Day Smith: Formerly Team Dresden

Here is some information about Hands On member, Day Smith:

I was born in Columbus, MS, a small town of less than 30,000 people. Of course, not many towns in Mississippi are all that big. I'm okay with that, though. I grew up in an amazing family of 6: 2 parents, 2 older brothers, one younger sister, and me. Currently, the kids ages are Todd--29, Corky--28, and Caitlyn--19. My oldest brother, Todd, just married in November, so now I have a new sister-in-law, Rebecca. I love my family beyond verbal description. They have helped mold and shape me into the woman I am today. My parents were the ones who got me involved in church, both being Sunday School teachers. If not for their encouragement, there's no telling what cards I might have been dealt.

I had your average small town childhood growing up. I went to the same high school K - 12. I have plenty of friends who I have known since before the age of 2 (of which is something I am quite proud). After I graduated high school, I spent my freshmen year at Ole Miss, and then transferred to its rival school: Mississippi State. I finished out my college career at Mississippi State with a degree in Chemistry. After that, I spent some time working at a hospital ER and also working retail at J. Crew. My schooling is far from done. I'll start medical school in the fall of 2009 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. I'm finally becoming a doctor! Now if you ask me what kind of doctor.... you'll never get a direct response.

I grew up a swimmer, competitive since age 5 and continued on until about age 17. I love the pool. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I loved watching Olympic swimming long before Michael Phelps was involved, haha. Sports were a big part of my family; all 4 of us kids were prominently swimmers. I also liked playing a little soccer and basketball, with some cheerleading on the side. I watch movies far beyond the average American--most of which are blockbusters. My dad and I went to the movies once a week my last 2 years of college. It's a rare occurrence when we haven't seen 4 or 5 of the top ten movies at the box office.

Most importantly, my life in Christ has grown so much, most prevalently in college. The MSU BSU opened my heart to the huge world we live in and how much it needs God. I grew up in such a small bubble that my eyes were closed off to so much of the world. I went on my first overseas flight in the summer of 2006, and my life hasn't been the same since. Once I stepped off that plane and spent 4 weeks in Maribor, Slovenia, I knew I was going to be returning to Europe one day--but in God's time. I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to return to Europe, particularly Germany, because I've desired to visit Germany since my freshmen year of college when I took German as a foreign language. I've seen God open my heart to foreign missions, and I know He has big plans in store for Spring semester 2009.