One of the things that I am most excited about regarding the World Race and most challenged by is the idea of living so simply for such a long period of time. But this is something that the Lord has been calling me to for awhile. I desire so much to live with less but it has taken something as drastic as the World Race for me to actually do something about it. The added level of difficulty to this is that I am a pack-rat. I save lots of my clothes and trinkets and things that I think will be useful to me in the future but the problem is it starts piling up and taking up space that needs to be free. I know that I have too much and so lately in preparation for the World Race but also for my own general well-being I have been simplifying. Yesterday I got rid of about half of my clothes. I feel free of so much clutter even though my wardrobe is a little more restricted than it was before. But the tradeoff is worth it. Now I can spend less time deciding what to wear. I can spend less time sorting laundry and more time living rather than being caught up caring for my stuff. And that is really the point. Time. Energy. Knowing where my treasure is. Is it in my closet? my house? or unseen things?
When it came down to it, I honestly didn’t realize how much I had. I brought every piece of clothing I owned into the living room and was really disgusted at how much I owned and how amazingly little I actually wore on a regular basis.
For the next 11 months I will be learning how to be a lot more simple. I am looking forward to embracing what lessons there are to be learned in having less. Maybe if my hands are empitied of all these things that culture tells me are important than I will find value in what is REAL and when I come home I will know how to happily live with a lot less so that I can live a lot more. 
Here is a picture of the large pile of clothes that I no longer own.
Hallelujah!
“…having food and clothing and with these we shall be content.”
– 1 Timothy 6:8
