Well here I am, down to days until I return home. With this crazy adventure coming to a final close, it is inevitably a time of reflection.
In this blog I want to explain to you why I chose to go on the World Race’s first ever ALL Spanish Route and how God confirmed within my last month on the race that I heard his voice clearly and correctly.
First, we need to back up to shortly after I got accepted to the World Race. When I initially saw the option of the ‘New all Spanish Route’ my heart jumped. Diving into a culture and language for an entire year and being a part of pioneering a brand new route. More adventure on top of an adventure? Right up my alley.
However, as the time progressed and I read more blogs from past racers, seeing their pictures of them exploring Europe, videos of the Great Wall of China and stories of tribes in Africa. I began questioning if I made the right choice. Was Latin America where I wanted to go? Was being in the same culture all year going to be fun enough? Was I going to regret passing up on the opportunity to ride an elephant in Thailand? So I started praying. In all honestly, I was hoping for a clear sign that I should switch to a different route.
They say God answers with either ‘yes, no, or maybe’, and this time around he clearly answered me with a sobering, no. He brought me to the point of asking myself, ‘If I switched routes, what would be my motivation?’ to reach the people of those countries? Or to see more of the world and cross things off my bucket list? Now I’m not saying that is the reason people go on those routes at all. I’m saying that if I had switched, that would have been my main reason.
I came to the realization that I am an extremely relational person. If I was going to go on a year long mission trip, my focus had to be on what was most important. The people. So God brought me to the decision that I needed to be in the same culture the whole race. I needed to be around the same language all race. I decided that although at that moment I knew absolutely no Spanish, if by my last few months on the race I could know enough Spanish to speak to someone about God and tell them how much Jesus loves them. Or carry on a conversation with them to make them feel special and wanted, without a translator, then it was worth it to me.
Bringing us back to the present, God brought it all full circle with an in-my-face confirmation. I have been at a conversational level of Spanish for a few months now, but because I have been around it all year it has become normal to me. Temptation began sneaking in again with seeing other squads pictures from all different cultures and I started doubting my choice. I hadn’t thought much about how far my Spanish had come and why I had chosen the Spanish route, until the other day.
Our ministry this month is visiting the 270 widows in our town and the surrounding towns. We clean their wood burning stoves, give them glasses, listen to their stories, talk with them, and pray with them. It has been a great relational month full of emersion in the indigenous culture. We usually visit the houses with groups of about 6 people and there is always a fluent Spanish speaker with us. So they naturally fall into the translator roll. The other day however, on a spur of the moment decision it was just me and one of my squad mates sent to a house alone. Neither of us were fluent so I knew that I was in the deep-end without my arm floaties. If I wanted to talk to this woman, I had to talk, in Spanish.
As I was walking back from the widow’s house I felt so much peace. I felt God reminding me that THAT was why I chose the all Spanish route. I had just talked to that woman for 20 minutes in Spanish. Asking about her life, hearing her story, answering her questions for us, and encouraging her in her relationship with Christ. That is why I wanted to go on this specific route, to hopefully accomplish that kind of personal connection. And by God’s grace, I got there.
God has also, through the progression of this trip, given me a passion for this language. I am going to pursue Spanish classes when I get home and whatever else I need to do to get me to the point of being able to go as a translator with mission teams from the States to Latin America. I don’t want to only benefit and minister to the Spanish speaking community but equally as important, I want to use interpreting to help the English speaking community as well. Some of the most influential people on my race for me have been the people translating for me and without them I would have missed countless lessons and experiences with the locals. I want to be a part of bridging the gap between Spanish and English that I have been fighting against since January. There is so much encouragement and hope that English speakers can bring to the Spanish culture and there is also, in turn, a tremendous amount of wisdom and contentment that the Spanish community can share with mission teams and I want to be a part of colliding those two cultures.
If I had the chance to go back and do it over again, I would choose the all Spanish route ten times over.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but it will always appear that way if you never allow yourself the chance to take your eyes off the yard next door, and see the blossoming flowers and luscious green grass that your toes are wiggling in right where you are.
