IT’S BEEN 100 DAYS!
To commemorate being abroad on the World Race for 100 days, my team sat down and created a list of 100 things we’ve learned so far. Hopefully this is a good read for future Racers and for family and friends at home. There’s a lot of Race specific lessons as well as life lessons and funny lessons here so we hope you enjoy!
1. Toilet paper is not normal in Asia – so bring toilet paper everywhere you go!
2. You may actually learn how to squat like a true Asian
3. God made humans in a spiral shape – Things you thought you had dealt with in the past will come up again and again throughout your life and you’ll receive even deeper healing each time around
4. But there is complete healing in Christ and He died to set us free from all that!
5. There is power in “me too”
6. It is possible to go a full week without showering and still look halfway decent
7. Octopus tentacles taste like BBQ
8. You will feel like you’re in the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids when you stand in a forest of banana trees
9. Cambodian Khmer New Year involves water guns, water balloons and baby powder fights
10. It is normal to take 2 or 3 showers a day in Cambodia
11. Don’t ask Vietnamese about politics
12. Saris will take 10 minutes to put on…and you can’t do it by yourself
13. Dogs are everywhere. Some may even become your friend.
14. Stuffing yourself til you have a food baby is common in order to appease and respect your host
15. Don’t come on the Race hoping to lose weight
16. Nail polish is a good cover up to hide the dirt underneath your fingernails
17. Make friends with your tour guide, your taxi or tuk tuk driver, the reception hosts at the hostel you’re staying at
18. Food variety is a privilege in first world countries. Most people in the world are content eating rice for every meal. This will challenge you and make you realize you’re not unlike the Israelites in the wilderness complaining about manna
19. All Christians are called to be missionaries – that is, to live missionally
20. Hearing God’s voice takes practice and a whole lot of patience
21. The Race is not free of distractions…there’s just new distractions
22. Set personal goals for yourself – for the Race, and better yet, for life
23. Even if you prepare to miss out on things at home, there will be new things that pop up
24. You’ll have a newfound respect for all the people who have learned English, because they know more languages than you can speak!
25. Just drinking water and eating fruits and vegetables takes care of a lot of health problems
26. Don’t let first impressions hinder how you walk alongside someone
27. Social media can prevent you from growing your relationship with the Lord
28. Don’t be afraid of fasting from social media. Even if its for one day. Lengthen it to one week.
29. Sometimes you can have the most intimate moments with God while you’re chopping up veggies in an outdoor kitchen in Cambodia
30. Sometimes you just have to “take one for the team”
31. Even if you’re an only child or have never really played team sports, you will learn how to “take one for the team”
32. You’ll learn how to swallow your pride
33. Realize if you ask people from home for letters, paper weighs a lot
34. Whether you have no Christian community or a great community back home, be prepared to live in vulnerability with this particular community because the Lord has great things in store.
