by Michelle Clavijo-Diaz

Ever heard, “Adventure is what you make it!”?

I didn’t coin the phrase, but I’m living out its theme.

With gas prices at an all-time high, the threat of terrorism in our world, and the simple fact that more and more people in the U.S. are doing stay-at-home vacations, why would I write an article about international adventure travel?

It’s simple really. God created some truly jaw-dropping, amazing destinations with fascinating cultures, and for me (and maybe you?) … the gift of wanderlust.

I remember from an early age dreaming about adventures in far-off places. I read books that stirred my curiosity and watched Indiana Jones until I memorized every word in every scene.

In the travel industry, the term “adventure” has taken on a new meaning. Adventure travel for most of the 20th century meant wearing a pith helmet and observing native cultures, while praying that you didn’t get malaria. True adventurists were the missionaries who braved the unknown to share the Good News.

Nowadays the adventure traveler is viewed as an individual looking for a more hands-on experience than the usual vacation of lying on a beach to get a tan line. This new adventure traveler doesn’t just want to see the rapids, they want to ride them. They want to climb the tallest mountain, not photograph it from a distance; they want to swim with the fish, not observe them from a glass bottom boat; and more than likely, this person has a great desire to experience real encounters with the locals and not be labeled as a tourist.

My own international travel experiences have been a huge part of my life since the age of 16. I remember appealing to my mother, willing to do kitchen patrol for the next year if she would give me a trip to Ecuador for my 16th birthday. I am a first-generation American with extended family in Ecuador and had this deep desire to experience my roots, as well as get on a plane for the first time.

Fortunately, my mother was on board with the perspective that travel is healthy and for a memorable month during that never-ending summer, my sister, mother, and I experienced Ecuador. I swam in a crystalline ocean with sea life that came right up to me. I was in an absolute state of awe by the Andean mountains and volcanoes that towered miles high in the sky. And I was captivated by the old colonial cities and the ancient civilizations they represented.

That summer I was hooked. Where would I go next? What could top this adventurous vacation? It seemed to me that God was showing me on that first trip that He has created so many stunning knock-your-socks-off locations in the world that he wants us to experience.

A three-month faith-focused trip to West Africa seemed like the next obvious step. I had recently graduated from high school and had adopted a key verse from the Bible that I decided to live by: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I was anxious to start defining what God’s plans might be for me. Little did I know that his plans would take me on the most adventurous trip I could have imagined. My favorite travel memory of all time was learning a native Ibo dance by campfire in the middle of the African bush under a full moon. It wasn’t because of the perils that I endured; it was that taste of uniqueness that accompanied each trip.

My true goal for this particular adventure was to help children and women discover and grow in their relationship with God, helping them know more about Jesus and his teachings. I learned an important lesson that has affected my travel from that point on. As we as Christians try to interpret how to know God better, it seems like it’s important to God that those who call him Father open their eyes to the needs of those around them and find positive ways to be the answer to those needs.

My welcome party to the African continent was the airport police who held me in the Lagos, Nigeria airport for over ten hours (I felt like a hostage). Then there was that time I was flying in an 8-passenger prop plane during the worst rainstorm I have ever experienced. And there was that real-life nightmare of waking up to a blanket of flying ants because I forgot and left the window open. I’ll never forget lying in the back of an open pickup truck during a torrential African rain, listening to the whines of the goat tied up next to me (my dinner that night).

Those youthful crazy risk-taking adventures continued through my twenties and included several very different trips to Europe. The first was a “girls trip” with my sisters and my best friend, where the adventure consisted of surviving each other for a month in close quarters. We endured one memory none of us will forget and still laugh about—sleeping outside the Athens airport with 30 other backpackers.

I returned a second time to see Europe through the eyes of a Swiss native. A beloved friend from my Youth With a Mission (YWAM) days, she graciously showed me her culture up-close and personal. We ventured out on trips to old medieval cities and visited her family winery in Southern Germany. We hiked up Mount Rigi with her parents dressed in lederhosen, which still plays in my mind like a favorite movie. I will never forget the view, how it felt to be there and experience the feel of the crisp air in the mountains, complemented by the camaraderie we all experienced. Nor will I ever forget the bratwurst we cooked once we reached the top … talk about an authentic cultural moment!

