Wanderlust

There is something about traveling. Something happens when I step out of a car onto a dusty road after driving for hours on end. Something about the way the air smells: sweet, unedited, dynamic, new. And how the same blue sky stares at me no matter where I am. There is also something about traveling that I cannot explain through words: the joy it brings, the experience it provides, the relationships it builds, and the passion it creates. 

I want to wander. I want to take on the world and be in the midst of its unfathomable beauty, and the time is now. With this in mind, I am taking steps to begin that journey and have applied for two summer programs. A summer home-stay program in the stunning country of Chile, and a group mission in gorgeous Guatemala. You may ask yourself, Why? Well, I would love to talk to each of you about it! Let’s grab coffee and talk :) For all of you whom I am unable to meet with because of distance, this is for you! My basic answer to the question of “Why?” is this: I feel called. And if the application process goes smoothly, I’ll only feel more encouraged as to where God wants me to be. The mere possibility of receiving the opportunity to travel and love people around the world is thrilling! 

One of the programs is a home-stay in Chile and is through AFS-USA (American Field Services), and they have been around for more than 60 years. Every year, they host 13,000 students worldwide, with the goal of sending people like me out to experience the world for themselves, whether that be in a gap year, summer, or semester program. For the program I applied to, the objective is for students to be completely immersed in Chile’s culture during their 7-week stay.  By living with a host family, students learn the ways of Chilean life and have the opportunity to go to a local school. I would get the opportunity to love the people of Chile, explore the country, aid in the community, be immersed in Spanish, and more importantly, create life-long relationships. If I went to Guatemala, I would be traveling with Adventures in Missions, which has been around since 1989. Since they have been founded, they have sent more than 100,000 people on mission trips around the world. Ultimately, I hope to be accepted to their Passport Immersion trip: a nine-month journey across three continents, which embarks September of 2015 after I graduate. AIM’s mission is for students to “disciple as Jesus did...that God would use [AIM] to raise up a generation of radically committed disciples of Jesus Christ.” For this specific trip, the goal is for students to disciple to and begin to mobilize the people of Guatemala through relationships and service. I would love to be able to not only assist in that goal, but also to build relationships with fellow teens across the U.S. 

The benefits of receiving an opportunity like this are tremendous. Unlike many high schoolers, I do not just take Spanish class for the credits; I truly want to use it in the future for the good of the planet. Spanish has always been one of my favorite classes and I hope to be fluent one day, and these programs give me an opportunity to move toward that goal. For me personally, not only would it help advance my Spanish language skills, but it would also help me grow in my faith, experience another cultures, force me to learn to adapt to different environments, and help me figure out who God made me to be, whether that be in Chile or in Guatemala. Not only that, but it would help prepare me for the mission work I hope to do with AIM after I graduate. I would also be able to aid in practical ways--whether it be volunteering, talking, or listening in the communities of Chile, Guatemala, or in the future in Colorado. Community is not just where you live, but who you are with. To me, it is a group of people who care for the well being of each other, and a trip like this will give me the opportunity to build a community. Not only that, but I will expand my knowledge and experience to be able to do similar mission work in the area surrounding my home. My mission is to love the people of Chile or Guatemala while preparing myself for a gap year in missions, to experience traveling independently and immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture, and to spread the love of God while growing in my own faith. I hope to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity and reach the people of the beautiful world we live in, and I can not do it without you!

My hope is that you will partner with me in raising the financial support I need for this trip. Any amount donated would be greatly appreciated, whether it’s $5, $10, or $500. This money will cover the costs of training, airfare, international safety precautions (emergency assistance, medical needs, etc), food, ground transportation, materials, and housing.

I would love to talk to each of you about this incredible opportunity. If you have any questions, please call or shoot me an email, and I will be sure to get back to you! Like I said, if it is possible, I would love to grab coffee and talk. If you would like to support my journey, you can click this link, and know that your gift will be truly appreciated. I also have a website and a Facebook page; both links are here: http://sendemorytothenations.weebly.com and http://facebook.com/sendemorytothenations , and I also have a campaign at http://igg.me/at/sendemorytothenations/x/4831877 Thank you all so much!

Much love, 

Emory

Urban Immersion--Finally!

           A purpose, a calling, a mission: that is what inspired 30 high school students to leave the pool, their friends, and oh-so-important technology in the heat of July. We drove thirty minutes. Thirty measly minutes to a place so desperate to be loved, and I can only hope that we filled that need, even if it was only through face painting, wiffle ball, and a giant soapy slip-n-slide. The differences were shocking: Boulder, median income just over $57,000 a year, a primarily Caucasian community, and the outskirts of Denver, median income not quite $30,000 a year, a primarily Hispanic community. When parents struggle to make ends meet, the children of this community do not always receive the opportunities children in Boulder do. It is not so simple to text a friend, go to a movie, or even go on a field trip. Children rely on books and the local park for entertainment, and that does not mean that it is always safe. A young girl about 10 years old (I’ll call her Angel), told me about some local teenagers who frequently visited the park. When she caught eye of them driving up one afternoon in a very expensive vehicle (especially for the area), she quickly whispered, “Those boys steal cars. They left home, took their parents’ cars, and are now living on their own. They come to the park to act tough and scare us or to eat when people are having a barbecue.” Those boys she was speaking of? Well, they were probably about my age. The reality of a rundown community set in at that moment. It seems in Boulder that the worst thing a teenager could do is be caught at a party, but in the outskirts of Denver? No, there is a possibility of going to jail for common teen activities. And not just juvenile detention, either, but years of time. Angel’s dad was in jail, her mom had done time, her older brother was currently awaiting a court date. It shown through her brown eyes: this is normal. It is a place where the cost of keeping the cable on is sometimes prioritized above feeding yourself, where people work multiple jobs and can barely keep their home, and where marijuana is a cultural norm and is smoked constantly--whether they are around their children or not. 

We came, we saw, we reached. Going door to door, you see the heart of the community. The love they wish they could have and share. The trust they had when sending their kids to the park with us. We fed them, played games with them, did crafts with them, and most importantly listened to them. It is not every day when you can hear the distress in a woman’s voice as she explains how she does not have enough money to pay rent or to eat in a way that is healthy or to have the kids she desperately desires. And nothing breaks your heart more than to say goodbye to a child like Angel that you have become so close with who says they never want you to leave. 

        I have been attempting to write this blog for a little over two months now, but haven't found the words. We returned from Urban Immersion late July, and now the sentences have formed to hopefully give you a little perspective into what we experienced while down there. I hope you enjoyed! Thank you to everyone for their continuous prayers over this trip and the people we encountered. Please continue to pray as we set out again in October for another (mini) immersion! 

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." ~Psalm 82:3-4