Written in my journal on June 7th 2007

Well, we're off, many a thousand feet above the air. Our flight itinerary is insane, from Phoenix to Denver, Denver to Washington DC (the flight I'm on now), DC to Rome, Rome to Addis Abeba, there to Nairobi and lastly to Kigali. I'm almost guaranteed to lost my luggage. The good news, though, is that I am excited, I feel safe, and I love the people I'm with, despite the face that not all of us know what we're doing.

Orientation went really well. Though it was a little lengthy, it gave me a great insight into Food for the Hungry (FH) as an organization. Vision: God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended worldwide. Despite the fact that the vision is slightly grammatically incorrect, I completely agree with it. Similarly, I love the programs and the community in the organization. On Wednesday morning, chapel for the organization really gave me an opportunity to see just how spiritual and connected FH is. A beautiful and collective version of "It is Well" nearly had me in tears.

The group of interns I encountered, the ones I'm going with and others, are great too. After overcoming the initial awkwardness of sexual harassment training, we all seemed to bond fantastically. In fact, I am truly bummed that I will not be with them again until the end of summer. Particularly, good memories include those at restaurants for FH meals and the endless supply of trail mix that gave me cramps. Overall, the orientation led me to trust and love the organization.

Another part of that is a result of my host-family in Phoenix, Presley and Kelly, a 5-year married couple who were some of the most hospitable people I've encountered. Not only did they provide most of my meals (including a healthy portion of mint chocolate dessert), but they took time to take me out on the town. Thought their still-in-the-process house was far from perfect (the exterior was white with turquoise animal paintings), their warmness made it a wonderful experience. I'm excited to see them again, to see the house painted properly.

But now the adventure has moved elsewhere, to Africa, where I'm sure other exciting and life-changing experiences await. I found out yesterday that I may be travelling to Burundi for a few weeks to do research, which will be amaxing, though I'm sure ten weeks of Rwanda would have satisfied me. But when you follow God's will, you'll never know where He takes you. At this point, the future in entirely in His hands.