The Names of New Faces and Other Things

Today ended the two weeks of team training for the fearless travelers of AXIS.

I have learned in the past two weeks that:
1.  Meeting new people is hard.
2. Meeting new people that you will be living with for the next three months is harder.
3. Not getting to choose those individuals whom you have committed to do life with for the next three months... terrifying.

*New Place = OH YES!
 New Place + Alone = OH NO...
 New Place - Alone + New Responsibilities + Unapproachable Aliens = Too much.*

The initial shock of moving across the country began to ware off and I slowly began to realize that these aliens actually looked a little like people... nice people....with human faces...and normal names.

*Names...names...what were their names? Bonnie, Ben, Bennet, Bonnet....Ben! It has to be Ben....who would name their kid Bonnet anyway... One down with 85% certainty...Only seventeen more to go...*

I constantly struggle to remember peoples names. I can't remember my siblings' names most of the time...much less the rest of the world, so it came as a shock when our team leader started off our first meeting with this charge, " Team, if nothing else, we have to be able to memorize our students' names."

*Remember names? I thought we were going to be talking about worldviews and wrestling through deep truths with the helpful aid of PowerPoint. *

He continues, "Team, we will be talking to hundreds of students at a time. No one will give a second thought to the truth we are bringing if we can't remember their names. Don't worry, it isn't hard."

*Isn't hard?! Speak for yourself, Dennis....Denny...Diner...Dinner...Dave...Dan... Oh great...*

I raise my hand, "Uh...Dennis?" "It's Dan." "Sorry. (Embarrassment) Dan, I have a pretty hard time with names....am I going to get fired?" "Hmm...Well, probably not. But we are going to need you to try harder."

*I'm going to get fired.*

So went our first meeting. So went my struggle for the next two weeks.

I am pleased to announce that I have not been fired. On the contrary, I have been fired up.

The Axis Teams are amazing: two teams of four people traveling around the U.S. challenging young minds to question the world around them....

Where did humanity originate? What is reality? How do you know right from wrong? Where do we find our identity? What is our purpose for being here? What happens after we die?

These are questions we have all wrestled with at some point in our lives and the world is determined to give us answers. We must expose what is false and let that which is left standing speak for itself.

I am so excited to be a part of this journey: to share with young hearts and minds the reason for the hope that is within me.







I hope I will be able to clearly express the mission and journey of AXIS as we blaze through this semester. Thank you for your interest and prayer.