We made it!

            Parker here. Well we have officially begun our trip! As I write this I am on the plane from Philadelphia to Doha, Qatar. This is about at twelve-hour flight, and Ashley and I have probably gotten a combined total of 30 minutes of sleep. In Doha we will change planes and then be headed to Kathmandu, Nepal. I am not sure why we are having trouble sleeping – maybe it is from the excitement, nervousness, the gas the airplane food gave me, or maybe a combination of all three! So far I have learned several things, but one thing that sticks out to me is that airplane food is terrible (okay really not that bad).

            I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home where both my parents were excellent cooks, and one of the main ingredients that they would use was garlic. Garlic is wonderful! It permeates a dish and can turn something from boring to amazing. I think the Nepali people change out the garlic for curry, but still changes the flavor of the entire dish.

            In a lot of ways life without Jesus is like airplane food, bland and tasteless. Jesus is the garlic (or curry). I pray as we embark on this journey over the next weeks that people would be able to see something different in me. That as I walk around and interact with the people that Jesus would permeate out of my life and just like garlic He would me unmistakable.

            I remember asking my parents what made their food different, and they would always reply, “garlic.” I want to live a life that makes people say, “What is different about him?” And I can reply, “Jesus.”