When you live in community for eight months, you learn to be comfortable around people. On the World Race, you're sometimes put in situations where you have no choice. Here are some examples:
1. You live in a room with 13 other girls.
You can't wear the same clothes every day for 25 days.
Let's be real. Disgusting.
Chances are, someone is going to see you naked,
or at least close to it.
2. You're on a bus in the middle of Africa.
Suddenly, you realize that you can't "painch" it any longer.
The bus will pull over for you,
but you'll have to "drop trou" on the side of the road.
There are no bathrooms–
Ain't nobody got time for that.
3. It's cold at night.
Your pack, along with your sleeping bag and everything else you own,
has been lost somewhere in Asia.
There's no shame in hopping in someone else's sleeping bag for the month.
4. It's travel day.
In all reality, it's travel night.
You're sitting by the window that won't close all the way,
and you've just started, what you've been told is a 12 hour, over-night, bus ride.
You don't have a blanket
and you're sweater is under the bus with all of your other belongings.
It's so cold that the penguins are even shivering.
Spooning is completely normal in this situation.
It may even be requested by your neighbor–
chances are, they're cold too.
So, maybe I exaggerated a little bit on #4. The chances of your bus really being that cold are slim to none. Closer to none than slim. But there are times when spooning becomes your go to form of warmth. And there's no shame in that. Your squad quickly becomes your extended family. I say extended because you're most likely not going to be with them as a whole as much as your team. Your team should be your family. But you learn to fight for each other. It doesn't matter where you came from, what color your skin is, whether your 21 or 35. Living in a community brings people together, despite differences. And sometimes, you just wanna spoon.
For those of you who don't know what spooning is, its a form of cuddling. Don't look it up on Google, because Google will show you pictures of silverware. If you're really irked by not knowing exactly what it is, ask the nearest teenager- preferably one who is a bit on the mature side. They should be able to give you an accurate description.
I have three months left. Three countries. Rwanda (where we are now), China, and Philippines. There are less than 90 days of ministry left. My goal: make the best of every day. Go into each month as if it's month 1. Rest in the fact that God will overflow my cup with energy after every day. Have fun. Love hard. Be me. Spoon often.
