I almost fell off of a freakin' Himalayan Foothill - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

That might be (slightly) exaggerated. But for real. We were all close at least once. It’s exciting.

When you spend a good amount of hours each day trekking through the Himalayan foothills, there are plenty of moments to spend processing. Between either not always having the free oxygen to hash things out with your fellow trekkers, and being surrounded by God’s creation on every side and being awestruck by the fact you are above the freakin’ clouds, it makes internal processing, just you and God even more appealing. 🙂

Some of those thoughts as follows-

God is always good, no matter the circumstances. Always, always, always, Sometimes (usually) the million conveniences of our American culture get in the way of our recognizing our need for God in the same way. I want to strive to grow in having a heart of praise and thanksgiving, and giving the credit and glory where it is due. I have a feeling this will be a common theme of this year.
I cannot do this race or this life on my own. This is true physically- whether or not I get sick from foreign food, water, malaria, break an ankle or cut my foot from trekking primarily barefoot- any and all protection is purely from the grace of God. None of that is truly in my control. That dependency on Him becomes significantly more apparent when you are praying pretty consistently against the multitude of potential threats to your health and well being out of necessity. Prayers go up for every time you stumble on the path and briefly fear tumbling down the mud slide while trekking in the downpour of rain, every time another mosquito bite decorates your skin and you pray against malaria, every bite of foreign food you know was not prepared quite as hygienically as you are used to, but the generosity and servants hearts of the people who prepared it make it more than worth it to eat pumpkin leaves, rice, and mystery meat for the umpteenth time. Every time you step wrong and could potentially twist an ankle, cut your foot, blisters and callouses start to thicken, you thank God that you are not having to carry or be carried. Both injury, or bodies giving out due to not being accustom to hiking the Himalayan foothills as the Nepali are both very real risks.
As I need Him physically, I definitely need Him spiritually. Who I have become, the good experiences and wisdom acquired, the friends and the family, the material possessions and circumstances of my life, are all by His grace. I cannot truly claim my identity as my own. I am who He made me to be. That should not be used as an excuse for our shortcomings, but a reality check when we start to take credit away from where credit is due. This is a pretty incredible life I have had the opportunity to lead.
We need to stop worrying as much about how we appear to others, physically and spiritually. I’ll own that. I need to stop. That generally becomes a source of either pride or shame, and interferes us from engaging with others out of a place that encourages freedom in our own hearts and theirs.
We do not need the million luxuries that we have become accustom to as Americans. While they are certainly nice and can be convenient, they are far from necessary

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We have SO much to learn about being selfless and servants from a fifteen year old girl and our brothers and sisters in villages. We went village to village with the intent to serve and share with them. Quite the opposite occurred. Funny how that always seems to be the case. In one village church service, they brought us forward and honored us with homemade bags and flower necklaces for our long journey. We had literally done nothing to help these people. Talk about a humility check. Beautiful, beautiful people and hearts.
Gotta make getting time with my Beloved a priority. Schedules will constantly be changing, and there are a lot of options as to how to spend my time that could be beneficial… however I can either choose what’s good, or what’s best.
If everyone is waiting on others to invest in them first, you will have a lot of lonely people. Take the first step. Be bold. We all desire to be truly, fully known and be seen and accepted as we are.
Prayer is often “all” we have. We have to stop looking at prayer as the last resort and realize it is our most powerful tool. Nothing will happen if God is not involved. I still cannot save people, as many times as I might try in vain. Those gorgeous, passionate little girls in one of the villages prayed in a way that was seemingly way more faith-filled and passionate than most adults, and Lord knows my prayers for sure. Faith like a child is a treasure, no doubt.
God made a beautiful, self sustaining earth. So easy to forget that when you live in the city or suburbs. He is the giver of good gifts.
God really is sovereign. His will and plan will be accomplished with or without me. It is a privilege to be called to serve Him to be a blessing to the nations and get this opportunity.
If you don’t like particular dynamics, group or otherwise, be the change. Such a simple thought, but so true. Lead by example.
Everyone else’s lives will go on while I am away. That’s just a fact. Even though I will be missed, life continues, thankfully. I would want it no other way.