and so it begins.......

Well it's twelve more days until Katie and I say our goodbyes, get on a plane, and begin this little adventure. The popular question right now is, "Are you excited?" Actually, I'm more in the state of disbelief than anything else. Awhile back someone asked me if I thought this was a good idea. I think they were referring to the idea of traveling halfway across the planet with my 16 year old daughter to hang out in African slums for almost a month. It seems to me that most good adventures don't sound like good ideas; they just sound exciting....hence the popular question.

What strikes me funny is the question that has not been asked. "Why?" No one has asked me why we are going. Maybe it's just so obvious to everyone else that it's a stupid question. And to be honest, I don't have a good answer. Perhaps there are those things in life that just seem right and maybe this trip is one of them.

"So, why are you going?"..........ok, I'll give it a shot.

I want to help people, make a difference, and not just observe from afar.
I want the chance to meet people from a different culture, a different world, almost a different planet.
I want to stand next to my daughter and watch her come face to face with "the least of these."
I want to see how all the good words in the bible stand up next to the worst of conditions this world creates.
I want to get out of the insulation of "good intentions" and risk a little of my comfortable life.
I want to be able to say I've seen it for myself, with my own eyes, with no one interpreting it for me.

I want (i need) Mercy and Grace to be real and not just ideas tattooed on my arms.

Please remember us during the month of July. We leave the 7th and come home the 31st. We'll try to write on this as often as we can.

peace,
john