happy/sad

We have been so antsy to get going on our adventure, but today was the first that I realized that there's sadness, too, in leaving my current work behind.

Some days I get frustrated at my job, but I love it. Tonight it hit me that I'm actually going to be sad to leave it. I work with amazing co-workers and incredible kids. I will miss them. I still have so much to learn from them. Hopefully I can pack all that learning into the next few months.

why

A few weeks ago, Jim from work said that he was curious as to why two young people would leave promising careers to be unpaid volunteers. He wanted to know what it was about the organization that convinced us to do this.

That's a really good question.

When I thought about it, I realized that it was less about the organization than it was about something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. I was brought up in a home that was very centered around faith in God. There are a lot of things about faith that I struggle with and a lot of things that don't make sense to me, but one thing that I am absolutely sure of is that service to others is a huge part of honoring God. This is a part of faith that I can do--something that isn't just in my head.

When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a paper for which I interviewed five missionaries (two sets of couples and another woman). It was a chance for me to understand what being a missionary meant. And I liked it. I like the idea of using my abilities to serve other people. It makes sense.

I know that it's possible to do service and still have a career, but I kind of suck at that. For a little while, at least, I want it to be my career to do service.

So. There are people in Appalachia that need help, and I can potentially help them. I want to try.