Dear Grandkids,
My Mom (you know her as Bett) instilled within me a love for traveling starting when I was just a little older than you are now. At present, I have had the privilege of traveling to 46 different countries. A lot of them have been for pleasure. And a lot of them have been for short term mission trips. Nona and I love seeing the world that the Lord has created and our hope is to do some traveling with you as you grow up. At the bottom of this post you can see a map of everywhere I have traveled to date. And as you can see there is still a lot of world left to see.
Here is an idea of some of my favorite places and how I ended up there.
Switzerland – I went to a summer camp there when I was in high school and also spent a week there in 2014 with Nona when we were on a sabbatical. It is difficult to use words to describe just how gloriously gorgeous the Swiss Alps are.
Italy – Nona and I spent 3 weeks there when we were on that sabbatical. A beautiful country with so much history and incredible food.
Palau – Way back in 1991, I helped lead a mission team to this little island in the middle of the South Pacific. We spent 2 weeks there doing ministry but also got to enjoy the beauty of the island.
Haiti – In 1999, I began taking teams from our church to this country in the Caribbean. It has a beauty all its own – found largely in the people we have gotten to know over the years.
Israel – Nona and I have traveled there twice – both times with our church – and we would certainly go back again. An amazing country in so many ways. It would be a place we would love to take you.
Peru and Botswana – I led mission teams to both of these places. Seeing the wildlife in Botswana and boating down the Amazon River are experiences I will never forget but it was the shared adventure of the mission trip with so many friends that will forever live in my mind.
A few countries on my bucket list that I may or may not ever get to include: Croatia, New Zealand, Japan, China, and Thailand. Perhaps I will experience one of these countries for the first time with you. Mostly, I hope you learn to love traveling as much as I do. Here are a few things that traveling will teach you…
- Traveling helps you understand that the world is not as big and scary as it is sometimes made to seem.
- Traveling helps you recognize that people are not so different even if they live in very different places in the world.
- Traveling abroad forces you out of your comfort zone and helps you to embrace uncertainty.
- Traveling helps you realize just how little history our country really has.
- Traveling helps you realize just how great our country really is.
- Traveling helps to remind you that there is no place like home.
I’m looking forward to our adventures together.
Never forget that you are very loved!
Pop Pop
