Reality 1. Dec 8, 2023

Drew wakes up with his alarm blaring. He has already overslept his English 101 class at nine and didn't do his psychology homework. He puts a shirt on and barely makes it to Psych on time. He gets out and has a decent break, and instead of doing his already late homework, he plays pickleball and goes to lunch with a friend. He goes to his Bio class in the afternoon, eats in the dining hall with more friends, then returns to his dorm and watches Spiderman. 

Reality 2. Dec 8, 2023

I woke up with my alarm blaring. I did not want to get out of bed. I went to breakfast, which was rice and chicken. Then, we did manual labor all day in the backyard of our Thai host's house. We live with a couple with 11 adopted kids, and we are building them a new fence. At about 6, we found out we were going to the hot springs. 

We are in the back of a truck driving down a Thai highway, looking at the perfectly clear night sky with the mountains looming in the distance. It is beautiful. (You seen the perks of being a wallflower? The scene when they are in the bridge, and he stands up in the truck. But it is better and in Thailand.) We get to the hot springs and enjoy looking at the stars in the hot springs. 

Reality 1. Dec 11, 2023

Drew wakes up with his alarm blaring. He has already overslept his Calculus class at nine and didn't do his philosophy homework. He puts a shirt on and barely makes it to Calc on time. He gets out and has a decent break, and instead of doing his already late homework, he plays pickleball and goes to lunch with a friend. He goes to his Bio class in the afternoon, eats in the dining hall with more friends, then returns to his dorm and watches Spiderman. 

Reality 2. Dec 11, 2023

We woke up. Today is Sabbath, which basically means we chill. But our hosts wanted to take us to a waterfall, so we hopped in the back of a truck and drove an hour to a waterfall. But this wasn't exactly a waterfall. It was a hiking trail that was a flowing river with sticky rocks that you could basically hike and not slip. And we were in the Thai jungle. It looks like National Geographic but like everywhere. It was incredible 

How do I know I am Spiderman?

You won't. It's a leap of faith. That's all it is, Miles. 

This quote is from my favorite movie of all time, Spiderman Into the Spiderverse. (bear with me this will make sense) In the film, Miles asks Peter, a more experienced Spiderman, when he will be ready to be Spiderman. And Peters's answer is you won't. 

Why is this relevant? 

Because when I have tried to convince people to do the race, I hear the same excuse. "I don't have the money." "I already have college lined up." "I don't want to leave my friends." All of these are valid reasons, but the underlying emotion I have sensed is Fear. People are afraid to leap. And I was to look at my first blog, I literally said, “I am Terrified.” The Idea of doing this is absolutely terrifying, but I can confidently say it is the best thing to ever happen to me. 

The next scene of the movie is Miles literally jumping off a building. Leaping, and he excels because he is a superhero. 

Jesus can solve all the excuses I mentioned before, but you actually have to trust him. Miles jumped off a building, not knowing if he would survive, but he trusted his instincts enough to try. I have good news: Jesus is fighting for you constantly, so you don't have to trust your instincts. But you do have to jump; if you never do, you will end up like the first reality. But if you take the leap Jesus will show you that this world, and himself are more wonderful then you can ever imagine. 

Now, I am not bashing college. If you know what you want to do, you diligently pursue it and feel college is right for you. Go for it. I respect your commitment. Truly. But so many of us do not know what we want with our lives, and we waste money and time in college when we could be hiking waterfalls and stargazing in hot springs. I have made wild memories in literally three months. I have tattooed myself, jumped off bridges, and made deep relationships like I have never experienced.

And most importantly, I have been challenged in my faith. I have made it very personal and am learning what it means to follow Jesus truly. And that is something this generation struggles with significantly. 

Every young person should do this. It will change your life for the better. 

Thanks for the prayers. I love you all. 

-Drew McKinney