide you through the beautiful mess that is discovering faith and self.

The people I was exposed to during the domestic portion of the program were so different than any I had come in contact with before, and probably never would have had I gone straight to college. But, no doubt, I learned more about community and family from the homeless men and women I got to serve on the streets of Denver than I ever could have in Math 167.

The sheer adventure that is going abroad will shake you up in and of itself. The experiences you have will leave you in awe and exhausted in the best way. The people you meet abroad, whether they be Christians or not, will teach you so much about love and humanity and what it truly means to follow Jesus.

The Gap Year will push you further than you thought, dreamed, or probably ever wanted to go. The people you meet and the unique opportunities you get cannot be matched.

My favorite part of the Gap Year was the time I spent in the Middle East. I was in complete wonder and amazement at the people and culture I came in contact with. Those people and culture taught me so much about my faith and what if means for me to follow Jesus. Everyday since returning home from gap year I find ways to connect my experiences in “normal life” to my experiences while on gap year. The fruits of the experiences I had never cease, and I learn new things each day that tie what God was saying to me then to now.

If you have even the inkling that you should take a gap year, DO IT! I promise you won’t regret it.