Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going?

Orientation is a strange thing; "disorientation" might be a more accurate name. Time has taken on a strangely fluid quality these past two weeks. Suddenly, these fellow orientees, people who two weeks ago were strangers, have become trusted friends. I feel like my head has been crammed with six months' worth of learning in fourteen days, and that I'll need all of the next three years to process it.

Tomorrow afternoon we'll hold a closing worship service during which we'll serve each other communion and commission each other for our work overseas. (Check out these links to see what some other MCCers awill be doing: Wendy and Chris [who are also going to Bolivia], Rachel and Nigel [Sri Lanka], John and Charlene [South Africa], Verena and Brian [Ukraine], Barrette and Sandy [Egypt], Holly and Ben [Uganda].) We've chosen the journey as our theme, and the heart of the service will consist of reflections from orientees on where we've come from in our personal and spiritual development, where we find ourselves now, and where we'll go from here.

In two days--Wednesday morning--I leave this place of relative security and embark on the next stage of my journey. There's a safe harbor early on: I'll be stopping over in Florida for a few days to visit my grandparents and my uncle before leaving for Bolivia. Then I enter the unknown. I'm excited and anxious at the same time. God help me!

P.S. I've had some trouble uploading pictures on the computers here but will try to make up for it soon.