The First Leg

I write this from Louisville, Kentucky, where I’m participating in training/orientation with Young Adult Volunteers headed everywhere in the world. The Presbyterian Church has YAV teams going to India, Kenya, Peru, Guatemala, and (obviously) Northern Ireland. Training is kind of intense: there are lots of people telling us “remember not to do this culturally insensitive thing” and “be mindful of this U.S. attitude,” among other things. My excitement for heading off to Ireland is getting bogged down in hour after hour of meetings in the same room. Which isn’t to say that I’m not still excited. I am. I’m very much looking forward to being in a new place, with an amazing job, and living out the kingdom of God in the world. Or, rather, trying to. I’ve finally met the other people on my team, and they’re all incredibly cool. We seem to get along well as a group, which is a plus since we’ll probably be spending plenty of time together. There’s not a bad apple in the whole bunch of International YAVs. But for now, it’s just a matter of remembering the passion and keeping attuned to the Glory – for all of us.