Before I left for the Race I heard that around month 6 almost every racer goes through a period where they are ready to go home. I brushed it off and thought it wouldn’t happen to me. Why would I want to go back to my small town in Indiana when I’m traveling around the entire world?
I was wrong. I spent a lot of time during months 5 and 6 in Malawi and Zambia daydreaming of what it will be like when I get home. I thought about seeing my family, what the first thing I would do with my friends would be, what my first meal back in the states would be. I spent even more time thinking about finally being back home with my dog. Missing that boy and pictures just aren’t cutting it.
Our saying became “should have picked a shorter trip”. Of course it was a joke, but there was some truth in it. I was realizing that at that point I was only half way. I felt like I had been gone for years and that I still had years left on the trip. I was still fully enjoying the journey though. I was loving seeing Africa, the place I had dreamed of going to for so long. I was having a great time with my teammates and the ministry hosts we were with, but I was getting tired of constantly being on the move and living out of a backpack. Home was on my mind way more than it had been the first four months of the race.
Month 7 in Zimbabwe was better. Month 7 out of 11 sounded a lot better than 5 out of 11. Zimbabwe was also an amazing month in every aspect. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my time there. Africa flew by. I felt like I blinked and my three months there were over. The next thing I knew I was on another long plane ride heading to Asia.
The other day a friend asked me what the best moments of the race have been so far. It was really hard to answer because there have been so many incredible memories. I listed about ten, the first ones that came to mind. I could have gone on and on. In that moment I realized just how awesome this journey is. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and it still, even in month 8, blows my mind that I am blessed enough to get to live this life.
I started thinking about when this is all over. I realized that I am going to be so sad when it comes to an end. I have spent 7 months traveling around the world, spreading God’s love, meeting new people, seeing new cultures, laughing with people that I can’t even communicate with because of a language barrier, growing and learning from everyone around me, and making memories that I will cherish forever.
I’ve gotten over that World Race wall that so many racers hit. I’m no longer homesick. Yes, I still miss home but I don’t long for it like I did a couple months back. Home will always be home. It will always be there waiting for me. These last three and a half months of the race will be spent living it to the fullest. Completely diving in to what is waiting for us. Letting God take us wherever he has planned and living in the moment.
We often talk about what that first night back home will be like. How we will feel when we are completely alone for the first time in a year. When we are in our own beds with no one sleeping next to you. No snoring, no sleep talking, no random noises. No lights being left on when you’re ready to go to sleep. No one staying up late talking and keeping you up. A few months ago I was so anxious for that night. Now, I am content with sharing a room here in Malaysia with one of my best friends. I don’t know why I was blessed with this life, but I know that this is a year that I will wish I could get back once it’s over. I’m 9,472 miles from home. And I’m right where I want to be.
