It’s easy to think of things we’ll miss from the States while we’re on the field. Taylor White of 2014 K Squad has 11 things she will miss from the field when her Race ends.
There are things I miss from home, and I find myself most often thinking of those things when my living situation on the field is the most difficult. But there are also things about the Race that I have gotten used to having that make me nervous to live without:
1. Accountability: Where would I be without it? Certainly not here! I am grateful for the team that surrounds me and calls me to greater things.
2. Community: Although it does take some getting used to and I have definitely complained about it, living in a community has taught me so much about looking out for each person around me. Being aware of other people’s needs take some of the focus off of yourself.
3. Character Building: I mean seriously, who experiences some of the things I have? “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” has never been more applicable. Try me.
4. The Magic: I have to actively remind myself where I am and what I am doing. It’s not everyday that I get up to run in the morning and it happens to be on a dirt road in Swaziland while the sun is rising. Dodging herds of cows while I run also serves as a great reminder.
*Photo by Nate Hauser
5. Jesus Time: It is going to be hard to go back and remember to carve out time each and every day to spend with Jesus. The thing is, I need this time, and I feel off without it. I have a bad habit of putting that time as the last on the list of my priorities when things start to get busy. It is much easier to find this time on the Race and I am praying that it will translate easily into my routine at home.
6. Sisterhood: I have friends for the rest of my life that I have met on this crazy race and none of them live in Utah. It is going to be so strange to get used to not having sisters around me 24/7.
7. Prayer Default: Whether it be an injury, a feeling, a dream, a hard day, a good day, a sickness, discouragement, cool moments, celebrations, divine conversations/appointments, etc., prayer is the default reaction and action taken. It’s awesome.
8. The Stories: There are so many things that happen each and every day that I get to go home and share with my team.
9. O.M.C.Z.: Out of My Comfort Zone. All the time! Do I even have a comfort zone anymore? I think it ditched me in month 4.
10. Cultures: I have experienced so many different cultures on this Race. The traditions that I have had the chance to be a part of in each country and continent have been so amazing, the food that I have gotten to eat has been interesting, and the social norms have been so different.
For everything I have learned, I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to do it all through experiencing it myself.
11. The Adventure: I’ve had the opportunity to do some awesome things – crazy in the best sort of way: Traveling the world, spreading the Word, working in feeding programs, sports ministry, nursing home care, daycares, children’s homes, orphanages, agriculture, bar/sex trafficking ministry, and more. I have boarded down an active volcano, ridden a horse through African plains, went shark cage diving, bungee jumped off a bridge, ridden an elephant through the jungle, hiked to waterfalls, swam in a volcano crater, canoed through bioluminescent plankton, cliff jumped in Guatemala, took a moped up a mountain, worked out in a Cambodian Olympic stadium, ran a 10k in the dark in the Philippines, and I still have three months to go!
*Top Photo by MK Hill
Is God calling you O.M.C.Z (out of your comfort zone) and onto the World Race? Click here to find your route!
