About Karen

Hello and welcome to my World Race Blog. My name is Karen Aiello. I currently reside in Orlando, Florida. Before that I grew up in a town in south Florida called Port St. Lucie. I moved to Orlando on June 12, 2005, ten days after I graduated high school.  I attended the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!) where I got a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, aka Speech Therapy.  About 6 months after I graduated I got the job I am currently working at. (At least until January 2013) I am a live-in nanny. I take care of one 5 year old little girl. I have been with her since she was two.  While there have been rough moments, like any job, I am going to miss her terribly when I leave.

I am the daughter of Andy and Cindee. I am the sister of Deanna, Sarah, Emily, and Mary. Yep, you read that right, I am one of 5 girls. We all grew up with all of us girls sharing one bathroom.  I am also the aunt to 4 incredible boys. I won’t reveal their ages because it makes me feel old. Let’s just say I was in 7^th grade when the oldest one was born and he is about to start 7^th grade this year.

I am fortunate in that I have been in church my whole life. I was saved when I was 10 and grew up in an AWESOME church. (Shout out to Highpoint Community Church!) I had incredible friends, pastors, teachers, and mentors. But back then I was convinced that the more I did the better Christian I was. So I was involved in every aspect of the church. I used to joke that, outside of preaching, I could pretty much run any area of the church if they needed me to.  Then I moved away to college and everything that I thought was so solid came crumbling down around me.  It did not happen all at once, but slowly. I was not able to find a church I liked, one that was like my home church. Then it became less and less of a priority.  I began classes and a new job, and all of a sudden I had a new routine that did not involve God, church, or my faith at all.
In the fall of 2007 I hit a really low point. I was depressed and antisocial, which is very unusual for me. I am normally the smiling one who will at least try to talk to everyone.  But my emotions just snowballed, and I did not know how to get out of it. As the New Year approached I began thinking of how I should probably start looking for a church again. Nothing else was helping and I just felt like this would be it.   So I attended a church, that just so happened to meet in a movie theater. I remember the first Sunday I went, I felt a weight had been lifted. Slowly my joy returned, my depression disappeared, and I made new friends. But most of all I began a real relationship with Jesus. While things did not work out for me in that church, my relationship with Christ did not suffer like it had before.  Now I am a part of First Baptist Orlando, a leader in my life group, and a volunteer at their Pregnancy Center. 

For more of my story on how I felt lead to come on this trip read this blog: http://karenaiello.theworldrace.org/?filename=how-i-was-called-to-the-mission-field
For more information on my expectations of my World Race, see this blog:

Just know I cannot go on this journey alone. I need your help. So I hope you will join me on my journey through:

• following my blog·        
• leaving comments
• praying for me
• praying with me for the people and places I will go to
• giving whatever amount the Lord lays on your heart (no matter how large or how small, every gift is valuable and needed)
  •  Ways to give:
    • Monthly Gift
    • Onetime Gift
    • Donating an item from the list (coming soon)
    • Soliciting donations from businesses (monetary or items from the list)
    • participating in fundraisers (buying something, or helping to sell)
    • spreading the word to family and friends who might benefit from hearing about what God is doing