A Journey Begins

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." --Lao Tzu

Tomorrow I will physically take my first step on the journey to Aberdeen, Idaho from Berlin, Ohio. I will be going from Amish Country to Mormon Country, the familiar to the unknown and the comfortable to a place completely out of my comfort zone. However, some of you may be wondering why am I taking this step in the first place? Why am I going to Idaho this summer? How did this all begin? These are fair questions. I hope through this blog a few of these questions might be answered.

Does my journey really start tomorrow morning at 3:00a.m. or did it start this week when I started packing my bags, or was it when I first thought about doing MIP (Ministry Inquiry Program) this summer or what about when I first discovered First Mennonite Church in Aberdeen online over a year ago or when I realized my call to ministry? All of these could be argued as a "first" step to this journey. I don't know if I can truly pinpoint which step was the first step but it is important to realize that this has been a process and has taken plenty of prayerful consideration.

I hope to learn a lot this summer about God, about ministry, about people and about myself. I know it will be a difficult, nerve-wracking, fun and exciting summer all at the same time. I would really appreciate your prayers for this summer and as I travel tomorrow, it will be a long day.

Micah 6:8 says "And what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." May all of our lives reflect this verse. May we do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God realizing that to live a life like this starts with one step. May you be blessed on your own journey this summer.

Shalom,
Matt


P.S. I am also interested in how you would like to see this blog done. Would you like me to:
1. Post whenever I can
2. Post once a week about what is going on in Idaho
3. Post about what is going on once a week as well as try and post some reflections on Scripture weekly
Feel free to comment on what you would prefer or send me an email. Thanks for your support and everything else that you have done for me over the years.