Uganda
- Favorite Memory: Meeting up with Caleb, my younger brother, for the first time in 7 months.
- Biggest Challenge: Wanting to change things and lacking the resources. It is hard not to compare life in Africa with life in America. Teaching styles are different and the school day is not the same. My job was to do what was asked of me and to do what was best for the kids in that situation.
- Character Highlight: Pastor Joseph and Mama Freida. Both of these believers blew my mind away with how they serve. Pastor is a gentle man that loves children and wakes up at 5:30am just to drive them to school. Mama wakes up just as early to cook breakfast for them. Love radiates from this couple as they continually disciple the young people around them.
- Best Food: Rolex or “roll eggs”. An omelet wrapped in chapatti (tortilla type thing).
- Worst Food: Avocado. I’m just not a fan.
- Random WR Moment: One afternoon a church member asked us to come and burn some witchcraft items that belonged to her late husband. When we arrived we were disappointed to find out that they’d already been burned, but we were able to share encouraging words and pray for her and her children.
- What I’ll miss: Fellowship with the people of Christ Ambassadors Church. Between the translators, worship leaders, Bible study leaders and other church members, there were many friendships made and lots of laughter all month long.
- Ministry of the month: Teaching at Champion’s Christian School, preaching, home cell Bible study groups, house visits and evangelism.
- Spiritual Lesson/Revelation: More understanding of the Greatest Commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your soul,” is a command that is the best thing for us. It’s for our good that we love the Lord because he’s the only one that satisfies our soul.
- Prayer Requests: Strength and support for Pastor Joseph and Mama Frida as they direct Champions Christian Primary School and Christ Ambassadors Church.
Rafting the Nile
Team photo shoot on the porch
Caleb came to visit in Mukono
Thailand
- Favorite Memory: Talking about Jesus with Rika* on the steps of a Buddhist temple.
- Biggest Challenge: Observing at close proximity a culture where it is acceptable to sell women’s bodies. The twisted mindset and sick traditions are so engrained in this place that seeks to please the tourist that it’s suffocating.
- Character Highlight: Rika*, my sweet friend from the bar who desperately needs Jesus.
- Best Food(s): Banana smoothies, Banana/chocolate Rotee and Pad Thai (noodle dish).
- Worst Food: Silkworm
- Random WR Moment: Finding an advertisement on Wednesday for a 5k that happened 3 days later and deciding to run. We grabbed a taxi to a general location, not even having the real address and bummed a ride with an Australian missionary family on the way home!
- What I’ll miss: My girls – Doi, Puhn, Gaye and Rika.
- Ministry of the month: Bar ministry and intercessory prayer
- Spiritual Lesson/Revelation: Jesus is the conquering hero. The victory belongs to Him and Satan has no power when we pray in Jesus’ name.
- Prayer Requests: Loi Kroh road (bar street) and the women and men who go there to find satisfaction but end up more empty and replete.
Riding an elephant with Anne and Stephanie
Saying goodbye to my good friend, Rika.
Malaysia
- Favorite Memory: The night my teammates brought me a chocolate cupcake from the 7-11 and put together a video for my birthday because we were in the middle of the rainforest with limited ways to celebrate!
- Biggest Challenge: We moved around constantly, like every 2-3 days. There was little time to get to know people and it was a bit tiring for the team to be on the go so much.
- Character Highlight: Eli, the Mexican missionary that we met while in Gua Musang. She lives by faith and loves to serve the Lord regardless of tough circumstances. Her faith and gentle spirit will stick with me. Also, she has a crazy sense of humor that I was immediately drawn to!
- Best Food: It’s a tie between the homemade Fajitas and salsa and the banana crepe’s at Eli’s house! She’s a fantastic cook even though she only has one hot plate to work with.
- Worst Food: A pasty/chewy substance that I have yet to identify. The villagers said it was made of wheat and it was wrapped in banana leaves.
- Random WR Moment(s): Driving with our pastor down to check out the caves nearby. We climbed up scary ladders and explored inside for a while. Also, having a movie marathon with the team because the boys were appalled that some of us girls had never seen The Matrix movies!
