Some travel to see the difference, others travel to make the difference

The closer and closer I become to my departure date, the more anxious I get with the realization that I will be gone for 27 months. 2 years without seeing my friends and family regularly, 2 years without Qdoba, and 2 years without Netflix....its obvious what's important in my life haha. But seriously, the realness of leaving in March and being in Malawi for 27 months is beginning to seriously set in.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been wrapping up some of the things on my "Peace Corps To Do List." I've been to the doctors, where they comfirmed I do not have Ebola. Duh. Too soon? Maybe... I've been to the dentist and have no cavities. I've been thinking about starting a packing list, but let's get real, I normally don't pack until the night before. Maybe I should be more ambitious about packing for 2 years? Yeah, I definitely should. I've been thinking about saying goodbye to friends, and even more importantly my family. All of these things have made the leaving part of this experience more real.

And that is where Jesus comes in. On 102.5 a week or so ago their Bible verse was from John 3:17. It states, "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." And in about the 2 seconds it took for the radio announcer to read these words, I was again reminded why I am leaving in the first place. It is not for my experience, it is not because I think I can change the world, but it's because Jesus has called us to save the world through Him. Now this does not mean everyone needs to join the Peace Corps and move to Africa. But what I believe it does mean is that God has a calling for everyone, and that we should be open to hearing what the calling may be. Jesus has made it clear to me that my calling for the next 2 years is to go and serve the people of Malawi. Now what is yours?

As it becomes closer to the date I leave I also find myself staying up late reading blogs of current or past Peace Corps Volunteer. Nerd I know. These blogs though give me a sense of peace. Through the words of others I am able to imagine myself in their shoes, maybe soon to be doing something very similar to what their project is now. So below I have posted a blog that stood out to me. You can copy and paste this into a new tab on Safari, or Google Chrome, or whichever internet server you use. And if you enjoyed this blog you can read more. There are links on this page that allow you to get lost for hours reading about others experiences. Or maybe that's just me. Who knows.. This blog specifically talks about the beginning of your service as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer), and then goes to show that those first few months are not the end. If anything it is after those first 3 months that your time in country becomes more difficult than before. Although you may know more of the language (don't ask me how learning how to speak Chichewa is going...but seriously) it is then that you are separated from your fellow American friends who you have been growing with for the past few months. It is then that you are placed into a community where you begin your project. This is what I can look forward to :) So if you have the time to read another blog after mine, follow the URL below. I hope you enjoy!

http://passport.peacecorps.gov/2014/10/20/there-is-life-after-pre-service-training/

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