2022 Overview

At the end of 2021, my life looked much different than it does now. I had recently bought a house and was in the middle of renovating it. But I was also praying about an opportunity that I had never expected: While in Zambia, I was asked if I’d be interested in moving to Georgia to work with Medical Missions Outreach (MMO). This is an organization that I love and had dreamed of becoming more involved with. But at the same time, that would mean leaving Florida, my family, and my new house. I wanted only what God had for me, so I spent a lot of time praying over this decision. Culturally, the world was in a different place as well. I remember at the end of 2021, Covid panic was still more widespread with the new Delta variant rumored to shut everything down again. Some countries were opening up but many were still closed, and many businesses (outside Florida) still mandated the use of masks for entry. And even Canada was trying to impose strict mandates sparking the Freedom Convoy which shut down much of the country’s trucking industry. In addition, we all watched as a tsunami destroyed much of Tonga and anticipated the potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In the middle of all this, I finally decided to set up a date to visit Atlanta and learn more about this position with MMO.

Ready to start my 2022 travels, I took a weekend to head over to Dauphin Island, Alabama, an island that frequently gets hit by hurricanes. It was a cool trip, though half of the island was off limits due to hurricane relief work. I really enjoyed getting to explore this island that I’ve heard a lot about but never had the chance to visit before. It’s a barrier island off the coast occupied by a very friendly town. I was able to explore miles of beautiful white-sand beaches, only running into a handful of people the entire time. And though I was only there for a few hours, this was a nice start to my travels for the year.

But then it was time to head up to Georgia to visit with MMO. I drove up to Atlanta a little early so I could explore the city. I first visited the Georgia Aquarium, which is the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, where they have a massive tank displaying whale sharks and manta rays, among many other species. And I also made it to Stone Mountain, where I climbed to the top for incredible views of the surrounding area. I then drove down to McDonough, where MMO is located, and got to tour the new building and meet the staff. I loved the area and everyone I met, but I was still hesitant to make a decision because I’m very close with my family and also had no idea what I would do with the house I had spent so much time working on if I decided to move.

After returning home, all eyes were on Russia as they seemed to be moving military personnel and equipment to the Ukrainian border. Putin promised everyone he wouldn’t invade Ukraine, though US intelligence said otherwise. He started by declaring Donetsk and Luhansk as independent nations and quickly moved into those regions. Then soon after, he announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and started bombing major cities. This became the largest invasion in Europe since World War II, and the US, along with many other nations started imposing major sanctions on Russia. Many Ukrainians were determined to fight for their country’s freedom and came together to stop Putin’s rush toward Kyiv. This was very hard to watch, especially after I had recently visited Ukraine and the beautiful city of Kyiv. There’s a saying that “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow,” so when I see something like this happen to a country I’ve visited, I take it personally.

After praying more about the possibility of working with MMO, I believed the next step was to call and set up an official interview. Next thing I knew, they had booked me a flight to Atlanta, and I was on my way up. The interview went well, and in the end, I was officially offered the position. But I was far from making an official decision. As this decision weighed heavy on my mind, I took a break from work and everything else going on to drive down to Orlando with my family. I didn’t have as long as everyone else because I couldn’t get much time off, so I really only had a half day at Magic Kingdom. Due to Spring Break crowds, I was only able to ride 3 rides, but I still enjoyed my time there. I also almost missed my flight home because of the huge crowds, and when my Uber driver found out I was running late, she literally flew down the road without even acknowledging the speed limit so I could make it to my plane right before they shut the gates!

After going back and forth in my head, I officially accepted the position with MMO and turned in my notice at Members First. I really started struggling with the decision after I saw the email sent out to Members First employees looking to hire someone for my position. I questioned if I really wanted to move away from family, and the answer was no. At this point, I was honestly leaning toward backing out of it and staying in Florida. But I told those at work that I would be taking a trip up to McDonough for MMO’s Grand Opening and would have an official decision before I returned home. Of course, if I’m going somewhere I usually try to make a road trip out of it, so I stopped by Macon and Ocmulgee Mounds on the way, since there were rumors that it might become the next national park. After this weekend at the Grand Opening, it became clear that this was the right move for me. We ended the day with singing Is He Worthy, and I knew immediately that after everything God has done for me, He is more than worthy of my moving to Georgia to work with MMO.

