Since the summer began, I have spent at least one night in nine different locations, none for more than four weeks in a row. In some ways, this seems to be good preparation for my upcoming year as a vagabond. I’ve been in three states, and each time I’ve had to leave one to fly to the other, I’ve not felt ready to leave the previous one.
When I left Georgia to go to Montana, I felt so completely unprepared. Sure, I was packed, and I was pretty sure I had all the ‘stuff’ I would need. I just had no idea if I was truly ready to lead an STM (Short Term Missions) trip, or if I would fall flat on my face. I didn’t know if eleven high school students from Georgia would be able to handle me, or if I would be able to teach them anything at all. I only knew that God was sending me to Montana for a reason, and that at the very least, it would be a proving ground for me. If I failed, it would be my proof that I wasn’t yet ready to embark on the World Race; that I would have to make a choice between New Hampshire and Georgia for a longer season. It was a choice that I was completely and totally unprepared to make. If somehow, by the grace of God, I succeeded, it would be my proof that I was indeed ready for the World Race.
Montana was such a phenomenal success in so many senses of the word… I was not only not ready to leave, I was unwilling to leave. I knew that a few days of fun awaited me in Colorado, but I wanted to bask in the glow of everything we had accomplished in Montana. It was one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I bonded with many of the wonderful teenagers from Riverpoint Community Church (http://www.riverpointchurch.com) in Cornelia, GA, and we all experienced many moments of growth. I didn’t want to leave it all behind and risk forgetting the beauty and the glory of it all. But there was a plane ticket with my name on it, so off I headed to Colorado.
I had a great time visiting Gary (http://garyblack.myadventures.org) and Lisa Black (http://lisablack.myadventures.org) (my squad’s coaches for the next year) and their amazing little tribe, and I even had a chance to see a good friend from high school whom I hadn’t seen in years. I also managed to slip in a visit to the wonderful and amazingly faithful Dr. Andy Ingram. My trip to Colorado was entirely too short, considering that I had once spent a whole summer there. For a second time, I reluctantly boarded a plane and found myself winging my way back to Georgia.
Arriving back in Georgia, I had less than forty-eight hours to pack up everything I owned, find a place to store my things for two weeks, and move into training camp. Training camp was amazing, and I am thankful that I had to come back for that… otherwise… there is a good chance I would still be somewhere out west!
Now, once again, I find myself in a state of limbo. Of uncertainty. At the moment, I am living in the AIM Community Life house (http://www.adventures.org/community/), but soon it will be filled with its participants, and I will once more be changing spaces, on to location number ten for the summer. I think I know where I am headed next, but at this point, I am doing my best to let God direct me in the day to day and night to night details.
