1. The questions that no world racers have the answers too.
How was your trip?
These 9 months will be indescribable. I have just lived life differently and followed the footsteps of the Lord. It is going to be hard to hear that from people who are only making small talk. If you will want to know I will want the chance to sit down and share memories and events with you.
What did you learn?
I have learned an immeasurable amount of things. I have learned spiritual, historical, geographical and more life skills than I ever have.
What was your favorite memory?
this is a super hard one to answer, I have so many fun memories, but I have had more memories on this trip that are normal everyday life learning to adapt to culture and other things.
What is hard?
It was hard it was extremely hard but only somethings were hard. Some were really easy and really good.
Was it fun?
Heck to the Ya it was so fun. But some days we sat through long services in different languages or we sat in our room because it was to hot to go outside.
I love questions and I will love talking for hours about this 9 months of life, but what I am going to love even more is if the questions are specific ( Like what was your favorite food in Malaysia?)
2. Seeing how blessed as Americans we are and how unhappy we are with the things that we have
In all of the countries I have been to I have experienced first hand what poverty is. I have seen how much people have and most of the time the less that they have the happier they are. Going home to America will be hard to see people so unhappy with having A LOT of things. We live in a culture that is never ever satisfied. We always want more than we have and once we get what we wanted it still isn’t enough. It is going to be so hard to listen to the complaints over how bless people are. I pray that when I go home after sleeping on a sleeping pad, in a tent, with minimal clothing options that I never take for granted what a bless life I live.
3. Not having community like I had on the race.
Community at home for me was not a thing. I mean I had a great youth group, and a great church but no one really my age that would point me closer to the Lord. I have been with my current team going on 6 months now, they have pushed me, held me accountable, and always directed me toward the Lord. I have really loved the encouragement and the empowerment. I know that going home it will be so hard to face temptations without them. I am praying that the Lord would lead me in the direction of a community just like my World Race one.
.
4. Living in such a busy world
America is busy. Everyone is always going going going. There is hardly ever time to just sit in silence without your phone going off every 5 minuets, your dog barking, or the T.V. blaring. Africa being the least busy I have learned to just sit and be. I have learned that as a Christian we must take a sabbath and do absolutely nothing. I have learned that while living in community you can say no because simply you need to rest. I am not looking forward to over working myself and wearing myself out easily. I have learned that it is okay to say no, we are humans who require rest and if we aren’t getting that, we will grow weary.
5. Having changed so much, but going back to daily life being the same.
There is so many things that I have already forgotten that I do at home. I have changed so much on the Race. I have changed so much spiritually, that it will be hard going back to the same things. I know that it will be learning how to live this crazy in love with The Lord life at home. I know that I have will have to separate myself more from the things that I let myself fall into before coming. I know that I can and will do it. This isn’t just the end of this radical love I have found in following the Lord it only begins from here.
6. The temptations of falling back into old patterns
I cant say that I was this rebellious crazy teenager, but I can say that I wasn’t always this devoted. I want to be completely honest and say that I let high school, boys, and worldly thing interfere with my relationship with the Lord more than it should have. I for the most part hid a lot of what I was struggling with to make it look like I had life altogether and that my relationship with the Lord was good all of the time. I struggled with finding the perfect balance of being in the world and also in the Word. I never found it because God has called us to be out of the World and so much different. I have learned what it means to be completely surrendered and codependent. I don’t want to live a life of a half surrender, I want to be all in all of the time. It will be hard not wanting to fall back into these things. I have fretted it like a Drug addict coming out of rehab. I know this time that I will have the strength of the Father to carry me.
7. Nobody being able to understand what I went through
I am going to tell people stories, and they aren’t going to be as funny as when it happened. I will have stories and moments that will remind me of when I struggled and no one will get it. It will be difficult to renter without the teammates that went through it all with me. I know that their will be times when no one will get what I am saying. It is going to hard but I know that I will have people who will try and even if they don’t fully understand they will love me enough to act like it.
8. People glamorizing my race
When I first wanted to come, the Race was marketed as this super intense mission trip where you always were happy and doing wild extreme things. Although there has been those moments, there has also been moments not so great. I have learned a whole different meaning to what ministry is. I have had days where I am sitting at the Boarder of Botswana and South Africa playing chess and we called it ministry. I have had days where ministry is almost nothing. It has been intense ( In tents too), but nothing short of ordinary things. I cant say that we made the lame walk, healed the sick, or even brought the gospel every where I went. I am scared that I will go home to people and they will want to know these crazy stories where God showed up, that I will have only little ones. God has showed up, but on the trip I have learned that the little stories account for being big stories, but I know not everyone will understand that.
9. Leaving my family all across the World.
So far I have said goodbye to two parts of the World. I said goodbye to a great host and his family in Guatemala, and The best family in Malaysia. I have made lifelong friendships throughout. Although I have promised to return to Malaysia I don’t know when. It has been hard leaving people that you don’t know of the chances you have of seeing them again. It has been hard to see how they are enslaved to cultural customs and how they have to live and endure that forever. It is hard to leave people behind to go to better being free in America.
10. People not really understanding that I am the same person but how changed I am.
I know it will be hard when friends will want to do the same things that we did before. It will be hard to relay how changed I really am. I know that it will just be a matter of being vocal about things that are different and letting people see my heart.
These are the bittersweet things about coming home. I know it’s time to recharge see my family and take on a new chapter of life. I am so ready to be home and I know the day will be here before I know it. I will finish strong!
