Go. Set. Ready.

Orientation in Vancouver was lovely. Fantastic to spend time in community again, to learn more about what I'll be doing in India, and hang out with a bunch of fantastic folks who are also interested in moving into the margins.

Also, the whole thing was just affirming. I may not have everything figured out yet, but it's good to feel that at least this step is right.

However, that sense of affirmation was tied to another strong feeling.... that I am not at all ready for Kolkata.

Everything I gather points to it being a hard place. Not that I didn't know that. But I kept hearing (and continue to hear) of overwhelming poverty, stifling weather, continuous noise and smells, and oppressing spiritual darkness. I am not ready. I am never going to be ready.

If we wait until we are ready, we are never going to go.

As Mark Batterson has been known to say, we need to switch from "Ready. Set. Go." to "Go. Set. Ready."

God uses the unready. The weak, the meek, the foolish. And God calls us to go, regardless of our readiness. So what are we waiting for?

PS
I did go backpacking in the Olympics. However, I didn't make it to the lovely beach area previously mentioned... as Port Angeles doesn't run any buses on Sunday. Boo. However, I did hitchhike into the mountains and had a pretty fantastic time camping anyways. Yay! Although, it did snow on me, and I picked up a wee bit of a cold.