J-Term in Namibia/South Africa '06-'10

Four years ago to the day, I began a trip that would change my life forever. A life journey. A Life Adventure. A trip which I've come to understand, will never end.

It was a month in Namibia and South Africa. A month of choral music. Of learning. Sharing, understanding, conflict, discomfort, reward, and maturation. A month of travels, transition, irony, and much writing. A month of development, which would be the first of all months since.

It was January 2006. We were the first abroad trip from Luther to undertake this load. This morning I saw the 2nd group of Luther Students off in a fashion all too familiar. Amidst the frigid January air, a bus idling outside , luggage aboard, in wait of its passengers: destination Chicago and eventually the raw beauty that embodies the countries of Namibia and South Africa.

The past month, my nights have been filled with flashbacks, dreams, and uncanny moments of deja'vou, all transporting back to those places, smells, sights, and people.


It's far too complicated to write in one post. It's far too personal to uncover in full context. It's far too vast an adventure to entirely share. And time is so precious. And short. More to come soon.

So for now, I remember to embrace those who live slower than I (both due to choice and circumstance) as well as those who have now followed my footsteps, and are beginning to embark on a similar journey. This afternoon I feel a little less whole. A piece of my being, which in recent years has often been ignored and pushed aside in neglect for other priorities, returned to me this morning. And now, it has left to be renewed and recharged in the lands of its origins. Passed on and carried by the purpose and people who fly, sing, and surrender to the Adventure itself.