Scariest moment on the race?
Hmmmm…. Nearly getting arrested in Ethiopia or getting charged by an elephant.
What do you miss the most?
Excluding people, the thing I miss the most is YOGA, hands down. I miss the freedom to be able to get in my car and drive to yoga and sing as loud as I want the whole way there. I miss being on my mat and allowing my mind and body to become one as I flow through the various postures and release all of the stress of the day. I miss lying on my mat in complete and total relaxation once the class comes to an end.
What has been the most challenging adjustment?
The language barrier has by far been the most challenging aspect of the race so far. I am a high extrovert and am used to be able to freely engage in conversation throughout the day. Traveling to so many different countries and experiencing the many different languages has been incredible but also very hard to adjust. As soon as you start picking up phrases and words in one country it is time to move to the next and time to learn new ones. Having a translator has been helpful but it is difficult to build a personal relationship or go deeper with someone through translators.
Most memorable person I have met on the race?
Wow, that’s a hard one. The Lord has blessed my path with so many wonderful people! I am thankful for each and every one of them but the individual who has most recently made a huge impact on me would be our Latvian contact, Janis. Hearing Janis’s testimony and where he used to be and where he is now is like black and white. After discovering God in prison he devoted his life to serving the Lord. He has been a missionary ever since. He traveled on a bicycle throughout Europe to share the good news of the Savior and his only funds was his trust in our Father’s provision. He lives his life daily by faith. He has started a family with a wonderful woman named Sylvanna, who he met on a mission trip in Argentina. They now have two beautiful daughters Esther and Sarah, and one more due in July. They decided to turn their home into a base for Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Janis’s generosity and heart for others is incredible and admirable. He chooses joy continuously throughout the day. He was a great blessing to my team and I.
Most interesting bathroom experience?
I have a small bladder so I frequently have to use the facilities. The most interesting would probably be in Africa in a remote village called Mtenguline. They have latrines aka squatty potties. At night they would be filled with many various creatures. One of the first nights we were there I went to use the bathroom but got chased out by a bat and several cockroaches. I found a bush for the rest of the nights we were there. Another awkward experience was in Malawi during all squad month while we were waiting for a latrine to be dug we had to use a toilet. A toilet, sounded kind of nice until you need to go number two and the only way for the toilet to flush is to do the walk of shame to grab a bucket full of water and flush it down. Having everyone know what you just did wasn’t so bad it was the fact that you had to use precious water that was so hard to retrieve.
How have each of your teammates blessed me in this past week?
I have been showered with prayers by my team this past week and month as I dealt with back pain and grieving the loss of my grandma. Shayne blessed me throughout our last day on the farm; my back was killing me. She allowed me to share my frustrations and supported me the whole time. Kristy is my cultural seeking buddy… in Africa we were able to pluck a chicken together and in Latvia she motivated me to engage in a traditional Latvian sauna experience that ended up being two of my favorite moments on the entire race. Mandi blesses me in many ways but this month her biggest blessing to me was continuously providing me a way to communicate with my family in this difficult anniversary month. Nathan and Eric have both blessed us girls on several occasions, they surprised us and cleaned the dreaded bathroom while us girls were out doing errands.
