~Here's to a new beginning~

This week of orientation in Chicago has ended and we are waiting for our shuttle to the airport. We have had a week of intense discussion, laughter filled conversation, and peaceful worship. As the week went on I felt more and more blessed and lucky to be a part of this group. We have amazing leaders and a group of alum that were phenominal to talk to and share stories with. But, the time has come and its time to actually get on a plane and leave for South Africa. The excitement has been hard to contain because of all the preparation and discussions that involve a lot of "you'll love it!"s... I'm going to share a poem that was read to us at the beginning of orientation that speaks volumes to the year ahead of us.

Passover Remembered...
by: Alla Bozarth-Campbell

Pack nothing.
Bring only your determination to serve
and your willingness to be free.

Don't wait for the bread to rise.
Take nourishment for the journey, but eat standing.
Be ready to move at a moment's notice.

Do not hesitate to leave your old ways behind-
fear, silence, submission.
Only surrender to the need of the time-
love justice and walk humbly with your God.

Do not take time to explain to the neighbors.
Tell only a few trusted friends and family members.
Then begin quickly, before you have had time
to sink back into old slavery.

Set out in the dark.
I will send fire to warm and encourage you.
I will be with you in the fire, and I will be with you in the cloud.

You will learn to eat new food
and find refuge in new places.
I will give you dreams in the desert
to guide you safely to that place you have not yet seen.
The stories you tell one another around the fires in the dark
will make you strong and wise.

Outsiders will attack you, and some follow you
and at times you will get weary and turn on each other
from fear, fatigue and blind forgetfulness.

You have been preparing for this
for hundreds of years.

I am sending you into the wilderness to make a new way
and learn my ways more deeply.

Some of you will be so changed by weathers and wanderings
that even your closest friends will have to learn your features
as though for the first time.

Some of you will not change at all.

Some will be abandoned by your dearest loves
and misunderstood by those who have known you since birth
who feel abandoned by you.

Some will find new friendships in unlikely faces,
and old true friends as faithful and true
as the pillar of God's flame.

Sing songs as you go,
and hold close together.
You may at times grow confused
and lose your way.

Continue to call each other by the names I've given you
to help remember who you are.
Touch each other,
and keep telling the stories.

Make maps as you go,
remembering the way back from before you were born.
So you will be only the first of many waves
of delieverance on the desert seas.
It is the first of many beginnings-
your Paschaltide.

Remain true to the mystery.
Pass on the whole story.
Do not go back.
I am with you now and I am waiting for you.

.... I know that that was insanely long but it spoke to me on so many levels and I wanted to share it with you all.

Well folks, I am on my way! Many of you have supported me financially, through prayer, or through great conversation and I hope you all know how deep my thanks go. I am such a lucky person to have so many amazing people in my life and have opportunities like this to help people and help myself become a better member of a global community. Please keep up with my blog for updates and stories through the year and if you'd like to recieve my newsletter please send me an email at ....
ieanderson86@gmail.com
and I will add you to my mailing list.

HERE I COME SOUTH AFRICA!!!!

~There's no good in a goodbye~

Sometimes I wonder who has it worse, the person leaving, or the people they leave behind... I've thought about this a lot lately from the view of the person leaving and I decided that theres no winner or loser in this battle. Being the person leaving I can only offer up my side of the story. It's funny, when you say so many goodbyes in a short amount of time you almost become numb to it. Sure, some hurt more than others but overall they're all the same, a hug, a kiss, the I love yous, I'll miss yous, and the you better write mes... Every person that you say goodbye to is different though, as are your reasons for missing them. Every person I have said goodbye to I am going to miss more than they know. The best part of a goodbye however is the returning hello. Even though I am very excited for my year ahead I can't help but day dream about when I'll see everyone again, where I'll have to go to see them, will I surprise them, will I seem different to them, will they remember the close bond we had before I left. All these things run through my mind during every goodbye and I can't wait for the hellos. I guess I feel so many emotions right now that I can't get a single one to come across. I'm numb, numb to excitement, sadness, or anything else... and not numb in a bad way its just that I'm tapped out. I've known for almost 6months now that this trip was coming, so I have been bracing myself, gotten out all my tears behind closed doors, and said a lot of my goodbyes slowly. I also know that I chose this trip, I decided to leave, so really it would be contradictory for me to be so sad about leaving. Of course I am sad that I'm missing so much, so many moments, phone calls, holidays, smiles, hugs, conversations, graduations, weddings, birthdays, just to name a few. But I also realize what I'll be gaining from this trip, a new culture, a new family (in addition to my existing one of course), a new country, a chance to fullfill a life goal, and new memories. I also realize that though every moment is precious... a year in the grand scheme of things isn't much... its one peice of the puzzle, one peice that will mean so much.

So I guess that these goodbyes aren't really goodbyes at all they're just see you laters... cause I fully plan on coming back and picking up where I left off, most likely with a much different view on things and some fun stories to tell. So even those these "goodbyes" are awful and do make me sad they make me even more excited for that journey back home and all the smiles I'll get when I see everyone again.

But, just so we're clear.... if you're reading this.... I will miss you, I love you, I will write.... and I'll see you soon :)