It would be really easy for me to only tell the happy stories about the World Race. It would be easy to only mention the adventures and the crazy things I am eating and what God is doing in my life, my squad mates lives and the countries we are ministering in.
But when I decided to go on the Race I knew that it was going to be anything but easy. I decided to tell not just the happy stories, but the stories about the days when life on the Race just sucks. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change this opportunity for anything. If I had to choose between 1,000 incredible days at home or one bad day on the Race, I would absolutely choose the Race. I know wholeheartedly that this is where I am supposed to be and I wouldn’t give that up for anything.
I am currently living in Uyuni, Bolivia. It is a town in the middle of no where by the largest salt flats in the world. It is in the middle of the sandy desert and it is the dead of winter. When we got off the bus here it was 12 degrees. Chilly. But the sunshine is absolutely perfect. I haven’t seen my toes in days and if I only have on one long sleeve shirt, I consider it hot outside.
The last two days have been really, really hard. I woke up yesterday morning with an upset stomach and some horrific diarrhea (with a toilet that only flushes when you pour a bucket of water into it). Yay. So, we headed off to begin ministry for the day. First up was manual labor. I had to sit by the side and not do anything because I was feeling so miserable. I felt completely useless and wanted to be out there swinging a pick ax with the best of them. After about an hour my head began to pound and I got really dizzy. So Sarah, a wonderful friend who also wasn’t feeling well decided we were going home and that I was going to bed. I slept the rest of the day, minus Spanish lessons and team time that night.
I fully expected that I would wake up this morning feeling better and ready to work. So it was a big disappointment when I woke up at 5am with a pounding headache and feeling nauseous. When I finally got out of bed it became very clear that I was not okay. I was FREEZING even as I sat in the sunshine and talked with my team leader, Casey. She asked me how I feel about doctors and I said I don’t really like to go to them. But she told me that I should go and I didn’t put up a fight, which is pretty rare. That in itself should tell you how awful I was feeling.
So Casey, Mary Chandler (Rak Chazak’s leader and one of the fluent Spanish speakers) and I headed to the hospital. Oh and we walked there, so that was fun. On the walk I looked at Casey and told her I was about to puke. (Who knew those American Airline barf bags we all took for altitude sickness would actually come in handy?!) So literally in the middle of town we stopped so I could puke. It was great. I also carried my used barf bag with me for ten minutes because there were no trashcans. Life at that moment was a mess, but a funny mess. We kept laughing about it and created my new life hash tags: #barfinginBolivia and #upchuckinginUyuni.
So we got to the hospital and didn’t have to wait very long before I was seen. It cost me less than $1 to be seen. Crazy. The doctor told me that I have an intestine infection (Thus #intestineinfection was born). He prescribed medicine, told me to eat bland food and we were off. My medicine cost me $6 total. Yay for cheap third world countries!
So we started the mile walk home and I quickly became exhausted. We stopped for crackers and when we got home I was asleep almost immediately. Today hasn’t been fun. I have either been in pain, cold or asleep. There were many times that I wished I could be at home in my big bed, under blankets instead of in a sleeping bag, having my
sweet momma take care of me.
But I am not home, I am in Uyuni, Bolivia and the Lord has been teaching me a lot the last two days. He has been teaching me that it is okay to rely on my fabulous teammates for help, that they won’t love me any less because I have been in bed for two days instead of doing ministry. He has been showing me, through them, what selfless love looks like. Whether that was through someone carrying my heavy bag on the walk to the hospital, rubbing my back as I puke, filling up my water bottle or making me laugh so I don’t cry. These people have made the last two days so much better.
So that is my not so happy story about puking in Bolivia, hospital visits and poop. Though it hasn’t been a fun 48 hours, it has been good. I would rather puke on the streets of Uyuni while being exactly where the Lord wants me over being warm and comfortable in my bed in Little Rock, Arkansas.
