What Do You Want To Do?

Do you ever just want to do something?

I've been reading a lot lately about committing things to writing. Apparently when you do you are more likely to make the transition from dreaming to actually making plans and then actually doing.

I always think about putting the pen to paper but I get a little overwhelmed because there are so many things that I want to do. Then I get all stressed out because I have all of these dreams floating around in my head but none of them have any direction.

The other day I was at my women's bible study, Heart-to-Heart, and we were talking about asking God for the desires of our hearts and how scary that can be. I wonder why we feel silly/scared/guilty when we ask God for things. It is like we think He will be thrown of his game by one of our wants. As if.

Anyway, during this bible study we were challenged to write down things that we want and things that we want to do. Almost immediately this panicked feeling arose in my chest and I left the room to avoid having to do the exercise. Good job, Jess. Geez. But I can not stop thinking about it.

So, here is the beginning list of things that I want/want to do:

01) Get dreadlocks
02) Run a marathon
03) Be an avid rock climber
04) Be debt free
05) Be able to give anything and everything away with a happy heart
06) Live in a community house
07) Grow/raise my own food
08) Travel to each continent
09) Become a Zumba instructor
10) Move out of Texas
11) Speak Spanish fluidly
12) Open a hostel at the base of a mountain
13) Have an amazing kitchen with amazing cooking supplies
14) Bake everyday

Sheesh, that feels better already...

What are some things that YOU want to do?

One Year Later...

It has been one year since I crawled up the beast that is Africa's rooftop, Kilimanjaro, and one year since I witnessed the heart of Jesus as I never have before by watching some of Kenya's youth sing worship songs. It is crazy to think that it has already been one year. 365 days have passed.

Several weeks ago someone asked me to write something on why, after a year, I still want to talk about those kids and that climb and why I still want to raise money for the people of Africa. My hope was to write something really awesome, challenging to all the people that read it, and profound. But the fact is, the reason it has taken me so long to write this is because I don't really have an answer to the prompt.

Venture Expeditions gave me the opportunity to do something incredible and I was affected by what I saw in Africa. I was affected in a way that could not have happened unless I signed those papers and purchased those plane tickets. It was more than just a trip. It was a challenge to change the way I live.

The raw truth is this: I saw kids eating my leftover chips out of a trash pile. I saw graves of men who died giving their lives to carry the backpacks of hikers like me up Kili. I saw houses made out of cardboard and neighborhoods that are so dangerous even the government will not enter them.

So, why, after one year, do I still raise money for the people of Africa? The best answer I can come up with is this: I want those kids to enjoy their own bags of chips.