Anticipation Rising

It has been a little while since my last post and a LOT has happened. Finals week has arrived in a hurry. And with this week comes the hustle and bustle of final papers and exam prep. But as an FH intern that's not ALL that's coming due.

I received an email this morning notifying me that $2,500 of my support is due 6 days sooner than I originally thought. Needless to say I spent all morning scrambling about putting the finishing touches on my support letters! Hopefully you all will be receiving one soon!

Admittedly I am about 1,000 times more excited about my trip now than when things first started happening. I have a better understanding of where I am going and who will be there when I get there. Last night I asked Lauren to say something in Indonesian. I can't wait to start learning the language! I have also made plans to head out to Phoenix about a week before I have to be there for training. I will be staying with Ashley and Santi, and have arranged to meet up with last year's FH Indonesia intern, who now works for FH in their main office. He said that we could do lunch and he would introduce me around at the office. I think I'm really going to like this organization.

I have also been Googling Calang, Indonesia like its my job! I'm so anxious to learn about the area, and the people...their culture, their langauge, their geography...their lives! *Sigh*

Until next time here is an insightful article published in 2005 by the Washington Post.

House Keeping

Ok, I know I promised to offer up another enthralling entry...but before I do that I wanted to provide some basic info on my trip, how you can learn more, and how you can get involved.

First things first. Below I have listed some links that may be of interest to you. Included are the Food for the Hungry homepage. It's always good to find out more about the group that is sending me :) Also, I have included a link to the "Support an Intern" section of the website. I will be sending out a more formal support letter in the next few weeks. But should you be perusing my blog and feel lead to support my trip financially, you can do so quickly and easily online. Remember, all donations ARE tax deductible ;)

I have also included some simple links such as more information on Indonesian culture, cuisine, and spiritual composition as well as a link to my current ministry involvement, Renovo Ministries (bear with us on the website...it's very much a work in progress)

Food for the Hungry
Where I will be
Support Me

Renovo

I will share more resources as I get further along with my research! Enjoy :)

Off to Indonesia

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Here you will be able to find frequent updates concerning the opportunity I have been given to live and work in Indonesia this summer. I will do my best to keep you as informed and up to date as possible!

For this first post I wanted to share with you a little bit about the process of application, placement and pursuit of this crazy adventure.

This fall I began considering different ways to spend my summer. I thought about staying here in Bloomington again, working and hanging out with the friends I have grown to love in the town that has become my home. I even considered heading back to good ol' Jasper. I could make more money staying with mom and dad and would finally have the chance to work with the band. "Ok Andrew," I thought to myself, "this is your last summer before you graduate. Why don't you DO something with it."

So I began looking into some mission organizations. I started with groups that work in Latin America. Given my LOOOOOVE for the language and culture of hispanohablantes I thought it made perfect sense that God would send me somewhere down there! But I was still coming up short.

And then Google directed me to the website of a group called Food for the Hungry. Perusing the website I saw that they do work in some pretty sweet places; Bangladesh, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan...but no Spanish speaking countries.

I chalked this one up as another failed attempt. Until I saw the verse that guides their organization, Micah 8:6.

"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."

In the spirit of internship searching I had been reading a lot about serving the poor and the oppressed, fighting injustice and the like. Isaiah 1:17 became a verse that held onto me for awhile. But I couldn't shake how perfectly Micah 6:8 suited my passions.

With a new found excitement for this organization I spent time looking deeper into what they do and where they do it. By December I had decided to apply for FH's summer internship program.

And this is where things REALLY start happening...

During the application process there was an issue with my faculty references. I didn't know that FH hadn't received the reference from him until the deadline to apply had passed.

Meanwhile I had been pursuing a backup plan with a group in Pittsburgh. I even had the opportunity to visit the organization over spring break. So with a sigh I took this as a sign from God that FH wasn't for me.

As time passed I became more and more unsettle about all of this. So I called FH. "Better late than never!" was the response I received.

I talked with a professor that I loved from my freshman year. With only a day's notice she wrote and submitted a flattering (from what FH told me) recommendation letter (thanks again Nicole!).

Within 2 weeks I did my phone interview with FH and before I knew it was starting a blog to share the progress of this amazing opportunity.

Stay tuned! In my next post I will divulge a little on the significance of my placement in Indonesia and share more about what I will be doing there.

Cheers :)