Of travel and tribulation

I must confess my mild envy today...my new friend, Mark, has gone off to the Big Apple today. This is, of course, a slight setback to me in our "travel war", however, i'm sure to think of something good to get even soon...no worries.
How I love travel! I'm still not certain exactly what it is...i cannot help but long to leave, to discover, to learn, to meet new people, to grow, to do my part. The emotion of it is surprising...as emotion often is to me. Yet this is a chance to think and feel at the same time. It is a risk, a dare, a chance. There is something about it that makes me feel as though I am here for a reason, fulfilling my purpose...those are things i know anyway, but never does it actually feel more real than when i'm travelling. My step is light, my eyes bright, mind wide open to feel, see, hear, think, smell, touch, taste...it is a beautiful feeling.
Most people who know me also know that i hope to live abroad one day. It's really something i have a peace about, and it's not because i hope to live in constant "travel bliss". Because that does not last... I of all people know that! All the beautiful feelings fade away after a while...and then you must choose. Will you do what you have been placed here to do? Will you make the difference that you travelled all this way to accomplish? Will you learn the great life lessons from this moment? Those are the questions, the choices, that confronted me during my fifth week in Greece last summer. I'm still not certain that i did all i could, but i know i learned lessons i will not soon forget.
My mom recieved an email today from some missionaries we know in East Africa. They sound extremely discouraged. There's a lot going on with them; they've been living and teaching in Africa for over 10 years. Just from reading their email, i could hear all the doubts, feel the stress...how much more overwhelming would it be to actually experience that?
Knowing all this, why do I still travel?
Because I think I must. As stated before... a risk, a dare, a chance. Not merely to feel...for that fades. But also a chance to prove myself...to go beyond all boundaries. To allow my life to be something more than the unfulfilling materialist dream of stability and comfort. I defy that. I overcome it. Yet when all this ambition fades, there is still more to battle, and my courage wavers. Then - and only then do i see the clearest example of how Christ comes through, in all his strength and glory, carrying my weary soul through the trials and restoring my joy. That is why I want to keep going on to new places...i'm outside the bubble! Not only do i see the world more clearly...but also Him....when there are so few distractions of my ordinary life to insulate and isolate me. For me, it is life as it is meant to be... yes, hard and full of trials, yet the victory of Christ is seen through every circumstance.
Woo hoot! Where's a plane ticket? No money? Then where's my car keys? Let's hit the open road! Where shall I end up next? Does it matter? Who's coming with me?