Okay so here’s half of the answers to the questions you all asked a couple weeks ago. It took me awhile to think back and reflect on all these good questions so I apologize. There was 23 questions in all so the answers are gonna be split up between two blogs. Thanks!
1.Who is your best friend on the squad?
Marlin Jones Foster. Our first time meeting each other was not very indicative of a lasting friendship, he came up to me at training camp and I said ‘Can I help you?’ because he had been staring at me from across the room, but I can confidently say now that we are best buds and I miss him greatly when we are separated.
2.Have you personally prayed for people to be healed physically and seen it happen?
This is a good one. Initially no. But I have prayed in faith and have seen those requests come to fruition in time. I will say that my team had a pray session in Swaziland and we ask for Danielle, our squad mate back in the states receiving medical attention, to be healed and sent home from the hospital. And we got word later that that was the day she was released from the hospital so that’s pretty cool.
3.What has stretched you the most in your understanding of who God is?
Wow. Well I think just inherently by being on this trip, meeting the church everywhere we go, and experiencing Gods radical love in the things he has created has already blown my understanding of who I thought God was. If anything this trip has taken my understanding of God and scratched it. I can’t possible understand, in any measurable amount, the fullness of who he is or the reasons why things happen. But this trip has made me more aware of when the spirit is moving and to seize those moments.
4.What’s the best flavor of chips/snacks you’ve discovered on your journey across 3 continents?
Definitely not the wasabi chips in Argentina. One of the best snacks was the Masala Munch snack in India. It’s like a Cheeto but spicy and more flavorful. I would do a lot for a bag of those right now. Also Biltong in South Africa is a close second, its springbok spiced jerky in tubular form.
5.What have you seen or been a part of that you think God gave you the greatest blessing that will stay with you forever?
If I could say the whole trip I would but I’ll try to get more specific. I think one of the biggest blessing on the trip has been the community he has placed around me. I have had some pretty awesome teams and I know that some long lasting friendships have come from that. It’s something that I didn’t value very much at the beginning of the trip but now I realize it is one of the biggest ways God has blessed and continues to bless me.
6.Were you ever home sick?
No not really. When my grandmother passed away and when my dog died there was maybe a day where I wanted to be home but I know that I belong here and my mission is here so I don’t really desire to be back home yet.
7.Was it harder waiting to see parents on PVT or watching them leave?
Neither I guess. I was excited to see them but I was also excited to see them leave so I could start the next chapter of the race. Seeing them for PVT was a burst of energy that helped me carry on in the race but spending most every moment with your parents for 5 days can be exhausting. It was also really cool to see them and the change that has been going on in their lives and I’m sure it was the same for them.
8.How has the Race helped you develop some of the passions God has put in your life?
Well it’s been crazy to see that when I gave up desires in my life and submitted to a higher authority than my own, how much I have been given/discovered about myself. It’s like because I’ve sacrificed more for the sake of the Father I have been given more than what I had initially. Learning about passions and skills I never knew I had or realizing what environments build me up spiritually and what things I struggle with. I have found that film and photography are skills and passions of mine but I think the deeper, underlying passion is the desire to meet people and know their story and who they are. To see how God is working in their life and make that connection with them. Meeting people has by far been the most rewarding experience on the Race.
9.What’s the best and worst food you’ve eaten?
Worst…well I had a Durian fruit shake in Vietnam with a side of dried squid and fish. Durian is the grossest fruit on the planet. That was pretty gross and the funny thing was that we were at a restaurant with our Vietnamese friends who were treating us so we had to suck it up and throw it down or insult them. The weirdest thing I ate was Sheep brains and tongue in South Africa, but surprisingly wasn’t that bad. Also, our water in Botswana was so heavy in iron that it turned some teammates finger nails red and tasted like a handful of penny’s.
Best…So much good food it’s hard to pick. I’ll pick three but there is way more. First is Pho in Vietnam. I was determined to find the best Pho spot in Saigon in my month there so I probably went to 10 different restaurants. The best Pho place is Pho Hao on Pasteur street but the best bets are the hole in the wall ones that look sketchy but turn out to be flame. Next were these rice paper spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce in Cambodia. It was at an all you can eat buffet on our end of the month cruise and I probably ate around 10. So good. Last, is the wurst cooked brai style in South Africa. Brai is their version of grilling and I like to think that I’ve tasted a good deal of grilled meat in my day but the way they do the wurst (bratwurst) is the best. It’s a huge spiral of sausage that’s spiced so perfectly and needs no condiments but when add with a bun and fruit chutney is fire too.
10.If you could turn the life story of one person you’ve met on the trip into a full length biography, who would it be and why?
This is a hard one. There are probably three that I would do if I could have. The first one, and prolly my favorite, would be on this guy named Richard from Argentina. He’s from the UK originally and works at a YWAM base in Mendoza. The details of his journey are a little foggy but basically, he got a call from God to go to school and study Arabic/Farsi so he went to school for 4 years in America studying. He did one year of studying in Syria, before the war and refugee crisis, and was completely confused as to how God was going to use this new skill to future the kingdom. Once he finished school, went to Argentina, and got married the situation in Syria broke out and it was made clear to him the plan God started in his life 5 years prior. Now hes working in Lebanon to bring refugees to Argentina to find work and a safe way of life. He speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, and Farsi all fluently. The main day I got to hang out with him we visited a Syrian family living in Argentina. We sat in their living room and asked them all the questions we had. Richard, translated English to Arabic then Arabic back to English and Spanish all in one sitting. It was crazy. We also got to hear this family’s story of the war, the refugees, their perception of America, and everything in between. Just a week before that meeting the grandmother of the Syrian family saw the missile that Trump fired at Syria fly over her house. The other stories I would of like to have done would be on a bible smuggler in Vietnam that was taking bibles to china and other nearby countries, and a couple that runs a safe home for girls at risk for being sold into sex slavery in Cambodia.
11.What have you been surprised that you miss the most and what surprised you that you thought you would missed but don’t?
Hmm. I’m surprised that I missed being home for big holidays like Christmas or the Indy 500. Something I thought I would miss that I don’t…craft beer. Light beer is easy enough to find in every country but nice craft beer is a little harder or expensive. But really haven’t missed it.
12.What lesson had God surprised you with?/ Where did you see God show up and minister to you and your fellow racers?
There are a bunch of things I’ve learned. But the most surprising thing and I think most first time missionaries would agree with this is how much God is on the move in other countries. We, as Americans, tend to have this idea that we have it figured out and need to go to other places to teach them or show them who God is and what a life with him looks like. I was quickly humbled. The American church, in a general sense, is frankly a cheap shadow of what real faith looks like. We’ve been to places where people have such a faith and trust in God that it can’t even be compared to what we call Christianity. Its humbling but also brings to light the battle in front of us.
Stay tuned for the rest!