This was the hardest decision I’ve had to make, but I was convinced that it was the right one. After returning home, I started making final renovations on the house and planned to rent it out. I heard of a couple new teachers that were looking for a house to rent, so I offered them a tour, and it turned out to be exactly what they were looking for. It was bittersweet for me because I had spent so much time renovating it for myself, but I knew that if it could be a blessing to someone else while also earning income to help me in Georgia, then I was happy. After officially finishing work at Members First, it was time to move to McDonough. I was accepted at my new apartment, but they told me I had to be there the following day to check in, so I had to rush out and rent a U-Haul trailer then head up to Georgia.

After a very stressful first night of living in McDonough, my parents came up to help me move all my furniture into my apartment. But while they were on their way, I decided to take a self-guided tour of all the Stranger Things filming locations spread throughout the Atlanta area. Atlanta has become the new Hollywood because Georgia offers tax incentives to studios that film within the state. After getting moved in and officially starting my job at MMO, I knew I wanted to take time to explore Georgia as much as I could, so every weekend, I would usually have a road trip planned. Around this time, gas prices reached levels never seen before, making it difficult to make these road trips, but I was determined not to let that stop me.

On my first free weekend, I decided to take a day trip out to South Carolina to visit Congaree National Park. It’s a nice park that is often labeled the “worst national park,” but I disagree with that. I rented a kayak from Columbia as I wanted to see the park from the water, but when I tried putting in, I flipped completely over and then couldn’t pull my kayak up the ledge due to the high volume of water trapped inside it. After getting some help to pull it out, I headed to a different kayak launch which was a much better option. Kayaking along Cedar Creek was beautiful as the water created a perfect reflection of the champion trees above, and I even got to see eagles and a copperhead from the kayak. Right after that, the news that I had been waiting on for a couple years was finally announced: the testing requirement for returning to the United States was officially gone! And with that news, I knew I wanted to visit another country with my time off and planned a trip to Ecuador since the flights there were cheap. I did have an MMO trip to Mongolia planned later in the year, but I wanted to take a solo international trip if possible.

I did a few other small day trips around North Georgia, visiting Helen, Dahlonega, and Dawsonville, before heading up to Tallulah Gorge near the North Carolina line, the day after Roe vs Wade was overturned. I got there early in order to secure a permit which enabled me to hike to the floor of the gorge. It’s a very strenuous hike, but the gorge is just amazing, so I wanted to see as much of it as I could. At the bottom, I reached a waterfall that you can slide down, so I decided to try it. Sliding down a waterfall along a natural rock slope was a very fun and exciting experience- that is, until I had to climb back up. I took several hard falls trying to get up the slippery rock surface, and the final fall had me landing directly on my right elbow, resulting in a bad sprain. What made it even worse is the fact that I was at the bottom of a deep gorge and had to get back up somehow. The way out was an 800-foot elevation gain straight up the canyon wall. I was told that it was too dangerous to attempt with only one good arm, but a group of kind people offered to help me make it back up to the top.

Leading up to my Ecuador trip, I started to become worried that I might have to cancel it due to safety issues. That’s because riots broke out across the country protesting the rising gas prices and indigenous land rights. This “paro” happens every few years in Ecuador, and the entire country shuts down. Airports can’t operate; businesses and grocery stores all shut down; and roads between major cities are blockaded. It’s impossible to move in, out, or around Ecuador. I was watching very closely as these events took place and as the cities I had already booked flights to were overcome with violence. But just as quickly as the paro started, it ended when the government finally came to an agreement with the people, and the entire country went back to normal like nothing had happened. After watching many news stories and YouTube videos from those in the country, I learned that this is a common cycle in Ecuador, and once the paro is over, it’s safe to visit.

