I have been back in America for a week and a half now and have tried my best to begin the process of mentally unpacking the last 11 months of travel. My time back at home has seemed a little normal and also a little strange. Small reminders that I am indeed back in America keep popping up. I am always surprised when a text message comes in and I am not on wifi, long car rides alone always feel a little too quiet with the radio off, toilet paper CAN be flushed, free refills are a thing, ice water comes with no fear of later repercussions, and everywhere I have been people have spoken english (so far).
I have reconnected with family and friends over the last week of Thanksgiving celebrations. Stories of new friends and family from around the globe have been told, questions have been asked, pictures have been shown, and videos have been watched. This time has been sweet, as I am a verbal processor. I have loved sharing the last year of my life with anyone and everyone. I am that proud ‘mom’ showing off my Malawian babies to everyone who asks about my trip.
I don’t know where to begin in thanking each and every person who supported me the year I spent preparing for this trip and the year I spent traveling. I could not have done it without each prayer that was prayed, each encouragement that was spoken or read, and each dollar that was donated. There was not a month that went by where I wasn’t contacted by someone letting me know they had been praying for me or asking how I was doing. This was such a tremendous blessing to me while I was serving around the world. Because of your support I got to sit with widows and make bracelets to sell so they could provide basic food and school needs for their families. Because of your support I got to hold Jim Jim in my arms during movie night at camp. Because of your support I got to tickle Thomas until tears came to his eyes from laughing so hard. Because of your support I got to hold crying babies as we administered 100 malaria tests and then provided medication to the 85 children who tested positive that day. Because of your support I got to preach in Asia, Africa and Europe, sharing the message of Jesus’s love and grace all over the world.
(At the Malawian malaria clinic)
I watched the sunrise almost every day on top of the mountain we lived on in the Philippines and the sunset every night at Lake Malawi. I rode elephants through the Thai jungle, spooned a tiger, chased rhinos through an African game park, pet a water buffalo, tented with termites, hosted lice (twice), rode a donkey in the Bulgarian mahalas, sang to a sheep, and prayed against sharks in the China Sea. I rode the world’s 3rd largest ferris wheel in Vietnam, the world’s sketchiest ferris wheel in Moldova, and in Budapest I rode a ferris wheel that had blue, white and red lights on it in support of Paris. I walked the streets of Thessaloniki and read through 1 & 2 Thessalonians. I ate octopus in the Philippines and pig fat Ukraine. I rode in and on top of jeepneys, tuk tuks, taxis, mini busses, planes, trains, trollies, motos, bicycles, ferries, subways, metros, and buses. I felt like Indiana Jones at Angkor Wat and I pretended to be Steve Irwin on a safari in Botswana. I taught english to students who were anywhere from 4 years old to 47 years old. And I zip lined from Zambia to Zimbabwe and then jumped off a bridge, free falling 330 feet before swinging out over the waters freshly deposited from the biggest waterfall in the world.
This year has had its fair share of numbers. Months commonly referred to as January, February, March… became Month 1, Month 2, Month 3… I also had to learn how to convert everything. Growing up in America — the land of the miles and the home of Fahrenheit — is not like growing up anywhere else on earth. Here are some fun numbers I calculated about my year:
15 countries traveled to
41 beds slept in
7 trains
12 planes
6 subways
3 boats
32 buses
323 days from start to finish (January 6 – November 25)
This year has been full. Full of stories, and memories, and people. People I hope to never forget. People who have touched my life in ways they will never know. Thank you for joining me on this thing.
With Love,
Shelby
Ps: I haven’t forgotten about the Ukraine video in the 11 video series. I am working on the final edits. Also I plan to post 1-2 last blogs after the Ukraine video. Stay tuned to hear what I am doing next.
