With the many hashtags, wanderer style and hippie intrigue, the World Race has become a bit of a novelty.
You can Google: #11n11, #WorldRace, #coffee, #month(insert number here), #(country name) and you will undoubtedly find a World Racer smiling with a child of another country, looking admiringly about their landscape, a journal, bible and coffee, and of course the famous #sunset along with a bible verse stating God's beauty.
The World Race isn't all about the beautiful picture moments and hashtags. Sometimes it sucks.
Coming into the Race I knew it was going to be hard. That's what people told me: "The World Race is hard. You'll discover who you are."
Me, being a 21 year old me, thought I knew who I was. I had my 'testimony' of how I have seen God work in my life. (Now I laugh at what that was and seeing how God has worked these past 6 months.) I thought I was good at community I mean I preferred to live with people than by myself. I made some lasting friendships with roommates, I sought people out when I needed to and wanted to. I was good at change. I'd has some major transitions in my life with school and family and I always coped well.
I laugh at what I thought.
Never would have moving cities, being immersed in an entirely different world back home than I am used to would have prepared me for culture shock here in Asia. From the food, the smells, the heat, the atmosphere. I was completely unprepared.
This week alone, I have cried more than I have at intense moments of my life. (If we count the whole month, its one of the hardest trials I've been in.)
But that's the beauty of embracing this suck. God is still good. God is still my Papa. I know who I am in Him.
Even if I can't eat any food unless my team personally prepares it because I risk being sick afterward.
God is still good.
Even when I'm in so much pain it hurts to open my water bottle.
God is still good.
Even if I sweat so much I truly don't know what the original color of my shirt is.
God is still good. And He probably doesn't even think I smell.
Even if I feel like I can breathe not only from the smells but from the oppression.
God is still good and Lord of all.
Even if I don't know what's leg sweat (yes there is such a thing) and what might have splashed up from your last trip to a sqauttie pottie.
God is still good.
Even when I cry and I might not know why I'm crying.
God is still good and He's wiping away my tears.
Even when I just want to not.
God is still good and He's right beside me.
Future Racer, current Racer, or person reading this blog, God is still good even when your situation might suck.
Embrace it and go head on with it. Because dinasours will have to be making a comeback if I'm not refined through this suck and turn out better in the end.
Until next time, I'm looking at the silver lining: God is good, He's right beside me, and He doesn't think I smell.
