As I talk to people this week and reply to emails it dawns on me that maybe I haven’t been too clear on the details of this particular race. Now that we all know WHY I am going back out on the field it is good to share the nitty gritty as well.
The October squad (myself, my partner-in-crime Jake, and 51 Racers) will launch this weekend from LAX to our first destination THE PHILIPPINES!!! Read here to remind yourselves how much I LOVE the Philippines. I will fly out of Columbus Saturday afternoon and meet the Racers at LAX. We will all depart at 2AM from LA and fly all night to Manila. I honestly can’t express how excited I am to go back and have had dreams of my precious friends’ faces when I show back up at their house. It is going to be a joyful reunion!I will leave the squad for a week at the end of October to return home for my cousin Kerri’s wedding and then re-join everyone in Hong Kong. As it is scheduled at this point we will then head to China, Kenya, Uganda & Ethiopia. From there I will most likely be returning Stateside to coach the team from the US. They will continue on to India, and then Eastern Europe and Central America. As with all things world-race–schedules and countries are flexible, but that is the plan as of now.
4 days remain here in the US and I am eating everything in sight and taking plenty of long, hot showers. I could not be more ready to go back out and truly feel like I am living a dream. The Lord continues to bless me and take care of every detail. It is funny to me how much more relaxed I am the second time around. I have not even thought about packing my bag because I can do it in under 30 minutes (a year of practice), I am not stressing about malaria meds, bank accounts, or any of the other details that consumed me the first time. I am so excited and haven’t even thought about shedding a tear–I shed enough the first time for the whole squad! It is going to be a glorious reunion with the World and I can not wait!!
Please lift up some prayers for my new teammates. These last days are so bittersweet for them and I know it can seem very overwhelming. Pray the Lord blesses them with traveling mercies to LAX, happy ‘see ya laters’ with friends and family, and easy packing!
