The race is slowly winding down. With 17 days left reality of home is getting real. Most importantly the reality of leaving these people, I now call family, is very real too. It makes me weepy to think about but reality isn’t always easy is it? So in light of tears that already fill my eyes daily, I thought I would write a tender post about the wonderful humans I have gotten the blessing to know and live with. These are people who I love with every ounce of my being, these are people who truly deserve everything they could ever ask for. These are people who have actually changed my heart and life. These are people who I hope you get to meet, and people that I am so thankful to have ever been graced with their presence. So here is a post about people that you meet on the race.
1) The Beauty
On the race you meet beautiful people. I’ve met many but one of the most beautiful human I may have ever met is named Eliane. She not only has a beautiful face but a beautiful soul. I’ve never met someone with such a sweet perspective. Sitting with Eli and telling her everything on your heart is truly a treat because she listens patiently. You can cry, smile, be angry and she just waits-listening. When you’re done she doesn’t tell you your thoughts or feelings are wrong but rather she will celebrate the beauty in something wonderful. All at the same time she will show you the beauty of something that might be a bit more foggy. She also lives in the most beautiful country there is around.
2)The Individual
You know the people that you just look at and can’t but help but love who they are? Yeah, that’s Lyric Housman. I only got to live with her for three months but it was by far some of the best three months of friendship I have ever had. She doesn’t like Robert Ross which was a hard thing to look past, but this human carries a million other qualities. She is the most uniquely beautiful human I have ever met. She loves Bruno Mars more than any one on this planet. ( I cannot confirm this fact but I’m sure her teammates could). She has the biggest heart, most contagious laugh and the best dance moves on our whole entire squad. Living with Lyric I saw who she is, is who she is in the most amazing way and there was no way in heck anyone could ever change that. I cannot capture the beauty of this young woman at all and how she is an individual in the most enlightening, best way humanly possible.I do hope that one say you all get to meet Lyric so that you can understand what I am trying to say, because trying to capture the beauty of who she is is pretty impossible. Sitting with Lyric is a beautiful experience because she teaches you that you too are and individual. Who is deeply loved for who you are. Being with Lyric and learning from her is by far the most refreshing experience you could have on the race. She teaches you that you are loved so deeply by the Lord who has made you into the individual that you are. She shows you that who you are is the best you can be, and that is more than enough for Jesus.
3)The Realist
You know how you have the friend you sit and eat pineapple with and they just hot fire spit truth at you? The person we all need in our life- for me this is a sweet, dog lover named Jazlyn. This is a girl who is the most relate able human I have ever met in my life. There were multiple points in time were we sat together and sat talking about good and bad in life. She would be patient and then bring reality into whimsical thoughts. She takes you from the clouds and sets you back on your feet and guides you into realistic steps. You also know when you have that friend and they are the most authentic person you’ve met? Yeah, that’s Jazz too. She will not change who she for another person. She is real with who she is, what she needs and what she likes. It is amazing to see this in her walk with the Lord, because it is the most real genuine relationship I have ever seen. It is one full of vulnerability, questions, sometimes frustration but the most real example I’ve seen of what love with the Lord is like. This is the person you meet on the race that when you count your blessings you for sure count her twice.
4) The Teacher
While traveling, living with random humans, and walking with the Lord you learn a lot. You’re not in school but holy cow does your brain keep expanding. In this journey I had the privilege of living with a teacher for four months. Elizabeth is her name and she is by far one of the best teachers I have had in my life. She didn’t sit down with me and teach me from a book with a list of curriculum, but rather she taught me so much by her just living a long side me. Listening to her stories you learn a lot about the goodness of the Lord and redemption.You learn that love with the Lord is truly unfailing. You learn that you can love the Lord with all of your being and still laugh uncontrollably, love unconditionally and have a beautifully unique personality. Oddly enough, I continued learning a lot from this woman even as time and miles have separated us. It has been in our distance that she has taught me so much about friendship. How a good friend still gives you hard truth even when they can’t physically be there to hug you to make it better. How you can still laugh with each other and make jokes even though a phone screen might be between you. She has taught me most about loving the Lord with diligence and pressing in when the Lord’s will doesn’t make sense yet.
5) The one who loves deeply
Asia was an interesting time because that’s when the holidays hit full force. It was interesting to walk around and not be defended by “Jingle bells”. It was weird that nothing smelt like cinnamon and snow was not scattered on the ground. It was in this time I really got to meet and see a person who loves deeply. Harlee Ann loves deeply. And when I say deeply I mean it. It was in this time I learned what it looked like to celebrate life, holidays and new beginnings even though there was distance between you and family. Watching Harlee talk about her family is unlike anything I have experienced. When this sweet girl talks about her mom, dad and sweet sisters you can hear and see how proud of them she is. You can see the love she has for them that radiates deep with in her. It is inspiring to know that love can run that deep, but the love the Lord has for us is much deeper and that is pretty mind blowing.