Assured that everything should be fine, I took off for Ecuador, my 16th country. I first flew to Guayaquil, which is considered the “most dangerous” city in Ecuador; however, the northern half of the city is much safer than the southern half, so that’s where I stayed. I spent the first day walking along the Malecón 2000 and Cerro Santa Ana. I then took a flight over to Cuenca, the safest and most beautiful city in Ecuador. Though it’s technically safer in Cuenca, I had a scary first impression which made me question those claims: when arriving at my original hotel around midnight, my taxi driver looked at me and wished me good luck, explaining that this “zona roja” is a very dangerous area at night. After looking out the window to see crowds of people between me and the hotel that did not look friendly, my instincts told me not to get out of that car, so I booked a different hotel room on my phone and asked him to bring me there instead. But that experience aside, Cuenca is a special city that I came to love. It still looks the same as it has for hundreds of years since Spain ruled the area, and waking around during the day was a much safer feeling than being in the heart of the zona roja at night. Catedral Nuevo is one of the most impressive structures I’ve ever visited and is the most iconic symbol of Cuenca. I enjoyed wandering the busy markets, exploring large open plazas, photographing the colorful streets, and interacting with the friendly locals throughout this UNESCO city.

I ended up on the edge of the Andes Mountains in a place called Mirador de Turi, which offers incredible views of Cuenca from above. But then when I needed to get to the airport for my flight back to Guayaquil, I found out there are no taxis in this area and ended up hitching a ride with a tour bus to get back into town. Once I finally arrived at the airport, I was alerted that my flight had been canceled with the next flight to Guayaquil scheduled a couple days later, after I’m already planning to be on my flight to the US. That’s when I started hearing rumors of a group organizing a van to drive them to Guayaquil that night. I found them and asked to join, and then the next thing I know, I’m being shoved into a crowded van with people I can’t fluently communicate with to drive 3.5 hours through the Andes Mountains in the middle of the night. I did finally return to Guayaquil at 2 AM and then enjoyed exploring the city on foot for my final day in Ecuador before flying back home.

Soon after that, I found out that my first nephew was about to be born. I was able to video call my family as they were in the waiting room at the hospital, and he finally came later that night. His name is Knox, and I guess that means I’m an uncle now. As soon as I was able to get off work, I rushed back down to Florida to meet him. That weekend was a lot of just sitting around hospital waiting rooms while he was in NICU, but he was perfectly healthy, and the nurses were just wanting to make sure everything was fine. 

Around that time, a friend told me I needed to visit Greenville, South Carolina. Nine times out of ten, if I’m told I need to go somewhere I try to make it happen. So I planned a day trip out there, and the city really surprised me! It’s not a city that I had ever considered visiting before, and I only went because of the recommendation. It’s a beautiful city that I’m happy I decided to check out. I also went up to North Carolina since I was nearby and hiked to a couple waterfalls, though the PTSD from that last waterfall hike did affect me somewhat. Contrary to my experience with Greenville, I was a little disappointed with Athens, Georgia, when I visited a week later. It is considered to be one of the best college towns in America, but the nice area is very small with the rest of the city not being that great in my opinion.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many were wondering if China would make a move against Taiwan, especially after they started showing support for Russia’s actions. China soon started making threats, and Nancy Pelosi decided to fly to Taiwan, despite China’s warnings. Following her visit, tensions rose all across Asia, forcing flight cancelations in preparation for another potential war. I worried that my Mongolia trip would have to be canceled as the country is literally sandwiched right between the two problematic countries of 2022. At first it wasn’t looking good, but as we kept in contact with our host missionary in Mongolia, we eventually decided that we would continue with our plans for this trip and not cancel it, even though in-country flights were not operating. We were finally able to rent a plane to take us to and from the area we would be working in- the first of several miracles surrounding this trip.

The day finally arrived, and I flew to my 17th country, Mongolia, through Incheon, South Korea. Upon arriving in Ulaanbaatar (UB as the locals call it), all of our medications and glasses were confiscated in the airport. Outside medical organizations are technically not allowed to operate in Mongolia due to past incidents of malpractice; however, we had an invitation to help out an already-existing medical group within Mongolia, so we could legally be there. We headed to a hotel in UB for a few hours, upset that our equipment had been taken, before returning to the airport for our in-country flight to Murun. At the airport, the customs agent that had taken our equipment met us to tell us she couldn’t sleep all night knowing she took our equipment and gave it all back to us!

