Bienvenidos a Miami

Well, I managed to pack. Way too much. It was tricky meeting that 50 pound limit at the airport. (In my defense, there was a lot more than clothes that I was required to bring.)

Anyway, I traveled all day Saturday and finally made it to Miami after three flights, two carriers, a missed connecting flight, a missed ride to my hotel and a lost bag. The joys of traveling. And, seriously, the joys of finally receiving the suitcase that contains your only possessions for the next two weeks.

Let me tell you something. It is hot here. No -- really -- I don't think you're understanding. It's not just hot. It is also more humid than you would think possible. Whenever I go outside, I feel the weight of the hot, wet atmosphere pressing on my shoulders, trying to crush me or make me melt. It's oppressive -- I feel the need to be freed from this muggy tyranny. I don't understand how people can enjoy living here. But maybe you get used to it???

All of us Peru leaders have been here since Saturday. We've learned a lot more about what we'll be doing, what our teams look like, and how to transfer 500 teenagers to another country. Big World Ventures is the group organizing the trip, and they do an amazing job. At first I was skeptical about how successfully hundreds of people would be able to do a trip like this, but after getting here and learning how they have things organized, I am fully confident that this trip will run smoothly.

The teens get here today. I am about to eat breakfast and then help with registration. Pray that everyone gets in with no flight trouble and no lost baggage. The teens begin their full training tomorrow, and will start to learn the 20-minute Spanish drama that they'll be performing on most of our ministry days in Peru.

I'm excited to be getting started -- I'll try to update again soon!

Day of Evangelism

Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a little while because our schedule has been crazy full. And I've noticed that when I'm up here -- or away from home in general -- I'm "all here." It's hard for me to pull away and attend to my normal, day-to-day responsibilities at home. But hopefully I'll be posting some pictures from this past week's activities.

Well, up here in Juneau we're doing our first evangelism initiative. We're going downtown to chat about faith and Jesus and His gospel with anyone who's interested.

And that's a fairly scary proposition for most of our students. Uh, and for me, too.

Evangelism efforts like today's definitely make me ponder what Jesus truly meant when He uttered the words found in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. What does it mean to make disciples? How seriously do I, in my own life, take the Great Commission?

I like to think I'm fulfilling the Great Commission by working for TrueU and Focus on the Family Institute: I write articles that (hopefully) help students grow in their faith, and I mentor students who come through the Institute every semester. I like to think I'm making disciples.

But the whole "of all nations" thing? Well, I don't do that so well. Very rarely do I step outside of my decidedly insulated life at the Institute and with my Christian friends and share my faith with anyone. I tell myself that evangelism isn't my role, that discipling is. But I'm not entirely sure it's my place to make that distinction.

So, today I, along with our students, am praying to be filled with the Spirit so that I can go out and share the gospel. Not by my own effort -- that would be so incredibly futile. But by the Spirit's power. Hopefully, someone I talk with will see not me, but God in me, and think, "I want that."

If you think of it, pray for us.

Catch you later!

Failure to Pack

I felt like posting a picture. This is one of a globe and a Focus on the Family Institute Nalgene. Very exciting. If you look at the globe, you can see South America and the country of Peru, where I'll be in a few days. Pretty sweet.

While I'm looking at pictures on my computer, I'm busy not packing for my trip. I went shopping earlier this week and bought the things I needed for the two weeks I'll be in Peru: snacks (obviously most important), Pepto Bismol (better safe than sorry), hand sanitizer, travel-sized things (they're fun cause they're tiny!), and more snacks.

All of these things are sitting in Wal-Mart bags on my bedroom floor. My big, blue suitcase is also sitting -- empty and neglected -- on my floor. I keep not putting things into it. It's becoming a problem.

This is usually how I do things. I stress all week about how I should be packing, and then the night before I leave, I finally get around to it. It'll be a flurry of laundry and double-checking, but I'm confident that it'll get done.

Here at work, I'm all alone in the TrueUniverse. I've pretty much finished getting things ready for the weeks we'll be gone -- that's right, you'll still magically have sweet articles and hilarious thoughts of the week while we're away. We published some new articles today, so you should read them. Lindy's got a great one about dating that I think everyone will enjoy.

OK, I should go now. I've got packing to worry about.

I'm really busy today, but here are just a few thoughts from my first few days here in Juneau.

• It's cloudy here. I live in Colorado Springs, where we get about 300 sunny days a year. Juneau probably has that many cloudy days per year. I can tell I've gotten used to the sun. The clouds, though they make the mountains look that much more majestic -- can get just a little bit overwhelming. But strangely, you get used to it. Or I do, at least. And beautiful evenings, where the sun shines for an hour like it did tonight, make all the gray weather worth it.
  
