Adrenaline Flow

As can be seen by the fund-raising meter on the right, I have raised the full $2900. I am grateful for the providence of God and the generosity of family and friends. And the prayer support gives me gives me confidence that I am in God's hands. Thank you, family and friends, for your encouragement and support.

It is hard to believe that it is only two days away. The adrenaline has started to flow as the departure for Malawi draws closer. I have just finished packing (for the most part) and just have to go through my checklist two or three more times. As is normal, I am also experiencing a little anxiety and nervousness. But I am also experiencing a lot of wonder: what is God going to show me through the people of Malawi and through my group? how is he going to use me? what am I going to learn? how am I going to grow? I am excited to learn the answers to these questions. Most of all, I am excited to participate in the story God is writing for our group's trip to Malawi.

Am I ready? I think so. I have always said that we need to balance our perspective in regards to preparing for international travel. On the one hand, you want to be aware of where you are going: the cultural behaviors, geography, and health issues. But, on the other hand, there is only so much you can prepare for: there will be some cultural aspects that you can only learn of through experience; the geography might be different from any other kind you have witnessed before; and it is impossible to control whether you get sick or not. There is also the danger that while we are trying to prepare we shut out the possibility that our experience might be different from what we are reading or hearing. It is easy to put too much stock in what others says. So, there needs to be a balance: preparing in any way you know how, but also remaining open to the possibility that things will be different than what you have learned during your preparation (I like to call this "tempered expectations"). This, I think, is where trust comes in. Since there will be experiences for which we are unprepared and thus a limit to our preparation, there is no limit to the trust we can have in our Maker. The worries and fears that we may experience before departure are all part of preparing ourselves. But so too is the act of tempering those fears and worries with a complete trust in God to guide us, protect us, and use us for His glory.

The fact that I am nervous, however, it is a good thing. The way I see it, every trip abroad is a new experience. I honestly don't see how it can be the same. Nor do I think that I would want it to be; it would be boring if it was. And if I was not nervous, I would probably be worried about that as I would see that as a sign that I am thinking it will be the same as the last time I was in Malawi. But it won't be. This time around I am going on a mission trip, far different from the semester abroad I spent in Ghana, West Africa in 2004 and from the internship to Malawi in 2006. The semester abroad was with 16 other students and our program director and his wife. The internship was all by myself. This mission trip is with 7 other people, all of whom are from very different backgrounds and walks of live. I've learned from my past experience in Ghana that diversity within the group can be a great thing. And I am looking forward to learning with my fellow travelers and participating in a great opportunity to reflect God's glory towards others.

I think that one reason that I enjoy traveling abroad so much is that it is a microcosm of what my life as a Christian is like. I am a participant in God's story in which he is working to bring his Kingdom to earth. I am both a human being in this world and also a citizen of the one that is to come. And just like Jesus did, I am called to love mercy, seek justice and walk humbly with my Father. Traveling abroad involves living in a country that is not your own. And while we are there, just like we work for God's glory the world over, we are to bring Shalom to those we meet along the way. We are to seek justice, love mercy and walk with our God. I hope this trip will give me the opportunity to do this while teaching me more about that that means.