We flew out to Murun and then took a bus up to Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl, near the Russian border, where we set up clinics for the week. It’s a beautiful location, and this town is the safest I have felt anywhere I’ve ever visited. A local dog named Max followed our team around everywhere we went, and he kinda became a mascot for our team. I was also determined to stay in a ger at least once during the trip and found someone with several gers that allowed me and a few friends to stay overnight. Khatgal is a stronghold for shamanism, a spirit-worshiping religion, making it a very dark place spiritually. Sharing the gospel is difficult and often takes time. Locals are also not very trusting of outside medical workers due to the past incidents I’ve already mentioned. We weren’t expecting many patients to come through our clinic, especially one that’s associated with a church in a town with only 4,000 people. But throughout the week, we saw 1,303 patients come through, allowing us to see one-third of the population, with one getting saved!

After a week of clinics, it was time for us to head back to UB and start the long journey back home. We got up early in the morning to drive to Murun. Most of the group was in a bus while I joined a local family in their car, following the bus. Not long into the drive, a snow storm hit us, and the conditions quickly took a turn for the worst, leading to my craziest travel story of the year. Though we were not in Russia, we were still located in the region of Siberia where these storms can quickly become dangerous. Visibility at this point was extremely low as all we could see in every direction was white. The bus got stuck in the middle of nowhere with the nearest town being over an hour drive away. Soon after that, the car I was in also got stuck. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with our only option being to try to push the car through the snow storm. We worked ourselves to the point of exhaustion trying to push the car until a random local showed up to help us escape. We finally made it to the airport very late to find that our flight had not left us behind like they had threatened to do. We then took time to see the Genghis Khan statue and explore Ulaanbaatar on foot for the rest of the day before flying back to the US. That Sunday, we found out that the church we had helped in Khatgal had doubled their attendance following our clinics! This was an awesome trip where we got to see God work in multiple ways, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.

Following my Mongolia trip, I continued trying to visit as much of Georgia as I possibly could. I visited Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, which was the largest mental hospital in the world and now an abandoned city. Then I visited the highest points in Alabama and Georgia before really focusing on the seven wonders of Georgia. I had visited 3 of the 7 wonders of Georgia already (Stone Mountain, Amicalola Falls, and Tallulah Gorge) but wanted to try to finish them all. I started by taking a trip down to Providence Canyon to hike down into the canyon. This was a very impressive place and one of my favorite hikes in the state. Then I stopped by Warm Springs, the home of FDR and location of the warm springs that he used to ease the pain brought on by polio. Then I made it down to Radium Springs, the largest natural spring in the state. With these, I only had one of the seven wonders left to visit, but it was too far to drive on just a random weekend. I also took a quick trip up to Helen with my family, which was really nice.

The Christmas season is finally here, and at this time of year I always like to look back on what all has happened in the last 365 days. I’m living in Georgia, working with MMO, while renting my house out in Florida. I have traveled all over the southeastern United States and even to a couple other countries too where I traveled farther east than ever before. As I’m sharing this, I’m actually in South Georgia visiting the seventh and final wonder of the state, which I’ll be sharing on this blog soon. But if there’s one thing I see when looking back over the year, it’s God’s provision. I had to make the decision to trust God when moving to Georgia. This move was completely outside my comfort zone, and there was a lot of uncertainty. And in the end, I know I made the right decision because God has provided for me every step along the way.

God has provided financially, even though the math hasn’t always made sense. My cost of living more than doubled by moving to Georgia. I’ve had multiple urgent care and ER visits this year, something I’ve really never had to deal with before. I was scammed out of several hundred dollars by Booking.com when a hotel canceled my reservation without alerting me and then cited their cancelation policy when refusing to refund me. I have had several serious vehicle problems as well. And yet even after all that, I haven’t struggled financially because God’s provision has always been available. When I found myself in tough situations (at the bottom of a gorge with a sprained elbow, searching for a way through the Andes after a canceled flight, or stuck in a snow storm in the middle of nowhere), God provided random people who showed up at just the right time and place and were willing to help. After moving away from family in Florida, God provided a family-away-from-home in my MMO family, who were there for me during the medical and vehicle problems I faced throughout the year. He has been so good to me this year, and it only makes me want to continue serving Him longer.

I’m looking forward to what God has for me in 2023- both when traveling and in everyday life. I have some cool trips that I’m planning to take, and I’m also hoping to create a Georgia Travel Guide after I’m done visiting every main attraction within the state. It’s been a good year, but as always, I’m excited for the next one. Look out for my reviews of Savannah, Charleston, and the Seven Wonders of Georgia coming within the next few weeks. Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!