My name’s Stephen (or Steve) Erich, and I’m a Heartland Nomad.
Before I say anything more, I want to give a shout out to Texas! For my first real time in this state, I couldn’t be more blown away by the awesome people in each of the cities we’ve covered so far. El Paso, Lubbock, San Angelo, and San Antonio have all been quality places to spend a couple days. This makes me anticipate all the incredible places still to come this Fall!
Outside of tour, I’m in my third year at Andrews University in Southwest Michigan. I call Northern California home, and business is my field of study. I plan on finishing my education equipped with the skills to survive abroad, and I hope to be involved in something incredible and far away soon after graduation!
It’s hard for me to believe the summer’s gone and a week of tour is already done. I started with LiNK as a movement intern this summer, and after a couple months I knew I had to take this next semester away from AU and spend it on the road as a Nomad. I’m a strong believer in learning from experience, and Liberty in North Korea is definitely an organization that makes that a certainty. By this December, we’ll have put thousands more miles on Chrissy, our orange Nomad van, and will have met people from all kinds of places with loads of experiences to share. Please always feel welcome to call, FB, or email me—whether we make it to your venue or not—and share one or two of your stories! I’m down if you are.
I remember reading The Old Man and the Sea in my first year or two of high school, and while the details are fuzzy, I remember it was a pretty crazy adventure for an old man with a row boat, and I am inspired by the man’s fortitude. I took this epic :P picture in the cafe after noticing, as I turned my webcam on, that I was sitting right in front of this poster! I think that if we as a team and you as our hosts and fellow refugee supporters are as persistent this Fall as he was so many years ago, there will be many refugees brought to freedom in the coming months. And that is why we are here!
