Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

So it appears there will be some rearranging of schedules for IRI over the next few months. As a result, I will still be going to Alaska, but after that I may be heading off to Mozambique for a few months to document the work being done there and encourage our partners in the area. The plans are still in flux, so I don't have specifics yet, but this summer suddenly got much more interesting. Stay tuned, and I will try to keep people posted on everything that's happening.

Planning, Planning, Planning

We are working on our scheduling for 2015 right now at IRI, and it looks like I will be traveling quite a bit during the year. If anyone happens to be in the areas I will be visiting, and wants to talk about our work, they are welcome to contact me to see if we can meet.

The current (verified) plan is:
Feb. 2-5 - Casper, WY*
Mar. 13-15 - Grand Junction, CO
April 12-17 - Lewistown, MT

Meetings still in planning include:
Broken Arrow, OK - Early March
Alaska - July
Hong Kong - Fall 2015

We are also hoping to schedule some stops with our friends and supporters to give personal updates. If you have any interest in arranging meetings with me or anyone else at IRI, you can contact us at: info@insiaghtagentsofchange.com.

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*Edit: this is actually 3-6. My mind was off a day, apparently.

Still Here

While I have not posted in quite a while, I am still around. I've been traveling quite a lot since Alaska, and should be settling down back in Wyoming next week. I plan to post more once I get a break from running around, but until then:

• Alaska was great - as I mentioned earlier, the people were very friendly and we were well-recieved
• Following Alaska, I traveled to Texas by way of Oklahoma and Illinois - I was able to meet with several friends, and speak about the work we are doing. Overall, a good stop.
• After Texas, I spent about a week and a half in Bakersfield speaking to various groups and contacts. I also got to spend a few hours with friends and family in the area.
• To conclude my runaround trip, I have recently been visiting people in Colorado and Wyoming. We still have a few speaking engagements before heading back to Africa, but most of the long-distance travel is over until then. 

The short summary is that interest in the seminars is increasing, and we may have opportunities to put on seminars in Alaska, California and perhaps Texas and Colorado over the next year or two.

Our Vice-President and co-founder, Doug Berry died earlier this month. We had to split our traveling group so that some of us could attend his funeral, while the rest of us continued our scheduled meetings. I am sorry I could not make it to see his family, but I know he wanted us to continue to raise interest in the work we are doing, and hope that I was able to honor him by doing so. He will be missed.

U.S. Tour Part 2

After a break to visit my family from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I am back to traveling the U.S. speaking with various groups about Insight Resources International and what we do. My travels have taken me to Alaska, where the average temperature in Elim, where I am visiting, is approximately -25F (-32C) or so. I am told this is not common for this area during this time of year, but nevertheless, it is cold.

Despite this, the trip is turning out to be very enjoyable. The locals have all been friendly and welcoming, and the accommodations are warm (and really, in this weather, that's the primary concern). I am traveling with Al and Velma, who are visiting their daughter and speaking with the local people about the work we are doing in Africa. The people here are interested in our work, and we have learned a lot about life in the village. Perhaps for me, the most radical concept to absorb has been the idea that you can only get in and out of town by plane. I can honestly say I have never been anywhere that has only been accessible by plane before. Beyond that, life here is much like you would expect in an isolated community - resources are limited (and therefore expensive), people tend to have a stronger sense of community than most places in the U.S., and everyone knows everyone else (and, by extension, everyone knows that you're new in town).

Once we finish our stay here, we travel back to Oklahoma and then on to Texas for a few weeks. I'm not sure if I look forward to the warmer weather, or dread the impending radical shift in climate. Either way, my next post will probably be from Texas.

Have a happy New Year!