35. Every friendship takes time. And fun.
36. No one is perfect on the Race.
37. The Lord will stretch you beyond your current understanding of Him, its okay, let Him stretch you
38. You have to CHOOSE to grow
39. You have to make time with the Lord a priority, even on a missions trip
40. Comparison is real on the Race
41. Create and stick to a budget!
42. You don’t have to say yes to every adventure
43. Health is holistic, to be healthy you have to be healthy physically as well as spiritually and emotionally
44. Ask people (waiters, etc) their names, it makes a difference
45. Make your host your ministry outside of scheduled ministry times
46. Ministry will look different than you expect
47. Practice patience – with your teammates, with yourself, and with your host when ministry isn’t what you think it is
48. Always have a way of tracking your growth that allows you to look back on it
49. Create opportunities for yourself
50. You don’t need as many clothes as you think you do
51. Talk to strangers!
52. Stop and take in the scenery around you with a thankful heart every once in awhile
53. You will be a celebrity in other countries so be prepared for people to take lots of pictures of you (and with you)
54. Don’t get super stressed when plans don’t work out
55. Music connects people without a shared common language
56. Don’t flush your toilet paper down the toilets in Asia!
57. Don’t let your poop sit in the squatty potty, and please don’t make your squad mates have to unclog it for you
58. Try everything once
59. Suck it up and dance in the rain. Your clothes will dry!
60. Just like the smog-covered mountains in Nepal, you know God is always there even when you can’t hear/see Him.
61. “Choosing in” on the World Race can be the hardest but most rewarding thing you can do
62. You’ll become a jack of all trades on the Race
63. God honors bold prayers and bold prayers honor God
64. Sometimes walking 20 minutes in the 100 degree heat and humidity just to get wifi is worth it
65. Living without wifi and living in the moment is actually really refreshing (get off of your electronics and embrace the world around you!)
66. Feed yourself the Word of God when you don’t “need it” so when you DO need it, it will just come out of your mouth.
67. We all have something (gifts) in us that are kingdom-advancing and if we diminish that in ourselves then we are diminishing our impact in the kingdom.
68. “Most of us are still looking at our provision (what our bank statement says) to help us determine our vision, and therefore are living within OUR means instead of HIS blessing.” (Kris Vallotton, “The Supernatural Ways of Royalty”)
69. Teaching the grammar of your native language is just as complicated and confusing as learning a foreign language’s grammar
70. Your body is a lot more capable than you think it is. Your mind is the weak one you have to train.
71. There are so many delicious tropical fruits that I’ve never heard of! And still won’t know the names to.
72. Sometimes you just have to breathe. And take it one day at a time
73. As much as you wish for it, you can’t be in two places at once. The place God has you is the right one.
74. You’ll feel the most alive doing the things that scare you.
75. Ask BEFORE getting to your ministry site if they provide toilet paper
76. Bucket showers aren’t that bad. It may be a struggle if you have long or thick hair though.
77. You learn a whole lot about water conservation by taking bucket showers.
78. Durian is the worst. Don’t allow yourself to get within 10 feet of it. Or you’ll regret it.
79. You’ll need a VPN in Vietnam so you can use words like missionary and ministry on the internet
80. You’ll have a newfound appreciation for American freedoms
81. You’ll have a newfound appreciation for American food and get overly excited about pizza when before it was a staple in your diet
82. The chores you hated doing or refused doing growing up will be chump change to the things you’ll do on the Race
83. Getting to say “I just did that” at the end of something hard makes the whole thing worth it
84. A sleeping pad can actually be more comfortable than a real bed
85. Giving feedback should be a lifestyle.
86. Receiving feedback well without excuses or explanation is tough (and something I’m still working on).
87. Missing things from home doesn’t necessarily mean we want them back
88. Growth in a relationship with God comes from spiritual lows and challenging times, not spiritual highs and mountaintop experiences
89. Staying present will make or break your Race experience, which is a lesson that we also need to learn outside the Race.
90. You don’t need as much as stuff you think you do
91. We’ve finally understood the benefit of vitamins and nutrients for our bodies
92. Raising support for what God has called you to do isn’t a burden but an opportunity for God’s Kingdom to come together and it’s actually a blessing for people to be able to support you
93. Accepting God’s grace and other people’s grace, and giving yourself grace is vital.
94. Be diligent in combating lies and doubt that the enemy will use to try to tear you down.
95. Reflecting back on your redemption story will give you healthy perspective
96. Whether your testimony includes many trials or very few, your story is important and gives glory to God and hope to others. Don’t stop sharing your story!
97. Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is laugh.
98. Letting people into your story can be scary but the accountability that you gain inspires growth on both ends.
99. Working on a farm will give you a newfound appreciation for the food you get the privilege of buying in a grocery store: perspective is a game changer.
100. You most likely won’t end up with the people you currently envision as your “dream team” but let that that expectation go and you’ll realize that the people right in front of you can be made into your dream team!
