Packed and ready... well as ready as one can be.

Luggage! Over half of the
stuff is not for me.

"Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks." -Denzel Washington

Tomorrow, around 1:00 pm, I will be getting on a plane, flying across the world, and starting a new adventure. To be honest, I am equally excited and terrified. It is interesting how these two emotions are often connected. I believe that is what drives people to get on roller coasters, swim with sharks, and jump out of planes. There is something about terrifying situations that excite us.

This summer I hiked the Lost Coast with my friends Andrea, Kindra, and Sera. Some parts of the trail are impassable at high tide, however they really are only passable at low tide. Needless to say we got stuck between the tide and a rocky cliff. As we scurried around a rock face the waves were crashing on us. For the first time I physically felt the power of water and it was intense! With each passing wave I would feel it slam me onto the rock and then pull me back out to sea. I'm not going to lie, once I made it to the other side, I was pumped on adrenaline and was ready to tackle the next obstacle. I was both terrified and excited. Luckily we had made it to our campsite.

The rock face we scurried around

Right now I am not scared in the sense of a threat to life but in traveling to the unknown. I have never been to Bangladesh or anywhere near there. I have never managed or taught a classroom. I have never been exposed to that much poverty. This trip is way out of my comfort zone. It would be easier to forget about it, stay home and work for a year. But what kind of a life is that? Never pushing the limits of comfort, never growing. 

I believe God has called me to go and He has opened the doors to get me this far. Sure, I don't know entirely what I am getting into, but I do know God will be with me every step of the way. Whenever I get nervous about going I picture the kids and their smiling faces. I can't wait to see them in person and to give them all big hugs! I may not be an expert teacher but God has given me a big heart to love those kids. I am taking this risk and expecting it to be worthwhile.

Before I leave I wanted to say thank you to all my friends and family that have supported me in this endeavor. I could not do this without you! Prayers are appreciated.

Prayer of dedication with other SM Zachery Jensen