Here we are, at the end of month of our time in Indonesia, and my team is getting ready to be changed.. woah! So, I thought that I would write a blog in honor of that. Team changes mean that we will be switching things up a bit, and we all will be getting placed with different people on the squad for the next few months on the race. Am I ready? Yeah, I think so. Is it kind of weird because it marks the end of a portion of the race, and yet the beginning to another? Yep! The time has really flown by, and this honestly puts it into perspective a bit for me. I have done life, and not just any life, but a crazy..wild.. and weird life with these people for the last 5 months.. It’s been a dense roller coaster ride of emotion, both good, bad, easy, and hard.
I’ve learned how to grow with a group of people that I started out knowing truly nothing about, and have grown to love them in the process. There have been a lot of real life struggles that we have experienced together. There were some days where I just had a really bad attitude about them, and towards them because of my own insecurities, as well as the normal disagreements, and wear and tear that come with putting 6, very different women together in up close and personal community for an extended period of time. I won’t lie to you and tell you that it was always peachy, and that I always felt like I was on cloud nine in this wonderful sisterhood of the traveling backpackers the entire time. That’s just simply unrealistic. I will tell you this, it has been a battle at times to really CHOOSE love, even when I have felt empty at times. That’s what love is, I’ve learned. It isn’t simply loving those who are “easy to love”, or who always choose you or love you back the way that you need. Love in community is about fighting for your sisters because that’s what true, unselfish love is.
I am learning to stand up and no matter what, decide to recognize times where humility is necessary, as well as when it’s necessary to stand up for yourself and guard the heart and truth about myself. In a sense, it’s like a marriage, (not that I have ever been married, but from what I can imagine). Not every day will be glamorous, but love is just as much a choice as it is an emotion that you feel. I am writing this only to explain to you all that I am so thankful for my team, and the friendships that we have built together. To be real, these women are always going to hold a dear place in my heart, and loving them and being loved by them has been an honor. With all this talk of the things that I have learned about loving even in difficult times, we have also truly built some amazing memories. It has been such a rewarding time being with, and loving team “Diamonds”.
Some of my favorite memories with them…
-While living in Mozambique with Sybil, waking up every morning, eating our baguettes with peanut butter and drinking our coffee together. Honestly the simplicity in doing that together every morning before ministry made me so happy.
-While in Xia Xia, Mozambique in our really creepy house that we stayed in, all piling in together in one room, cuddling with Kirsty and watching a movie together. Movies, cuddles, and being slightly terrified in a strange house together.. it was fabulous. Not to mention, that we had spaghetti that night and a really great bonding conversation over dinner.
-Walking home from our care point in Swaziland together in the monsoon rainfall, and being completely covered in mud together. Good times..honestly there was something so exhilarating about that..
-Driving in Jermaine (one of our air bnb host’s) car around Kuala Lumpur and blasting music (of all genres..since all our music tastes are all over the board), and dancing and singing together. Not to mention that our stomachs were full of ALL the foods. Malaysia was the top dog when it comes to food on the race, and DJ JD (Jermaine) knew just where to take us.
-Figuring out from nothing, a plan to teach English to the kids in Madagascar. It felt so amazing to start from nothing, and to put all of our heads together to come up with a lesson plan, and song for the kids. We learned that when 6 heads are put together, magic can happen. Seeing the kids actually learn and take something from it made us all so happy too.
-SURFING with Naomi ! THAT was amazing, and her deciding to come with, and experience it with me, made it that much more amazing!
-Getting to witness and be a part of a healing with Naomi and Kirsty. It was something that I don’t think any of us will ever forget. (See other blog).
-Piling all 6 of us, and all of our luggage into one Uber van several times in Bali.. talk about up close and personal.. lol.
-Cinco de Mayo party at Mexicola resturaunt here in Bali! That night will forever be one of my favorite nights with us. It was so much fun, and most of them let me do their makeup (winged eyeliner and all !) I loved just getting to cut loose a bit and watch them all just have a great time unapologetically.
-All of our time together spent encouraging each other, crying together, listening to each other, and having hard conversations of vulnerability. Like I said, not all of it was always sunshine and roses, but those real conversations…they meant everything, and we all bonded through them every single time. Vulnerability and rawness is where it’s at peeps!
-Staying together in some pretty sketchy hostels in Asia. Dark alleyways, rats.. or..SOMETHING on the roof all night.. bloody tissues on couches..lol no big deal! Together we made living on 5 dollar a day accommodation work, and we did it with hardly any psychotic breaks. Yay us! Lol the adventure made it fun.
-Watching Kirsty get carried over a huge rain puddle by this random man in Chokwe, Mozambique who thought she needed help! LOL
-Painting the school together in the blazing hot sun and seeing all of the work come to life in Mozambique.
-Having our first meal together that first day in South Africa debrief after not eating anything really other than baguettes, rice, and beans in Mozambique. Everyone was so ecstatic to be able to drink good coffee. It honestly made me laugh how moved we all were when we had our first sips. Lol! It’s the little things you know…?
-Staying awake in Swaziland to do a prayer watch for the rest of the teams and Nsoko. Just the commitment, and sacrificing our sleep together for our squad and for the country just felt so amazing, and incredibly unifying.
-Cooking meals together in Swaziland, and having onion crying fits, and a dance party to Reliant K in the kitchen while we cleaned. We made our chores fun!
-laughing hysterically and getting beat up by the crazy huge and violent waves in Mozambique with Emily. That girl knows how to laugh!! It was seriously such a blast getting tossed around and then going back for more. I didn’t realize it was possible to be covered in that much sand… lol
-Our “dates” with each other. We learned that we have to take separate time out for all of us as individuals in order to really deals with personal issues we had with each other, as well as to just strengthen our individual friendships.
-Emily and I eating those AMAZING doughnuts in Seminyak, Bali on our date night…they were amazing guys! (to all my Portland peeps…they were better than “Pips” even…no joke!)
-Our walk through the rice fields and rainforest in Ubud, Bali together with our friends, Larrisa, and Felipe. It was absolutely breathtaking, and everyone loved it. It felt like something out of a movie scene. Kirsty knew literally all of the best places to go in Bali. I also just loved seeing how happy it made her, and to just spend time together as a team with our friends from the hostel.
-Doing a beach photo shoot with Tabitha (one of our squad leaders), in Mozambique the first month. It just was so much fun to get all done up and to go out and pretend to know how to pose together. We are all so awkward…so it worked out lol.
-Being at the Lemur Park in Madagascar, and Em, Naomi, and I getting freaked out and running into SB (another one of our squad leaders ) arms because all of the lemurs in the trees above and around us started growling and screeching really loudly all at the same time! Haha it was seriously so terrifying, and we all looked like such big babies in her arms. Ha I think we each got tears in our eyes we were so terrified lol..
-Staying in the “bee hives” for Emily’s birthday in Swaziland, and just chatting it up and laughing for hours.
-Going together to the family house of a girl who had passed away in Swaziland, and just spending time praying for and showing love to the family. Though it was really difficult, and emotional for all of us, it brought us all together, and bonded us deeper.
Honestly, reflecting on all of these things, and the combination of little moments like these is so bittersweet. I am so thankful for the first months on the race, and for getting to do it with these ladies. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am so so grateful to have experienced all that I have with them, and yet am ready for what these last months on the race will bring..let’s go!!
Hey guys, side note.. please PLEASE donate. I am still 5,000 short of my final deadline. Anything helps!! Thank you so much to all of you who have been following this journey!
