Preparation

I like just jumping into things, but for something as big as Around-the-World (ATW), I have to actually prepare. So I have been, or at least I’ve been trying. Between a prep class last semester and my summertime activities, I hope that I am at least on the path to readiness.

Last Semester

The most concentrated training we had toward this came last semester through our weekly prep class. Our team gathered together for a two-unit class every Tuesday night from 7 in the evening to who-really-knew-when. Tuesdays were my busiest days last semester, but I always looked forward to them because I knew that I would get to end the day learning anthropology from Dr. Schultz, cross-cultural ministry from Pastor Ruehs, or hearing whatever crazy stories or trip details from Dr. Norton.

The best part of each of those evenings was being surrounded by my friends on the team. In high school, I was used to knowing everyone in my classes and having some of my closest friends in the same period, but in college, it doesn’t usually work that way, especially when you have a different major. This class, though, was different. I had so many of my best friends in the same room and so many other people that I am only continuing to get to know better and become close friends with.

I thought this class got me ready for a lot of ATW between applying for visas, learning about the places we are going, and learning about how to interact within the places. While I could ramble off a lot of information to you, I think this was just the first few steps of becoming ready to go.

Summertime

Summertime comes around, and I am home back in Colorado. A controversial opinion of mine: I do not particularly like summer and summer break. Not only do I dislike the 100+ temperatures we’ve had a few days this year, but I do not like being on an extended break with not much more than my thoughts. I get bored way too easily and being away from my high school and college friends makes me a bit sad. Occasional trips to Denver and facetime calls can only separate the monotony of a work routine so much, and I start to have a hard time getting out of my own mind and creating adventures.

I have realized, however, that this is exactly where I am meant to be before I depart. This summer break has been a time to rest and prepare before four and a half months of constantly going. I have spent more hours working this summer than ever before as a way to gather at least a portion of the funds necessary to pay for my trip. I’ve been able to listen to countless sermons and podcasts as a way to get out of my own head and focus on Christ and grow in an understanding of those around me to develop more intentional interactions. With this summer of rest, there has also been more intentionality in getting into Scriptures on my own as I have been going through the book of Acts and drawing on the parallels of Paul and his ministry to my own upcoming journey.

The National Youth Gathering

The only thing that I really had interrupting the normal summer schedule of work was The National Youth Gathering. This is a 4-day conference of sorts for Lutheran high school students across the country that I attended in high school and got to come back and help with this year. I went as a Young Adult Volunteer, or YAV, where I got to help serve and lead along with 600 other college students across the country. YAVs are characterized by their orange shirts, high energy, and a lot of yelling and cheering, and it was awesome! We got there a few days early for training, stayed on a college campus, and worked all sorts of different positions. This entire experience was fun in and of itself, but I think it was also preparing me for the next trip in a few ways.

Teamwork: I feel like an elementary school kid saying that I needed to learn teamwork, but this experience was really cool because our team was living and serving together like the ATW team will be doing. It was an opportunity to practice communication with whichever team members you were working with that day. We also grew really close in such a short period, so we learned to support, encourage, and pray for one another. So a shout out to Team Jaspar for being the best!

Sleep is good: My team got up at 5 am each morning to load buses, we didn’t get back to the dorms until about midnight each day, and I didn’t take naps as I should have. I was truly tired, and it really showed when I slept for 17 hours the day I got home.

My limit: So I figured out that I actually do have limited energy and cannot constantly be going. I hate missing out on anything, so I constantly find myself attempting to do everything and not taking care of myself. It really hit me how poor I am at stepping back and realizing when I need a break. I got sick after the gathering (hence the 17 hours of sleep), and I recognized that if I tried to act like this during ATW that the consequences could be a lot worse than just a cold. So here’s to the fun game of “Will I or will I not follow through with this vow to myself.”

God is real and present: Real, Present God was the theme for the Gathering, and wow, was it a good reminder leading up to ATW. It is a bit scary thinking about being abroad for so long, and I know it isn’t always going to be fun and easy, but I know that God is right there with me every step of the way. Having this opportunity to be in fellowship praising God and hearing His Word with other believers before heading off was powerful and a much needed time of preparation.

Now

The preparation continues with less than a week left to get ready. I still haven’t packed, but my room shows evidence of the starting attempts. I have the main items that I need, but they are a bit scattered. I just want to complain that trying to choose one week’s worth of clothes to wear for the next four and a half months in multiple climates is probably on the list of hardest things I’ve ever had to do (sounds dramatic, but seriously I am struggling). My study attempts are also at about the same level as my packing attempts. The first test is in a week, and the only thing that sticks out to me is that Prokopis Pavlopoulos (the Greek president) is fun to say.

So hey, here I am. Outside of packing, I’m as ready as I think I can be for this, and you know what, if I’m not, at least it’ll be a good time trying to figure everything out as I go. (Please pray!!!)

A Fun, Additional, Little Note

As I was writing this, I realized how poor of a job I did living up to the theme and purpose of my blog: making it all an adventure. I have been incredibly focused on the looming adventure of ATW ahead of me, but I have still had little adventures and fun times throughout the summer that I think are worth sharing. They go to show that you do not need to have any big plans to have fun in a moment and create a little bit of excitement. So here’s a shortlist of some of my mini summer adventures:

• Anything with Spikeball is always an adventure! So when my family finally got a set this summer, we promptly moved around the living room furniture to accommodate space to play past dark.
• I held a fish! Y’all, this is a big step for me! I definitely freaked out, but I didn’t cry so…progress.
• I got a map tapestry that’s now hanging above my bed, and I hung twinkle lights around it and my window, so that’s fun!
• I’ve been helping with one of my little cousins this summer, and let me tell you, if you are ever bored, talk to a three-year-old. You never know what strange things they are going to tell you to do or how many dance parties you will get to have.
• Mountains! Living on the plains of Colorado makes it a bit harder to get to the mountains, so I’ve only been able to go once this summer, but I got to go with my best friend. It rained half the time, and neither of us had jackets, but the unexpected can make things much more entertaining if you keep a good attitude and have fun!
• Creating this blog! I am technologically impaired, but with a little help, I’ve been able to get this up and running. I’m excited to share my adventure with you guys, and would love to hear about any of your adventures, so please leave comments or feel free to email me at payton@makeitallanadventure.com.