On my way...

Hi Friends!

I have no idea who will be reading this (if anybody) and it may end up just being a journal of thoughts and people for myself over the course of the next 5 months. Anyway…here are some thoughts as to where my head and heart are at right now.
I’m on the plane right now, seat 52F, somewhere between Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa. I think it’s hour 11 of the 17 hour plane trip. Yeahhh…it’s not too bad, though. Good time to journal/read/watch movies/think. There is a group of people on the plane, mostly white middle aged males, all wearing shirts that say “Service International: Honor God, help people.” Thinking cynically, there’s a chance the group raised and/or spent 15 to 20-some thousand dollars to do work that people could certainly do themselves. Thinking optimistically, it’s a sweet organization that works to educate people in different parts of the world and offer meaningful, valuable experiences. These types of experiences seem to be very humbling and ruining and inspiring, but I feel like economic justice for nations suffering from debilitating poverty has to be widespread and market-based, and pat-on-the-back service won’t do the trick. That’s not to say that these experiences are bad by any means, it’s just that justice is such a different conversation. A complicated one which I’m not too sure of how to arrive at. You don’t need the ideal vision of justice (a vision that I’m pretty sure nobody has down for sure) to work against obvious injustice and suffering, but sometimes even the first steps can be difficult to figure out.
My heart is pretty torn right now about this whole adventure. In one sense I’m SO excited. I will be in such a new place with interesting people and a chance to learn a lot and have many fun and challenging experiences. It’s truly a rare opportunity that I hope I can take good advantage of. South Africa just seems so interesting. There is such a rich history of conflict, oppression, uprising, social movements, and a clash of peoples, and such an interesting and diverse contemporary society. At the same time, there’s a beautiful culture of unity and diversity existing together. In another sense, though, I’m nervous and anxious. I’m leaving behind a number of people who I really love and care about, some of whom I’ll keep in touch with and see when I get back, some of whom I’ll keep in touch with and not see when I get back, and even some people who I may never see again. It’s difficult, but it’s only so because of blessings and opportunities. I’m so blessed to have people who I care about enough to really miss. Here’s a good quote that Danielle gave me: “Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn’t fall in love, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it’s comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you’re very lucky, a plane ride away.” There just ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it, right?

peace and everything,
Jeremy