1. Everywhere we’ve been doesn’t allow you flush toilet paper in the toilet, instead you have to throw it away in the garbage
2. I can tell that I’ve been on the race for a while when I see a white guy on the street and my first instinct is to shout “White man alert!” (I didn’t)
3. For me, this journey has caused me to ask myself and my teammates serious questions about my views on evangelism and my role in that
4. If I’m not intentional it can be surprisingly easy to live similarly to how I do in the states in a developing country
5. It is also surprisingly easy (and hard to face when you realize this about yourself) to become numb to the pain, suffering, and hardship experienced in this world
6. It is also easy to brush off the Lord’s blessings and not give Him the glory He deserves
7. Going on a mission trip does NOT make you holier and if anything it has shown me how sinful and in need of grace I am
8. Community is HARD
…but worth the effort
9. Being an authentic Christian is HARD
…but I never want to return to my old life
10. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” is not just a verse in the Bible but a TRUTH to believe
11. You spend months on end with 5 other people in very close proximity, you are bound to see someone naked (just try not to be known as “the naked one”)
12. If someone really bugs you and after praying about it you still can’t get over it then it is best to say it sooner rather than later
13. I didn’t think this would happen, it is fun to meet other missionaries on the field but hard not to compare yourself to them (e.g. If they are long-term missionaries they seem more legit than me)
14. WRers are amazing at finding gourmet coffee and pizza joints wherever they go (see #4)
15. A lot of the world seems to eat way more rice and eggs than Americans
16. Futbol is huge in Central America but basketball seems bigger in Asia
17. I don’t know how it happened but it seems that Justin Bieber is loved everywhere
18. Winnie the Pooh, Strawberry Shortcake (the cartoon), and Hannah Montana can be found everywhere too
19. Most of the countries I have been to have cultures that assume if you have tattoos or if you are a guy with long hair you are in a gang
20. Many places in Asia it is normal to eat with your spoon in your dominant hand and your fork pushes the food onto the spoon (a skill I still don’t have)
21. In most Asian countries females are supposed to cover shoulders and knees
22. I have found myself cringing when I see white female tourists not only showing knees and shoulders but cleavage as well
23. I’ve found it pretty easy to spot another missionary
24. In the Asian countries we’ve been people do not use/really understand when you say that something is “the same” but they say and understand the phrase “same same”
25. And “different” is “not same same”
26. Time is hard to gauge on the race
27. Butchered English on signs always seems to amuse me and often reminds me of Jay Leno
28. Christians all over the world seem to know the songs “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and “Mighty to Save”
29. Most places in Asia seem to have a little hose next to the toilet in lieu of toilet paper
30. Every country I’ve been to has street vendors who sell drinks in a plastic bag
31. In the Philippines you drive on the right side of the road with the steering wheel on the left but it is opposite in Thailand and Malaysia
32. In Cambodia, you drive on the right side of the road (when you’re not going against traffic which happens often) but I have seen cars with steering wheels on the right and left sides
33. The different forms of taxis/buses I have used so far:
moped (Guatemala)
back of a pick up (El Salvador)
back of a pick up that has benches and a tarp over it (Panama)
Jeepney and trikes (Philippines)
Songtail (Thailand)
saw a bike with a chair in front but didn’t ride it (Malaysia)
tuk tuk (Cambodia)
34. International food I strongly recommend:
Guatemala – rice boiled in milk with cinnamon sticks for breakfast (forgot what it’s called)
El Salvador – pupusas
Panama – smashed plantain chips
Philippines – balute (just kidding it was awful, it was partially fertilized duck eggs that have been buried in the ground for a while and served warm you can see the little duck parts and I almost threw up as I ate it)
Thailand – the $1 pad Thai from street vendors and the patsiyou (I’m sure I spelled that wrong)
Malaysia – roti from Little India
Cambodia – the fried tofu in chili sauce
