On the Horizon
I can't even begin to tell you how excited I feel. It's deep down inside. It's definitely a concoction of scared-excited, the way I felt getting on a plane that would take me across the United States to my freshman year of college. It's when new things happen, new purpose awakens, new challenges await.
I'm so excited to dust off a little ambition and do something I've been hoping to do for a while now.
I have been holding it in, this news. I've been unsure when it would be the right time to share and still feeling a little shy about it all. It seems very surreal. Here goes....
I'm going to Ethiopia in February.
There. I said it. Does that make it real? I just clicked the "Finalize Purchase" button on the screen at KLM's website and the jumpy things in my stomach are, well -- jumpy. Butterflies.
In Ethiopia, I'll be visiting the village we sponsor, meeting the people, taking photos as appropriate, educating the villagers as needed, helping in whatever way I can, building relationships, and basically just loving and caring. It's a compassion trip. We're encouraging sustainability through guidance and coaching. We're trying to meet expressed needs not assumed needs. We're teaching the village "to fish". It's community owned, community led. We're there to become friends and mentors, empowering these villagers to do things that will improve their quality of life and their future.
And I'm oh so excited about this chance to broaden my horizons and shake things up and blog about something I care about. Not that I haven't been...you get me, right? :) It's blogging with purpose -- one of my goals for this year.
So off I go in just not too many weeks...wow. It's still sinking in. Would you share my blog with a friend who might be interested in learning more about Africa? Share my writing with someone who might also have a vision for educating and empowering villagers to live better lives? Would you spread the word about my upcoming trip, to tell your network what GHNI is doing? Maybe you'll follow my blog just to hear my tales of airport security and sleeping under mosquito nets. I'll do my best to keep my sense of humor. With you along, it'll be easier. :) Don't be afraid to comment on posts, respond to Facebook updates. I'll need all the support I can get.
And with that, I'm off to figure out what language is spoken over there and how to say "I need to use the bathroom!"
G'night.
I'm so excited to dust off a little ambition and do something I've been hoping to do for a while now.
I have been holding it in, this news. I've been unsure when it would be the right time to share and still feeling a little shy about it all. It seems very surreal. Here goes....
I'm going to Ethiopia in February.
There. I said it. Does that make it real? I just clicked the "Finalize Purchase" button on the screen at KLM's website and the jumpy things in my stomach are, well -- jumpy. Butterflies.
In Ethiopia, I'll be visiting the village we sponsor, meeting the people, taking photos as appropriate, educating the villagers as needed, helping in whatever way I can, building relationships, and basically just loving and caring. It's a compassion trip. We're encouraging sustainability through guidance and coaching. We're trying to meet expressed needs not assumed needs. We're teaching the village "to fish". It's community owned, community led. We're there to become friends and mentors, empowering these villagers to do things that will improve their quality of life and their future.
And I'm oh so excited about this chance to broaden my horizons and shake things up and blog about something I care about. Not that I haven't been...you get me, right? :) It's blogging with purpose -- one of my goals for this year.
So off I go in just not too many weeks...wow. It's still sinking in. Would you share my blog with a friend who might be interested in learning more about Africa? Share my writing with someone who might also have a vision for educating and empowering villagers to live better lives? Would you spread the word about my upcoming trip, to tell your network what GHNI is doing? Maybe you'll follow my blog just to hear my tales of airport security and sleeping under mosquito nets. I'll do my best to keep my sense of humor. With you along, it'll be easier. :) Don't be afraid to comment on posts, respond to Facebook updates. I'll need all the support I can get.
And with that, I'm off to figure out what language is spoken over there and how to say "I need to use the bathroom!"
G'night.
