As I stood, waiting for my departure to Southeast Asia, the reality of the next three months hit me.  For three years I had waited for this moment.  I had spent three years preparing, yet I felt completely inadequate for the task ahead of me.  Why me?  Why was I being called to go?

The saying is true, “its so much better being in the passenger seat than driving.” Before I came on this trip, my perspective of missions was limited to building houses, giving out medicine, or handing children gifts. Not to diminish those things, but my perspective of missions has expanded.

We often pass down heirlooms, trades, skills, or maybe businesses. We want to pass down a generation of “Look, what God is doing. Now, be a faithful vessel that continues the work.”

Our team just began a homestay. You can read more about what these are here.

On our first night, we ate with our friend Sam who was a devout cousin. Our conversation with him was very direct. He loved to discuss religion and what he believed. He began to discuss the duty of his belief and how Allah was the one true Father.

If I’m honest, I really had no idea what this program was about until I got here. I had a vague idea that it would help prepare me for future work overseas, yet I didn’t even know what I needed preparation in.

“I’m so impatient.

Sometimes I really hate the pressures of time because my personality always has me dreaming of the future. This creates an urgency in me to get the most out of where I’m at.”

Within the first weeks of being in Asia, our team was already eager to meet local friends and start fostering relationships with the people here. One guy that my roommate and I met was named Evan.