Many people back home have asked what I do on the Race. This is hard to answer because on the Race every single day looks different. Future Racers, walk into every day with no expectations because plans constantly change. Here is an example of one of our village days that looked nothing like our original plans, but it was still a beautiful day in community with our Thai friends!
6:30- Wake up to shower
7:00- Devotional
8:00- Oatmeal! Our team tries to eat as healthy as possible on the Race.
9:00- Sweep and clean the church. We’ve been sleeping on the floor and mattress pads.
9:30- Worship with our Thai YWAM DTS students. We also thank the pastor for hosting.
10:00- Literally throw our bags on top of the blue bus. The guys tie them down. We all pile into the truck like sardines, but there’s something fun about riding around in the big blue truck. On the Race there is always room for one more person to squeeze in.
1015- Hour long drive. We have no idea where we are going. I don’t think our Thai friends do either.
1130- 7/11 stop=coffee!
1215- A huge thunderstorm rolls in so we pull the truck over to grab bags and tuck them underneath. There’s no space to sit except on top of the luggage.
1230- I get to hold a puppy within minutes of exiting the bus (Praise!) and our hosts prepare a meal of rice, veggies, and chicken.
1: Two older men are our new hosts for this village. They call for a “brief meeting” which is 30 minutes longer than expected.
2: The two older men drive us everywhere. Another church, a temple, their mom’s house… Everywhere they can think of. Our translator has no idea what’s going on, but we’re rolling with it.
3: Our hosts ask for “brief testimonies” to share on a cow farm. We sit on barrels of hay while 5 of us share.
5: At dinner, bugs dive bomb my friend Hannah and I while we eat. Our host informs us that we will go bug hunting in a few days. We have no clue what that means, but it sounds fun!
6: Our translator gives me the schedule that neither of us expect to be accurate and says we should buy oatmeal for team breakfast separate from our host’s breakfast.
6:05: The host says we will eat breakfast together.
6:08: Our translator says to disregard that- we will eat oatmeal.
6:45 Sylvia and I get in a car to get oatmeal and breakfast food. It’s nice to be in an actual car for a little bit.
7:30 We buy goodies for the team and a little something sweet for our translator. We love her!
7:35 We ask our Thai friends if they know where our team is staying and where they should drive us. They respond with “hahahah”.
7:45 The car starts driving slow and Tui is looking out the window intently. We find out Tui is looking for snakes because they are delicious. When he sees one, the car makes a u-turn to go grab it.
7:46 Tui returns to the car disappointed as the snake is alive and no longer edible.
7:47 I tell Tui we will look for snakes when working in the fields- it’s good news.
8:00 We arrive back at church with no Americans in sight.
8:10- We are driven to a nearby house where there are still no Americans. Pang says we should just walk down the street until we see some.
8:15 Our Thai friends walk with us to help us find the team.
8:30 I see Allison’s bright blond hair through a window- We found the team!
8:45 I’m snuggled into our little room. My sweet teammates put my bed together while I was buying breakfast.
9:00 Our teammate Janet shares her testimony. We pray over her and end the night in prayer.
10:10- I snuggle back into bed ready for our first day of ministry in a new village.