1. The questions that no world racers have the answers too.
How was your trip?
These 9 months will be indescribable. I have just lived life differently and followed the footsteps of the Lord. It is going to be hard to hear that from people who are only making small talk. If you will want to know I will want the chance to sit down and share memories and events with you.
What did you learn?
I have learned an immeasurable amount of things. I have learned spiritual, historical, geographical and more life skills than I ever have.
What was your favorite memory?
this is a super hard one to answer, I have so many fun memories, but I have had more memories on this trip that are normal everyday life learning to adapt to culture and other things.
What is hard?
It was hard it was extremely hard but only somethings were hard. Some were really easy and really good.
Was it fun?
Heck to the Ya it was so fun. But some days we sat through long services in different languages or we sat in our room because it was to hot to go outside.
I love questions and I will love talking for hours about this 9 months of life, but what I am going to love even more is if the questions are specific ( Like what was your favorite food in Malaysia?)
2. Seeing how blessed as Americans we are and how unhappy we are with the things that we have
In all of the countries I have been to I have experienced first hand what poverty is. I have seen how much people have and most of the time the less that they have the happier they are. Going home to America will be hard to see people so unhappy with having A LOT of things. We live in a culture that is never ever satisfied. We always want more than we have and once we get what we wanted it still isn’t enough. It is going to be so hard to listen to the complaints over how bless people are. I pray that when I go home after sleeping on a sleeping pad, in a tent, with minimal clothing options that I never take for granted what a bless life I live.
3. Not having community like I had on the race.
Community at home for me was not a thing. I mean I had a great youth group, and a great church but no one really my age that would point me closer to the Lord. I have been with my current team going on 6 months now, they have pushed me, held me accountable, and always directed me toward the Lord. I have really loved the encouragement and the empowerment. I know that going home it will be so hard to face temptations without them. I am praying that the Lord would lead me in the direction of a community just like my World Race one.
.
4. Living in such a busy world
America is busy. Everyone is always going going going. There is hardly ever time to just sit in silence without your phone going off every 5 minuets, your dog barking, or the T.V. blaring. Africa being the least busy I have learned to just sit and be. I have learned that as a Christian we must take a sabbath and do absolutely nothing. I have learned that while living in community you can say no because simply you need to rest. I am not looking forward to over working myself and wearing myself out easily. I have learned that it is okay to say no, we are humans who require rest and if we aren’t getting that, we will grow weary.
5. Having changed so much, but going back to daily life being the same.
There is so many things that I have already forgotten that I do at home. I have changed so much on the Race. I have changed so much spiritually, that it will be hard going back to the same things. I know that it will be learning how to live this crazy in love with The Lord life at home. I know that I have will have to separate myself more from the things that I let myself fall into before coming. I know that I can and will do it. This isn’t just the end of this radical love I have found in following the Lord it only begins from here.
6. The temptations of falling back into old patterns
I cant say that I was this rebellious crazy teenager, but I can say that I wasn’t always this devoted. I want to be completely honest and say that I let high school, boys, and worldly thing interfere with my relationship with the Lord more than it should have. I for the most part hid a lot of what I was struggling with to make it look like I had life altogether and that my relationship with the Lord was good all of the time. I struggled with finding the perfect balance of being in the world and also in the Word. I never found it because God has called us to be out of the World and so much different. I have learned what it means to be completely surrendered and codependent. I don’t want to live a life of a half surrender, I want to be all in all of the time. It will be hard not wanting to fall back into these things. I have fretted it like a Drug addict coming out of rehab. I know this time that I will have the strength of the Father to carry me.
7. Nobody being able to understand what I went through
I am going to tell people stories, and they aren’t going to be as funny as when it happened. I will have stories and moments that will remind me of when I struggled and no one will get it. It will be difficult to renter without the teammates that went through it all with me. I know that their will be times when no one will get what I am saying. It is going to hard but I know that I will have people who will try and even if they don’t fully understand they will love me enough to act like it.
8. People glamorizing my race
When I first wanted to come, the Race was marketed as this super intense mission trip where you always were happy and doing wild extreme things. Although there has been those moments, there has also been moments not so great. I have learned a whole different meaning to what ministry is. I have had days where I am sitting at the Boarder of Botswana and South Africa playing chess and we called it ministry. I have had days where ministry is almost nothing. It has been intense ( In tents too), but nothing short of ordinary things. I cant say that we made the lame walk, healed the sick, or even brought the gospel every where I went. I am scared that I will go home to people and they will want to know these crazy stories where God showed up, that I will have only little ones. God has showed up, but on the trip I have learned that the little stories account for being big stories, but I know not everyone will understand that.
9. Leaving my family all across the World.
So far I have said goodbye to two parts of the World. I said goodbye to a great host and his family in Guatemala, and The best family in Malaysia. I have made lifelong friendships throughout. Although I have promised to return to Malaysia I don’t know when. It has been hard leaving people that you don’t know of the chances you have of seeing them again. It has been hard to see how they are enslaved to cultural customs and how they have to live and endure that forever. It is hard to leave people behind to go to better being free in America.
10. People not really understanding that I am the same person but how changed I am.
I know it will be hard when friends will want to do the same things that we did before. It will be hard to relay how changed I really am. I know that it will just be a matter of being vocal about things that are different and letting people see my heart.
These are the bittersweet things about coming home. I know it’s time to recharge see my family and take on a new chapter of life. I am so ready to be home and I know the day will be here before I know it. I will finish strong!
