Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Arrival

We are here, all is well.  More info to follow once I'm not limited to an internet cafe.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Travels and Travails

Van from Stony Point
Orientation is over and we are now really on our way to Nairobi.  We had a delightful and crises van ride to the airport, where we arrived at the wrong terminal, but we made it to the correct terminal and through security just in time...to discover our flight had been cancelled.

Thanks to the efforts of two very patient United Agents, the five of us were succesfully re-booked and re-routed.  No longer would we be flying through both Montreal and Zurich, now we were to bravely depart to Amsterdam.  This had the immediate positive effect of reducing the number of layovers we would have to 1.  It also meant that we got to hang out in the Newark Airport for 5 hours.  On the whole this was no enourmous loss; the extra airport time allowed us time to share one final American meal at an airport diner, and to engage some acts of self-care.
Kenya YAVs in Schipol.

We have now arrived in Amsterdam and are awaiting our next and final flight which will take us the rest of the way to Nairobi and will only arrive 2 hours later than expected.  On the whole, I think it's a fair trade.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Orientation

Yesterday I said many goodbyes.

Today I was blessed by my home church.

In about 12 hours I will board the first of the six flights which will eventually deposit me in Nairobi, and will head to Stony Point for a week of orientation prior to my arrival in Nairobi on the 28th.

Slowly this is becoming real.  This summer has presented incredible opportunities for me to avoid thinking about going.  I spent three weeks travelling the Mid-East in May. In June I watched my youngest nephew graduate from pre-school, and visited friends in three states.  July sent me to Texas for a wedding, and this month I spent a week at the beach with my family, visited both my grandmothers, and went to an amazing concert.

I have also had meetings with various people at Union and the Presbytery in preparation for my departure, but those were small events in comparison to all the things I have had to distract me.

This is something I have felt called to do for longer than I can remember, and something that I have been concretely working toward and planning for since 2008. My first attempt was redirected to Northern Ireland, and that was a powerful training ground and opportunity to grow a bit more.  Northern Ireland is where I finally acceded to God's call for me to attend seminary, and my experiences there opened many doors to me.

I fully expect that working in Nairobi will challenge and change me, and that I will ultimately be stronger for it.  Stronger because I will be rebuilt of stronger substance.

I am simultaneously desperately seeking one last distraction, and giddy about the upcoming journey.  Frightened of losing what I leave behind and giddy about what I may gain.

Time to finish packing.
Photo taken at John Calvin Presbyterian Church
in San Antonio Texas