Steve In India: Departure

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 – DAY 1 – 2:56 PM Denver Time

READING: Time Magazine, November 7
iPod MUSIC: Caedmon’s Call – Share the Well

As I sit in a plane somewhere over eastern Colorado or western Kansas, I will start by confessing I didn’t get my room completely clean. It’s really not clean at all, but clean enough to host a guest if they are not anal. But, I did get pretty much everything else done that I wanted to do before I left and got to sleep for about 5 hours last night as well, so overall, it was a successful few days.

“How are you feeling? How are you feeling?” everybody wants to know. I don’t know. I feel fine, anxious, excited, content, scared, all of the above. The decision to go was made months ago. The plane tickets were bought weeks ago. Letters were written. Support was raised. The last few days I have been completing tasks, checking things off a to-do list, getting affairs in order as I march, sometimes emotionless, toward the beginning of this adventure.

I go into the next 3.5 months with no specific expectations. Generally, I expect to grow as a person and in my relationship with God. I expect to be changed. Recently, I have been overwhelmed by the “problem” with evil in the world and that was from the comfort of middle-class America. I know I will see all types of pain, suffering, poverty, disease and despair in India, but I look forward to seeing joy as well.

I humbly go with the desire to serve and be used by God. I pray that I am a blessing and not a burden to the staff. I have been on many short-term trips and gotten so much from these trips. Sure we helped the people we were there to serve but I think we got back so much more. I would like this trip to be different. I would like to give more than I get.

I am so blessed to be in a position to be able to do something like this. Extremely flexible work schedule, three great roommates that WILL take care of the house and minimize my living expenses Stateside (You WILL take CARE of the house, right?), a great network of very financially and prayerfully supportive family and friends, partnership with a supportive and mission-minded church, etc., etc.

Finally, as I said my “good-bys” to family and friends over the last few days, I am continually reminded of what I great community I am a part of, how much my friends mean to me and how lucky I am to have been born into such an awesome family.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“We don’t want to sacrifice that ability simply in order to make an image point.”

--Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, on the latest 30-day extension for former FEMA chief Michael Brown, who has been retained since his September 12^th resignation to help with post-Katrina assessments and is getting paid his annual salary rate of $148,000

NUMBERS OF THE DAY:

3 Million -- estimate number of Pakistanis left homeless by the October 8 earthquake as the Himalayan winter approaches

20% -- Percentage pledged of $550 million in aid requested by the U.N., which last week said lack of funds might force it to halt airdrops to survivors

HUMOR ??:

Tonight, (President) Bush appoints a new Federal Reserve Chairman. If you don’t care, you are probably poor.

--Stephen Colbert

Source: Time Magazine, November 7, 2005 (Time.com)