I am sorry to say, but this is the blog
post that everyone dreads: The
Introduction Post. I’ve read a few books and blogs in my day, and I can
confidently conclude that the backstory is almost always a drag to read when
compared to the rest of the book/blog. Those of you who have read Bilbo
Baggins’ description of a Hobbit hole in the beginning of The Hobbit will understand exactly what I’m talking about. With all
of this being said, I am going to forego the typical format of The Introduction Post and, instead,
weave you a tale of a young lad. Let’s call this lad… Icholas. As funny as it
may seem, Icholas’ story is very similar to my own! I bet you didn’t see that one
coming.
Once upon a time, in the mystical land of
Missouri, there lived a boy. Icholas was his name, if I am remembering
correctly. He was, for the most part, a fairly typical 22-year-old lad who was
blessed with a lovely family and beautiful friends. After what seemed like 4
years (indeed, it was 4 years), Icholas graduated from the fine institution of
Truman State University with a degree in Mathematics and a wealth of knowledge
to lead him, head-on, into the dismal workforce. Now you may be asking yourself
or those around you (if you enjoy the occasional group blog reading session),
“Why would I want to hear about Icholas’ job hunt?” Well, hold on to your
britches folks, because things are about to get crazy.
Icholas went to Madagascar.
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| Isn't Madagascar a pretty place? |
“Why? When? How?” might be what you are
quizzically asking your computer screen at the moment. If you are not asking
these questions, I highly encourage you to do so, because these stories are
much better if you play along.
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| The 2015-2016 Madagascar Crew |
By the grace of God, Icholas was chosen to
join the ranks of 73 other incredible human beings to accompany communities
around the world for a year of service. This elite group was known as Young
Adults in Global Mission (or YAGM for short). YAGM was, and still is, an
organization affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
that sends young adults out to do good works alongside our global communities.
One fateful day (August 26th,
2015 to be exact), Icholas and 8 other young adults said goodbye to the United
States of America (USA – there are a lot of acronyms, sorry). This ragtag group
traveled through thick and thin to finally arrive to their new home…
Madagascar. They stepped off of the plane and with slightly less than the
utmost confidence said, “Now what do we do?”
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| A small piece of Fihaonana - My new home |
For the next three weeks, this group of
young adults learned how to (kind of) speak the Malagasy language, ride a taxi
brousse, and eat mountains of rice. At the conclusion of this orientation, each
member of this now tightly knit assembly said goodbye to each other and set off
to their placement sites for the next year. Icholas spent 2 days literally
traveling through the rainforest to finally arrive in his new home. Fihaonana
(fee-hah-oo-na-na), the farming and animal husbandry school that he would be
volunteering at. This exceptionally secluded place is located in the
southeastern portion of Madagascar, near to the village of Vohipeno
(voo-he-pay-noo). And it was there that Icholas was welcomed into an incredible
community and awaited the many adventures that would most definitely come his
way…
Wasn’t that a fun story! In case you didn’t
catch on, I am actually Icholas. Surprising, I know. As this year goes on I
will be posting here with lessons, struggles, stories, and general laughter,
and I hope that you sick with me for the journey.
In peace.
