As I begin the New Year with AfL III, it is hard to believe that I only left Vancouver two months ago. This time in India has been so challenging and so rich and I am full of hope as I realize that there are still seven months to go with AfL.

Here at Asia Plateau, I have been learning how to play an integral but supportive role in our multi-faith, inter-cultural community. I have had to slow down my language and my life, and learn how to leave space for others to communicate and connect. I have tried to take on the attitude of a humble listener, while still utilizing my facilitation and team building skills to act in dynamic and creative ways.

I have recognized that in the face of such a vast and powerful universe, I am very weak; I have also learned how much strength it takes to truly own that fact. I have been humbled many times over: each time that I have felt full of personal power, I have been brought back into my body and the Universe by old patterns which I need to surrender. I have begun to seek guidance from the Universe, and believe that I am learning what I need to here in India.

January and February would be full of adventure, as I travel around the cities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu with a group of 13 other colleagues. March would be a busy time back at Asia Plateau, and in April and May I have been assigned to a small team which will be working in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. After an evaluation in June, I will spend the last month of AfL III at Caux in Switzerland.

I am hugely thankful for the opportunity AfL III presents to further my connection to our world and our collective spirit, and I look forward to sharing the journey and its results in the future.

Action for Life is a nine-month leadership training program bringing together 50 people from 27 nations around the globe. The program began on October 31, 2005 at Asia Plateau, and will leave India in early April to continue its mission in other parts of South East Asia, Africa, and Europe. While on AfL III, we strive to live by Mahatma Gandhi's words "Be the change you want to see in the world." We spend half of our time in workshops and conferences, and the other half on outreach programs. On outreach, we travel in small teams and do service work, visit schools, businesses, and civil service showing and conducting presentations, workshops about personal growth, cultural diversity, and the importance of inner listening.

Justin Walford
Canada

Justin Walford completed a degree in Indigenous Studies and Creative Writing from the University of Victoria in 2005. He is one of three North Americans on AfL III, and hopes that this program is simply the beginning of a lifelong relationship with India. He is open to discovering how he can best utilize his skills after AfL III. For more information about Action for Life, please see our website at www.afl.iofc.org or email Justin