Next Up on Blind Date...

Studying abroad is somewhat like a blind date but with insurance. The insurance is that the date is probably going to be pretty awesome, and very few people come out of the date with out at least appreciating that they went on it. But there still remains so much unknown about the whole ordeal. So much to be discovered, embraced, weirded out by, laughed about, learned, and so much to be personally changed by. It is a unique setting for anyone without many responsibilities and plenty of time to soak up to view the outside world as well as spend some time introspectively. So I guess really it is more like a 6 month blind date that has insurance, but you get my point.

If I was on one of those blind date shows where they take breaks to do camera interviews with the daters to see how each sees it going this is what I would say:

Really, New Zealand is beautiful. All that I heard about it is proving to have been understated. Adventure abounds, the people are great, and some great stories/memories have already been made.

Besides all that, I am really beginning to see how unique my time here is going to be. My responsibilities are pretty minimal and I have quite a lot of free time to do whatever I choose with. Free time for me inevitably means reflection, introspection and contemplation. Reluctantly I have already been pulled to face some of the less presentable sides of myself in order to confront the underlying issues and began moving towards reconciliation in redemption. One major theme which has arose from this is authenticity. I am finding that to be genuine or authentic is not always the easier thing. It is often much easier for me gloss over those little thorns in life in order to keep a presentable smile on. The issue really is trust. Do I trust that I can take the harder route, the possibly unforeseen, the scary or the intimidating and come out on the other side? When I think about the people in the Old and New Testament who are giants of the faith-Paul, Peter, Moses, Noah-I see people who chose what was true instead of what comforted or benefited them.

I had the opportunity to discuss this with Chris for a little while today and we came up with a fitting analogy. It is like building a house in Montana. Of course you start in the summer time because the conditions are ideal then for building (no snow and warm days). At the start of the build you are faced with a critical decision; do you want to build the smaller house which you could finish before the first snow, or do you choose to take the time to build an immaculate, detailed, well-loved house that you will have to fight through the winter to get done. Do you trust that you can make it through the winter and do you believe that it will be better to build for the rest of your life if you choose the harder build? It is of course not about having a huge home or 'owning' anything, it is about the build.

This time here feels new to me, a chance to see what it’s like to choose authenticity, the harder route, to face the winters. I don't know where this is going to take me but I am learning to trust.