On a Mission

This is me, Jo. I look like I'm on a mission, because, consequently, I am. I am on my way to Hungary for a year, to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Why is this a mission? In part because I aim to share Christ's love while teaching, and in part because I hope to fulfill a mission inwardly as well. I hope this year with its excitement and its challenges radically changes me too. Who knows? Maybe by reading my blogs, this year will change you. Think about that.

I'm currently training in Pasadena, CA. We've been here for 3 weeks, with 2 more to go. We study TEFL, as well as team building, preparing ourselves for culture shock, and on the weekends we like to relax and have a little fun. The preparation is also pretty exciting. It's interesting to spend every waking hour with the same people every single day; for weeks to feel like months; and to know temptations, coping skills, and convictions of others before you know their fav food or middle name, and they can say the same of you. It makes bonding come faster, and also it has made the experience comfortable. I'm now safe to say I have family teaching English throughout Central Europe: in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and I'm excited about that.

I'll be going to a small town called Vac (pronounced Vatz). This is a little switch-up from where I was supposed to go: Budapest. It's only a half-hour to an hour away from Budapest, depending on the train you take, but now I get the full experience of Hungary. I will live in a town with only 4 or 5 other English speakers (besides my teammate), and fully know the culture and dwell in it. Scary, yet satisfying to me.

Last night I slept on the roof of our dorm. We're staying at William Carey University in dorms. I will leave you with this picture of Pasadena from the roof of William Carey, and tell you the experience was mind-boggling. I've been camping, but I felt like I was right in the stars last night. God is blessing me already.