My third trip to Europe would be with my husband on our honeymoon. This adventure was more about watching my husband experience his lifelong dream. How many honeymooners do you know of who spend time strolling through a cemetery? The day we stood in the Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial, surrounded in a field of crosses and Jewish stars, was another life-changing event for me. I knew my husband’s grandfather was a World War II veteran and had heard his stories from the war, but to see firsthand the human loss it represented and to walk on Omaha beach where so many had given their lives humbled my inner spirit in a powerful way.

Each of these trips were unique, but all of them taught me something important about travel – adventurous travel. We were created to experience laughter, sadness, and the world, and ultimately to be changed by these experiences. Why is the sky baby blue? Why is the ocean turquoise and aquamarine? This planet is designed for us to enjoy, and to not do so would be such a waste.

So where else have my travels led me? A 6-month YWAM adventure in San Francisco and Southeast Asia opened my eyes to how God’s heart beats for people. Living in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco showed me how many people live in the U.S. who are forgotten, alone, and in great need. In Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, I witnessed how people hurting people not only affects who they become, but harms God’s most precious creation: babies and children. Working with kids whose parents sold them into slavery and prostitution was both heartbreaking and beautiful. I knew their painful stories well, yet every day I saw these amazing smiles radiate on their faces because they had learned about God and that he loves them.

Adventure began to mean something very different during this time, because the adventure became more about my own soul searching for who God is and how to fit that knowledge in my life. In finding the joy of a relationship with God, I developed a strong desire to share my experience with as many as I could.

I will never forget the canoe ride through Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. It was a cool January morning and the fog was thick, like a grey pea soup … the whole scene was surreal. A tiny Vietnamese woman rowed me and three others through these mystical waters to see ancient Buddhist temples and caves made of beautiful stalactite formations. It was while I was in one of the caves that I felt like God clearly spoke to my heart. I was staring at several village women who had come to worship at a makeshift Buddhist altar inside the cave. This wasn’t a new sight for me, as I had seen numerous locations just like this one throughout Southeast Asia. But this time, a new message in my heart was clear: “Love them in spite of your differences.”

Without meaning to, I had slowly developed a form of bitterness toward the temples. I was blaming the religion and its teaching for the poverty I saw and how it affected the people. I had begun to pray for God to take these temples down. It was a huge wake-up call for me to see clearly how one-sided and narrow my prayer life had become. This was one of the toughest adventures I’d ever experienced because it encompassed my emotions and included holding myself accountable.

I can say without reserve, that climbing the Marble Mountains at China Beach was challenging, but even more so was facing up to that difficult, but honest soul evaluation. It changed my perspective on travel and how I relate to different cultures. I want to learn about other peoples and religions. I want to value how they worship, be free to adopt new practices that will help me know my God better, and when there is an interest, to unapologetically share what I know about the God of the Bible with others.

Other adventures have led me to Israel to walk the Via Dolorosa, to New Zealand to see where the Hobbit Shire was filmed in Lord of the Rings, to New York City one year after 9/11 to pay my respects, and to Honduras to help the Hurricane Mitch victims. There are so many destinations in my travel repertoire that I would love to share—each travel experience has held a different meaning for me when it came to the word “adventure.”

Every travel experience has led me to where I am today: working for Lifetree Adventures, a new Christian volunteer vacation company that I am honored to be a part of. I have been given the amazing opportunity to combine my love of vacation travel with Christian service. I am living my life’s dream and find that I pinch myself often as I learn the truth of that “plans for you” scripture.

My most recent exploration was on a work-related trip to Egypt. While there, I became keenly aware that my adventures are far from over – there are still plenty of experiences to be had and much more work to do in the way of adventurous living.

In 2009, Lifetree Adventures will be offering 30 trips to 14 countries where the adventures will be what you make them and my sincere hope is that our travelers discover wanderlust with the Father’s eyes.

Scripture reference: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Michelle lives in Colorado, USA with her husband and three young children. She has visited over 20 countries on six continents and has worked in the travel industry for ten years. Michelle oversees the Group Workcamps Foundation’s newest endeavor, Lifetree Adventures: a Christian Voluntourism company in Loveland, Colorado. Lifetree’s purpose is to encourage individuals, families, and groups to experience amazing destinations that incorporate adventure activities with plenty of worthwhile service projects. Their message is simple: “Part vacation, part Christian service…adventures that will change our world.” Michelle’s next adventure will be to lead the 2009 Lifetree Adventures summer trip to Australia. Contact Michelle at 800-747-2157 or via email MClavijoDiaz@group.com to get more information about Lifetree Adventures, or visit www.LifetreeAdventures.com.

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