Hello all from thee UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I lay here writing to you from my bed- what a bizarre feeling it is to be right back where I was a short nine months ago. I am home! I’ve been avoiding this last blog because well… what do I write? How do I thank the hundreds of people who came along side me emotionally, financially, and prayerfully during this journey? How do I sum up the last nine months of my life and all that it contained? How can I recap for you things that I will be processing for the weeks and months and even years to come?
I will first and foremost say THANK YOU. Thank you to my family who empowered me to go and see the world & all of God’s people in it. Thank you to each of you who have uttered words of encouragement to me via Facetime, Facebook, email, and Imessage. Thank you to those who interceded for my team and me in prayer as we sought out the opportunities and interactions God had in store for us. Thank you for the financial sacrifices some of you made so that I could live out God’s calling overseas. Thank you for believing in the calling God so heavily put on my heart to GO & proclaim His name to the nations. Each of you played an integral role in my journey this past year and words cannot adequately thank you. I love each of you dearly.
I wanted to answer some of the most commonly asked questions I’ve been getting the past week since I’ve been home! All of your interest in my trip has meant so much to me.
Q: How was your trip?!
A: How do I tackle this one?!? My trip. It was amazing and beautiful and stretching and growing and wild and crazy and difficult and perfect. I can only describe the past year of my life as such an ADVENTURE. I lived in an environment where I never knew what the next moment contained. I lived in places where I could speak very minimal amounts of the local dialect. I lived through some of the most difficult, hard, sad, lonely times of my life. But was it worth it? Absolutely. I saw God’s people for who they are beyond their physical appearances or financial circumstances or religious affiliation. I experienced first hand the power of prayer and petitioning on other’s behalf. I’ve seen the invaluable worth of genuine community.
Q: What was your favorite country?
A: My favorite country for missions work was Thailand. I loved the ministry opportunities we were given which included prison ministry, teaching English, throwing Christmas parties, speaking at church services, leading worship, and more. I loved Thai culture and I loved the fire the Thai church had, despite living in a 95% Buddhist culture. Attempting to speak Thai was so fun and different. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the most special people in Thailand. IF you’re looking for an incredible vacation location, choose GUATEMALA! Antigua and Lake Atitlan were two of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life.
Q: What was your favorite part of the race, overall?
A: My favorite part was probably the team dynamic and community. I loved really getting to know the hearts of my teammates and living life with them for a good chunk of time. I have made some friendships that I know will extend far beyond my World Race experience. I would say up there with community was the downtime that we had. At first, it was very difficult to know what to do with yourself outside of ministry without internet or TV or a car or coffee shops. Living in the general absence of these things taught me how good we often are at WASTING our time! Because I wasn’t able to spend time doing the usual internet trolling and Netflix binging, I was able to build far deeper relationships with the people around me and with God. I’m thankful that I was forced into a place of absence of these usual distractions to teach me what it looks like to be a good steward of my time and how being more intentional with your time can lead to much deeper, more valuable relationships.
Q: What was the most challenging part of the race for you?
A: The most challenging part for me was the feelings I faced of lost independence. The race has many rules about being with someone at all times, always letting others know where you’re going, making sure to consult your team and squad leaders before making any big adventurous plans, etc. These are very fair, necessary rules to ensure the safety of all of their missionaries. However, after living on my own at school for four years, it was really difficult for me to step back into an environment where I was required to ask permission to run an errand and always had to have a buddy and sort of be at the mercy of someone else at all times. It was a constant struggle to respect the boundaries set by Adventures in Missions because at times, they made me feel so juvenile. Resisting the urge to run off alone was a constant battle for me. Whats a girl gotta do for some alone time!?!
Q: How is it being home?
A: In one word, it’s different. In two words, it’s so great and so different. I’m so thankful for the grace everyone has shown me with getting back in touch and catching up. Just learning to be accountable to texts and phone calls has been such an adjustment for me after being tech deprived for a year! I am loving the time I get to spend with my family and my pets and my friends. Its been challenging to carve out time to continue to process the change and transformation that has occurred inside of me. There are just so many other things I can choose to do rather than sit and reflect. But I know that time is so valuable, especially during my re-emersion into normal, everyday, American life. Overall, I am so thankful to be at home but I am still adjusting to the changing of life seasons.
Q: So… What’s next?!
A: UGH That’s a great question I wish you would all stop asking me so I don’t have to think about it! But it’s good. It’s a good thing to ask me because then I HAVE to think about it and can’t deny the inevitable that I am moving into a new season of ADULTHOOD! I will be living at home with my entire family (whew!) for the summer! I am planning on bank telling & waitressing at a new Racine restaurant. Longer term plans are still in the making but definitely on my mind. I am applying for an intern position at an international organization that advocates for justice worldwide. I should know shortly whether that is going to be where I’m headed next or not. I guess long story short, I don’t know what’s next. But its exciting and its crazy and its forcing me to continue to live in a place of trust that God will provide for me the resources and work and people that I need to live a life that is well lived.
Again, I can’t thank each of you enough. If you have more questions, PLEASE email me! ([email protected]) If you want to meet up and catch up, comment or call me or something! I would love to share more about the race and also hear about how each of your lives have morphed and changed and progressed in the last year! Praying abundant joy would fill your current seasons. xox.
