Israel Dejene–better known as Izzy. The only thing assuming about the man is his giant dreadlock wrapped in a covering flavored with Ethiopian colors. It was only my second week working with Ride Nature as the Director of Missions when Izzy happened to be in town from L.A. What perfect timing for him to be visiting Florida, especially for me having just started working with the ministry. Hearing his story was a special introduction to what I would be doing full time and was an early glimpse of the other stories I’d get to hear from people I’d meet all over the world.

It was May of 2010, and we boarded a plane for the first time as an organization to travel to a country we knew little about: Nicaragua. It was easy to fall in love–beautiful lush vegetation everywhere you looked and home to some of the friendliest smiles and most welcoming people I’ve yet to meet. Maybe we just so happened to catch it at the right time, but still to this day the waves we surfed that week are filed away in my memories as some of the best waves I’ve ever surfed.