I think because my life is so crazy these days, I have become jaded to some of the amazing things I get to see and do every single day. I want to name some, ok a FRACTION of them in order to remind myself of God’s faithfulness, and how beautiful life is, and also to make you guys back at home jealous.
Thus far on the world race, I’ve…
- Watched the sunrise over Brooklyn Bridge after spending our 12 hour layover walking the entire night/early morning around NYC.
- Had Wezi Chembe cook spaghetti with actual meatballs for me in the bush.
- Helped dig a well that gave thousands of people fresh water for the first time.
- Climbed the Great wall of China in 10 degree weather, then sang Mulan’s soundtrack hit song, Be a Man
- Attended a legitimate African funeral. Only white person there.
- Bungee jumped off Victoria Falls.
- Straddled the boarder of Zambia and Zimbabwe with each foot.
- Ate s’mores with African preachers. It was their first time.
- Rode barefoot in the back of an open Mercedes tank truck for the majority of my time in Zambia.
- Witnessed Chinese karaoke.
- Saw whales off the shore of Cape Town flopping around in the sun.
- Brought in the New Year laughing and dancing, drinking free beer in a Chinese bar full of people I love so much, who 6 months ago, I had never even seen.
- Attended a kindergarten graduation in Swaziland where all the kids introduced me to their parents as “auntie”.
- Traveled by means of 8 trains, 12 airplanes, two jungle trucks, 4 buses and one very shaky military tanker.. all in the course of 4-month period. In this time, I have racked up over 300 hours of travel. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Saw the point where the Indian Ocean literally collides with the Atlantic. The lyrics about that point need to be put into a Death Cab song or something.
Being on the World Race IS a sacrifice. I miss my family; I miss my brother and sister, I miss my best friend. I sometimes even miss normalcy. But if I pause for even one second to think about how BLESSED I am, and actually count the cost, every sacrifice, every troubled thought, every aching of my heart is worth the price. At this exact moment that I am writing this, I am laying on a hammock surrounded by sugar cane and potato plants in the middle of the Philippine rain forest- the same rain forest where, this weekend, I get to wade through bush and river in order to share with people how much Jesus loves them and how wonderful life really is. All the while, I get unlimited fruit to eat. Unlimited.
I am living the dream.
