In nineteen days Jamie and I are leading a team of twenty young adults to Guatemala. We've been making arrangements, making plans, and preparing our team almost eight months....and here we are. Less than three weeks away.
Taking young people to a far away place is one of the deep joys of my life. I love seeing the impact it makes on them. How it shocks them out of the apathy that so quickly can overwhelm us in our selfish culture. It's a process of pealing back the nuanced layers of desire and distraction that define most of our American existence. In a word, it is a powerful experience.
After six months of regular meetings, tonight we met for the final time before we leave. I challenged them with the notions of sacrifice and selflessness. Not because any of us are looking or hoping to become martyrs, but because I want all of us to live outside of the context we are so over encumbered with here at home.
We go to do something that is not about us and not for us. We are partnering with a wonderful missionary who has been in Guatemala for over twenty years. I can't wait to get these guys down there.
Please consider praying for us as we travel.