My teammate Caitlin and I recently saw a picture posted on Instagram from the World Race. Because of the anticipation of the upcoming training camp we were looking at a clean polished, excited, and neatly packed girl, sporting all of her gear and a grin from ear to ear. That got us thinking…we once posted those pictures – we once were neatly packed, wide eyed, and ready to take on the world.
A lot has happened between those pictures and now, and life looks much different. Let me introduce you to some of our month 9 realities, of which we are perfectly fine embracing. The weirdness that has become our normal as we live life on the race:
Physical appearance – We have many new scars covering our legs, feet, and even arms. Everything from vicious ant bites to children’s games gone wrong to that weird ring worm we picked up from a child in Africa. There’s also a permanent zigzag across my feet from my Chacos, which I have worn about 95% of the race, and I’m not quite certain it will ever go away. We will always and forever carry many stories with us from our time spent on this race.
Replacement purse – In carefully choosing which gear to take with us at the beginning, a good, sturdy purse was included in that list; and it didn’t hurt that it had that certain world traveler-esque feel about it. Well, coming into this month Caitlin was carrying hers as a baby because the strap no longer was attached. We have yet to find her a new purse; but the top, detachable, compartment of her big pack is suitable for the job for now!
Sweat – The majority of my shirts have lovely pit stains now, and let’s get real here; butt sweat is a real thing. There is no longer any shame in standing up and realizing that I’ve left a small puddle on the chair; to which Caitlin says, “Life’s embarrassing, isn’t it?” But in a climate with an average of 100 degree weather, there’s not much you can do about it. All I can say is pack darker colored shorts, it eliminates more embarrassment of having an outline on your shorts.
Showers – When I say that I took a long shower it usually means that it was about seven to eight minutes of constant flowing water from a shower head.
There are many other things that have become a normal part of our days as we travel around the world; including, but not limited to: being able to use the phrase, “the other day…in Albania;” riding in the bed of a truck daily to get to our ministry site; having a five year old orphan cuddle up to us in 100 degree weather; buying mangos out of the bed of a truck on the side of the road; thinking/dreaming in two languages; being fluent in broken English; eating dinner with our Honduran host and his English wife in a Mexican restaurant; doing Zumba in the town plaza with hundreds of Hondurans; and having to Google which bathroom is the guys and which is the girls.
Preparing for the race I expected to get dirty. I expected to get tired. I expected to lose things and gain things along the way. And I questioned if I would be able to do that for a year. What I didn’t expect was the satisfaction that would come from pouring my complete all into the place I am at in this moment. The sweat, the tears, and yes, even some blood, could not stop me from pursuing this wholeheartedly! Coming home at the end of the day covered in sweat and dirt has never been so satisfying; and it’s because there’s a purpose behind it! The Kingdom of God is being furthered, in some small way, through that dirt and sweat!
So to those anticipating your upcoming race: expect to be surprised. Never stop pointing out how weird your life is, don’t let it become normal because that’s when we lose sight of the work God is doing and forget the passion and drive that He used inside of us to bring us on the race. Stop worrying over whether or not you can do it, because you can’t. It’s when we come to that realization that we lean fully back on God and allow Him to do what He wants in and through us. Don’t get too caught up in playing the role of “World Racer,” in the end it doesn’t matter about the Instagram photo we take, or the sweet blog we write – it’s about the experience, and allowing God to use it to take us above and beyond our wildest dreams. Embrace the differences of every culture you experience, there’s something to be learned from each one.
And finally, ENJOY IT! As my squad nears the end of our race, we look back with fondness on the memories made, miracles witnessed, and friendships formed. We are cherishing and savoring these last few months of living in such a unique community that is sold out for Christ. And we are soaking up every new experience we can; because in a blink of an eye you go from training camp to month 9.
