And We're OFF!!!...like a herd of turtles.

So the actual publicizing of this blog starts this week, so for many people this post will be the first thing you see when you visit.  Be warned: I'm a little weird.  If you'd like to learn a bit more about me, check out the list of old posts on the right hand side to go back to the beginning.

If you're here because someone forced you to come to this site while looking over your shoulder to check your facial expressions, or because you already know me, I suppose we can skip some of that formality and jump right in. (And tell you're friend it's rude to read over shoulders...personal space and all that)

So bottom line: you know that "still, small voice" we hear about all the time at church or in scripture?  Yeah, well, it found me.  And as many can attest to, if you ignore it, you often end up getting divinely thwapped over the head if you don't do as you're called.  So, since I like to avoid the twappings of the Spirit, I'm following the call of that voice.  I'm leaving home to serve in relational ministry in the Diocese of Brasília (technically it's still tentative, but hey, that's what I've got for the moment).  As it has been since my first call 9 years ago, I'll be working with and serving youth.  You can tell how excited I am about this by the fact that I received the news at 5:45 pm, and I'm still going at the time stamp of this post.  Much like the initial decision to apply for the Young Adult Service Corp (YASC), this may lead to an all nighter of research and excitement, but that's why God gave us coffee!

So here's a map of the area I'm expecting to live and work in.  I encourage you to zoom out to get a better idea of where it is compared to where you are.






In case you missed it (or you've slept since world geography class in grade school), here are a few things I already find fascinating about Brazil:

• It ranks 5th in both size and population in the world

• COFFEE!!!! World's largest exporter for the past 150 years!

• Home to many of the best ranked beaches in the world

• Hosted the 2014 FIFA world cup, and will host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio (luckily, thanks to my dad, I am grudgingly well versed in soccer already)

• Carnival!

• A quarter of the world's rain forests are in Brazil, and it is the most bio-diverse country in the world!

• The capital (where I'll be) is a completely planned city, built in just 41 months starting in 1956 and is known for much of its unique architecture.

So what does this have to do with you?  Well, for starters, I'm hoping you'll do more than just stalk me online.  Check out the page links at the top to learn about ways to partner with me in this adventure in ministry, learn more about the program I'm working through, or learn more about what I do.  You can also use the stuff on the left to follow along with this blog as I journey places I've never been, in a language I don't know, learning about loving God's people, with fewer pairs of shoes than I'm used to.

So stay tuned and make sure your lap bar is secure across your legs, because we're on the slow ascent to the top of that first big roller coaster hill.  It feels like it's gonna be a while until I get there, but I know that it won't be long until I'm whooshing along at top speed on a true thrill ride.  Grab your seat on this ride, because I'd hate to ride alone! Having friends to scream along with you through the plunges and loops is part of the fun.