IFYC day one.

Im sitting on the floor of my hotel room in Washington DC after a very exhausting day. Up at 3 am to be ready to leave at 355? It doesn't feel real. Was I seriously on a plane today? It just doesn't seem to fit in the right way. But nevertheless, I'm here. I sat through less than an hour of workshops and then a dinner presentation. I shared in the Shabbat tonight, l listened to the most moving call to pray in Arabic. I have been meeting people from all walks of life, all steps of faith, be it Christian, Muslim, Jew, Humanist, Atheist, no religion. It's been amazing. I've been moved by every story I hear and every moment I share with someone. I've listen to people like Eboo Patel give witness as to why he believes in the mission. (And let me tell you that this man is now my HERO, seriously the guy is just so freaking wonderful). I cannot wait to start tomorrow (I guess now today).

I'm a little overwhelmed however. . . There's not much religious anything on our campus right now. In fact if you even suggest something with the word "faith" in it, an immediate wall is put up. I know the biggest challenge is going to be trying to get enough people on board with this movement that we actually do something.I don't want to fail at this, because I believe in this more than anything. I keep hearing everyone else's stories, so I guess I'll share mine:

I grew up in a small homogenous town where you were persecuted if you were different. I went through a lot during elementary school and middle school, only to truly find myself in high school. But all along, I've always known that I'm called to be a Methodist Pastor. However, through the years, that calling has been shaped and molded and made into what it is today, in essence, who I am today. I'm going to be fully ordained as an elder in the Methodist Church, but with God I will spend everyday of my life working towards Interfaith Tolerance. We live in the most religiously diverse nation in the world. We have so many rich cultures and traditions all around us. What people seem to forget that just because you understand, appreciate and respect another person's beliefs does not make you any less religious in our own beliefs. Jesus says "love unconditionally" how can I as a Christian love unconditionally if I hate on another group? That then makes me a hypocrite and no longer the faithful person I long to be. Therefore, no matter how scared I am, or how frustrated I get or how low I feel, I'm going to keep trucking at this campaign. I'm going to inspire people as I have been inspired and will continue to be inspired by the people at IFYC.

This whole experience is bringing me closer to God, Closer to my fellow man.

I want to live a life full of work done with IFYC. I want to see this blossom into what I know it can and should be.

For tonight? This is all. The dawn awaits yet another day filled with experiences and moments. I'm ready for them <3