  
• Thank goodness for wool socks. I'm not sure what I would do without these things. Wool socks have this magical power that allows them to get wet, but still keep your feet warm. Juneau is not only a cloudy place, but it's rainy, too. It's wet -- a lot. Wool socks, especially when hiking, are a must.
  
  
• Extended daylight = more energy. Maybe it's not science, but it seems like I have a lot of energy at night when I'm here. The sun doesn't set this time of year till around 10:15 or 10:30. And the sky is never completely dark. At 1 a.m. I could have taken a walk on the beach next to our campsite -- our staff team did an overnight camping trip, preceded by some fishing and crabbing -- without any trouble.

OK, so those thoughts were mostly geographical in nature -- but what can you expect from a guy with a useless social science degree … in geography. I gotta use it sometime.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully, I'll be posting some pictures from yesterday's fishing expedition. I caught my first fish ever yesterday.

Oh, and here's something: a link to what it looks like where I'm living -- the University of Alaska Southeast campus housing.

Juneau, 2.0

I arrived in Juneau today. This place is so beautiful — as amazing as I remembered.

After we arrived, we did the customary thing — we waited for our luggage. And waited, and waited. Everyone but me did not get their stuff. The other four people I flew with today changed airliners when they arrived for their layover in Denver. Unfortunately, their bags did not make the transition. As we speak (or as I type, rather), they’re back at the airport retrieving their (hopefully) recently arrived luggage.

After figuring out that all their belongings would be arriving later tonight, we drove from the airport to the student housing here at the University of Alaska Southeast where we are staying. It was so surreal, driving by such familiar places. We passed several of my old haunts: the now-empty lot that used to host the plant nursery where I worked; the Safeway store where I took my lunch breaks; Auke Lake, where my friends and I would go swimming after work on the unseasonably warm days, of which there were many during the summer of 2004.

Immediately, I was flooded with memories of all the good times I had that summer — of all the amazing people I had the pleasure of spending two and a half months with. For a moment, I felt an almost overwhelming sense of melancholy. I realized how badly I wanted all those people to return with me. And I realized how that won’t ever happen. Ever. Because life moves on and people get jobs and college summer turn into memories.

But I soon snapped out of it. Because as much as I wish it were, this trip is not about my reliving my glory days as a carefree (however spiritually floundering) college student spending a summer in the Alaskan wilderness. This summer is about investing in the lives of the young men who arrive here in a few days to participate in this thing we’re calling Alaska Transformation. It’s about drawing from the transformation God began in me four summers ago and turning it inside-out so that others can see that yes, God does change lives, actually.

Basically, this summer is about giving back.

So, I’m a little sad, because I’m missing a lot of really special people right now. But I’m also looking forward to the adventures, both the literal and spiritual kinds, that lay ahead.

One Week to Peru!

Peeps, I leave for my missions trip a week from tomorrow. As Matthew mentioned, I'll be gone for two weeks to Lima, Peru with Brio magazine. I haven't been on a missions trip since my senior year of high school, and during that one I spent lots of time hand-mixing cement, helping with VBS and drinking Mexican soda. This trip will look a lot different than my last one, but I'm pretty sure it'll be awesome. Here's why:

1. More than 500 of us are going -- lots of teen girls and guys and some of us adult leaders. I get to help lead a team with my friend, Ashley, so that should be great. Also, I'll get to meet lots of great students -- I'm hoping they can teach me what's cool and how to tell the Jonas Brothers apart.

2. Drama, drama, drama. The students will be performing dramas in the streets, which will attract lots of Peruvian children who will hopefully want to be our friends.

3. Español, people! I majored in Spanish in college and haven't practiced since. I pretty much only remember the words, "hola," "no," and "vaca." This will be an awesome opportunity para practicar la idioma.

4. Putting faith into action -- we'll be doing work projects and serving the Peruvians while we're there. We'll spend time simply washing children's hair and combing out the tangles. It sounds simple, but I think it will be profound. I spend a lot of time writing articles about how our faith is demonstrated by what we do. I figure it's time to quit blabbing and start doing.

Anyway, I'm excited for the trip; it should be pretty cool. Maybe I should brush up on my Spanish this next week...

TrueU Heads Out

Hello, everyone out there in TrueU Land!

By now you've probably heard Denise and I talk about the mission trips we're going on this summer. 

Denise leaves June 28 for the Peruve It trip with Brio Magazine to -- you guessed it -- Peru. Lima, specifically.

While Denise heads south, I'll be migrating north to Juneau, Alaska, for three weeks with Campus Crusade's Alaska Transformation mission trip. I'm leaving Monday, June 23. (I have got to get packing.)

We wanted to set up this temporary blog so we could keep you posted on what we're up to. Be sure to check in for the latest happenings. We'll post stories and pictures as often as we can.

We'd love to hear what you're up to this summer, so be sure to leave us a comment and let us know.

Bon voyage!