Prologue

It's May 19th, 2009. I'm sitting in my living room before rushing off to take care of the last minute packing purchases (If saying "last minute" makes it sound like I only have a little left to go, I only wish that were so). I and my team of 9 other APU students leave for Vietnam in a mere 4 days.

To think that this whole adventure started with casual conversation, well, that actually sounds about right. The grandest and most changing events all begin with something small. I'm sure if that wasn't the case many people would bail at the first sign of epic. Can't really say I'd be that different. But this started off small. I had MAS (ministry and service) credits to fill, and I was friends with Kristen, who had gone to Vietnam last year and was leading the team this time around. She mentioned the processes of forming a team, and I'd ask about details here and there. Slowly my interest rose. I'm always looking for new ways to prove my desire to teach as a real passion, and teaching in Vietnam sounded surreal. And the seed was planted then.

That was 7 months ago. The time between then and now stretched on forever yet sped forward without remorse. I interviewed with Tyler (the other leader, and my fellow [read: only other] guy on the trip) and Kristen, was accepted to the team, and met all the rest of our star crossed group.
The picture is a little small, so in a circle from the left- (Top) Kristen, Mya, Tyler, Me, Faryn, Amanda (Bottom) Jessica, Kristin, Sally, and Marissa. It may seem odd that Tyler and I are the only guys, but anyone knowing APU would understand- we're outnumbered there. Even so, it was surprising how well everyone got along, even in the first meeting. That didn't change as the weeks went on. Our weekly monday (late) night meetings became a sort of beacon, and I looked forward to catching up with everyone after the long week.

And the weeks went by, and by and by. I balanced school, love, and Vietnam like an amateur juggler, and usually slipped in one place or the other. Still, God was forgiving enough, and my survival in this last semester is proof enough of that.

And if you're reading this, for some reason you've seen this through with me too. and I hope to help you see the rest of my journey. It's weird that the months behind me all lead up to this one month that's ahead of me. But I've a feeling that this small time will last a lifetime in memories and lessons both learned and taught.

Thus- welcome to this, my travel blog. Next post- via vietnam!