It isn’t everyday that someone asks you….
“Hey, what is it going to take to get you to come out to Iraq this summer?”
But that’s exactly what Jeremy Courtney asked me back in December.
Prayer. Thoughts. Discussions. Deciding not to participate in dear friends’ wedding (love you Greg and Keely!). Ten minutes of awkward silence after bringing it up with my mom.
And now…
I’m going to Iraq this summer because thousands of kids are dying of congenital heart disease.
The Preemptive Love Coalition (a link you should MOST DEFINITELY click on and explore) is a non-profit organization in Iraq seeking to remedy the problem. I could try my own explanation, but this does it much better than I ever could:
I’ll be an intern with PLC, living in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq for two and a half months this summer.
My primary role will be shooting and editing video alongside working on the website.
[Click the maps to enlarge]
So let me back up and explain what has happened since the conversation with Jeremy, which hopefully will give you a better understanding of why I’m going.
I called my dad, told him about the opportunity and his response was something along the lines of, “Son, I’ve been praying for something like this since before you were born.” In another words: “Here, let me hand you confirmation number one.” He advised me (wisely I might add) to not bring it up with my mom before I was a little further down the road with the PLC. I met with Jeremy again in Waco on the morning after my last final in December, and then drove home five hours to Piedmont, Oklahoma with a lot to pray through and think about. The next day, I went to lunch with my parents and brought it up with my mom. Now before I go any further, let me defend my mother’s response with a simple phrase: “She’s my MOM.” So after I explained to her what was going on, she was awfully quiet for a few minutes. And rightfully so. Her words finally were, “I want you where God wants you.” And that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I was able to tell Jeremy that I was definitely up for applying two days after Christmas and he asked that I fill out all of the internship paperwork so they could make sure this was a good deal for them. And now, by the grace of God, I am going to be headed to Iraq this summer with the Preemptive Love Coalition!
There’s obviously a lot more to this story than I gave you in this summation, and there is tons more waiting to happen as I prepare to head to Iraq.
I would like to ask that you A) Pray pray and pray, B) Sign up below to receive emails from me and C) Follow this blog (bookmark, google reader, etc.).
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Finally, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read through this and thank you for your support. I’m so thankful to have an awesome supportive family behind me (Mom, Dad, Caleb, Tori – that’s you guys), and it’s also nice to know there is an even bigger community than that supporting me in numerous ways.
To donate please go to preemptivelove.org/Ted
To God be the glory, great things he hath done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His son;
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin;
And opened the life gate that all may go in.
“…for the subversion of terrorism by love,”
Ted
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