6)The Rock
Writing this one is hard because it is hard to capture an amazing person in words. Round of applause to people who do that for a living. on the race you meet a lot, a lot of people. Our squad was an overwhelming fifty plus at one point. It is in crowd of people I was incredibly blessed to meet Lauren Garrison. She has many nicknames so sometime it is easy to forget her real name but it is pretty much impossible to forget her, Lauren, is one in a million. More like one in 7,511,084,557 . She is the human who has actually kept me sane throughout this race. In times when teammates were frustrating she slapped the much needed sense into me. In times when the Lord felt distant she was there to comfort and reassure me He wasn’t. It has been times with the human that I have laughed so hard I cried, cried actual tears and felt the most normal I have ever felt. Lauren is the kind of human that makes you laugh a really hard belly laugh, she is the person that motivates you to look at the world with a fresh perspective, she is the person that makes you push yourself when you work out to get rock hard abs (which I still don’t have but ya know, can’t win every battle). I have never felt as blessed by a person as I do with this lady. She is someone who is down to drink coffee at anytime, she is someone that shares the same feelings about kids as I do, she loves lots of hippy things. She loves life in a way that makes you want to fall back in love with life and the Lord. Lauren, has been my rock the entire race. I am forever thankful for a friend who likes conspiracy theories, buzzfeed unsolved, books and Metallica.
7) The challenger
We talk about the enneagram a lot of the race, which is really neat. Each number kind of has it’s own title. For the eight is the challenger. I cannot confirm that I lived with an ennegram eight but I can confirm that I lived with a challenger. When I say this I mean this is the best way possible. It has been living with Lauren that I’ve learned so much about what it looks like to be challenged and to challenge yourself. When you get to sit and live life with this soul you see her diligence in pushing and challenging herself. You get to watch her read her bible and ask the Lord hard questions. You get to watch her challenge her body as you watch her hike up a mountain and you watch her challenge to love herself and others even though it might not be easy. In the past six months of living with this sweet face I’ve learned a lot about what its like to have a true friend. A friend that genuinely challenges who you are. You know when people ask you really hard questions or tell you the truth even when its hard to hear? That’s Lauren for me, she is one of the people that asks hard things of you but only to challenge you and to watch you walk in growth. It is amazing. I have a massive heart for this woman and her soul. My life has actually been changed by this person in the best way possible. I am grateful for a lot of people but if you asked me a friend I am the most blessed by it is this woman. With her wisdom,little back scratchies and laughter.
8) The Music Lover
One day in Africa life was just pressing in. I was struggling to even just feel like a human. Readjusting to a new life and team was really kicking my butt. I remember thinking “I just wish I could be with my human listening to music.” I walked outside to wash my hands ( because Africa) and outside sat Katelyn Alexis Lokey listening to one of my favorite artists also known as Ben Howard. I remember going and sitting with her on the porch and for just a moment I looked at the mountains with this human and felt peace. I felt like I could be myself. Throughout our time living together we have listened to a lot of tunes. In moments of bliss, moments of sadness and when there were times when words weren’t available. In all of these moments there was something better than her killer tunes-she was there. Might be weird to say but there is nothing quite as good as sitting with a friend knowing that expectations are actually out the door. As I sit typing this we are vibing together listening to music. Kate has taught me a million things and I cherish them all. She has taught me so much about every aspect of life, what real friendship is like and she has taught me more about love than I could ever put into words. She is a human bean (yes, you read that correctly) that I would undoubtedly fly across the world for and I don’t doubt for a second that she would do that same for me. Being graced by this humans presence is something I will always count as a blessing and is something I hope to never loose.
9) The Sweet Tooth
Before leaving for the country I met a girl from my squad for breakfast. She ate french toast and we sipped on chai tea. We walked around down town thrift shopping and talking about life. We ended our wonderful day together by eating these massive ice cream sandwiches. We hugged each other and separated. Before leaving on the race you don’t know who you are going to live with and I remember wondering if I was going to live with this bright soul. We didn’t get to share each other presence much the first three months but then Africa came and team changes happened. Not much later I caught myself laughing, living and learning along side this friend from Colorado. I could write a novel about this young woman. She carries herself in the most beautiful way. It is hard to explain but when you see it,you see it. She has a unique kind of grace she carries. She listens so intently, asks the hardest questions, eats lots of sweets and walks along side you,holding your hand, through all the joy and heartbreak of life. I remember I had to drop someone I loved off at the airport. It was by far one of the hardest days of the race. I remember my team ,that stayed back, had a wonderful day. I remember coming home drained as I have ever been. They were singing and laughing with our squad leaders. She sat in our shared room together and patiently held me while I cried. She is the friend that you actually need in your life, I mean it. She is one of the best people I have been blessed with. Reese is the type of person who inspires you to live the best life possible. She inspires you with her real, raw, relationship with Jesus. She inspires you to laugh, run a lot, play, pray constantly. She is the best. Over six months this girl has shared more about her life with me, shes eaten plenty of sweet breakfast (just like the day we met), we have strolled thrift shopping, ate lots of ice cream together and most importantly become someone I love deeply.
10) The Understanding One
“life is messy, people are messy and loving is hard”- we had a pastor in Africa tell us this and it is so true. Life is messy, people are messy (literally) and loving is hard. Over the past six month I have been graced with Abby Lynch’s company. Abby is a sweet human, with laughter that warms your heart and an ability to understand beyond measure. Abby understands deeply how life can be so messy. she helps you sort out the clutter or your messy life and mind and bring order to a never ending chaos. She helps you verbally process the feelings you have towards yourself or others, because whether or not we want to admit it we are messy. Abby is someone who loves very well and in that shows you a wonderful example of how to love others well even though it is so hard. The cool part of seeing how Abby loves is it is because she is literally so close with Jesus. Her love comes for the most perfect love.