- What I’ll miss: The sense of adventure. Even though it was tiring constantly moving and seeing new scenery was cool. We slept on concrete, bamboo, plywood and were surrounded by jungle, palm trees, rubber trees, mountains and streams. Malaysia is a beautiful country.
- Ministry of the month: Moving from village to village for preaching, kids’ ministry and Bible studies.
- Spiritual Lesson/Revelation: Attitude is everything. When you say that you’re tired, you feel tired. The team had a phrase for a while, “I’m over it.” Thankfully, we realized the weight of our words and thoughts and were able to give them to the Lord and ask for His strength to overcome our struggles.
- Prayer Requests: Pray for Eli as she continues to reach out to the villagers in Malaysia and as she boldly shows the love of Christ to her Muslim neighbors and friends.
Dinner with the team and Eli
Duck, duck, goose with some kids in the village
Cambodia
- Favorite Memory: After all the water balloons were busted in our water war with the kids at Teen Challenge, I dumped a huge bucket of water on the youngest and smallest boy. In a few minutes he was coming at me, struggling under the weight of the bucket, but wearing a huge grin. He completely doused me and ran off giggling hysterically. That moment filled my heart with joy and my clothes with tons of hot dirty water.
- Biggest Challenge: Translation. Period. We had one good translator that was occasionally available, but often working with another team. When we taught we had to adapt the lessons to be able to get the point across well. Games worked well when the team acted them out first if we had no translator.
- Character Highlight: A younger boy from Teen Challenge (names are not allowed to be shared for privacy). He had the cutest dimples and big smile. He is fearless as he dives into the muddy lake to save the volleyball. He is fully of personality as he break dances for us or does handstands all over the place. He’s a good kid J
- Best Food: The pineapple and beef dish that’s served with rice and soy sauce. The ladies in the kitchen made a lot of good food for us!
- Worst Food: I tried a lotus berry once that wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was different with a weird aftertaste.
- Random WR Moment: Running into another World Race team from a different squad that moved in next door to us! Later we may have sent a friendly water balloon over to show our WR bond, but that’s another story.
- What I’ll miss: The boys here at TCC. Sometimes they can be a handful, but they’re so adorable and I grew to really love them.
- Ministry of the Month: Teaching and playing games with the boys at the Teen Challenge Farm.
- Spiritual Lesson/Revelation: Trials are welcome when they bring you closer to Christ. He doesn’t promise easy things, but he does promise to be with you and help you persevere in the tough things.
- Prayer Requests: Pray that the boys learn more in their education both at school and in church. Pray that their ears and eyes are open to hear and see that what the Lord has for them is so much better than life on the streets.
One of many beautiful sunsets displaying God's glory over Cambodia
Group picture with the amazing guys at Teen Challenge Takeo
Philippines
- Favorite Memory: Shopping with my teammate Stephanie at the local market. We made a day of it and I enjoyed spending time with her.
- Biggest Challenge: Restlessness. There are many opportunities to serve here in any avenue you could imagine: children’s home, birthing center, teenage girls’ home, street kids ministry, sports ministry, reading to children, construction projects, feeding programs and about anything else you see a need for and want to help with. Being tired physically and distracted mentally, some days it was tough to take the initiative and get going with a particular task. I found that anytime I chose a place and decided to be all there (mentally as well), the Lord blessed my time there.
- Character Highlight: Joy, a 20-year-old girl who has a passion for the Lord and lives to bring Him glory. She sings with the praise band, tells her friends about Christ and helped our team with some of the trash dump outreaches. I can see the Spirit living and working in her every day.
- Best Food: Ate’ (Ah-tay) Maloo’s Lasagna. We had it one night and everyone went crazy. The best lasagna, salad and garlic bread I’ve had in a while…I think it was the fact that it was covered in cheese (a luxury on the Race).
- Worst Food: Some strange white crunchy vegetable that I only took two bites of.
- Random WR Moment: Going to work in the nursery at the children’s home down the street. I told two kids that my name was Hannah and they both argued with me. They kept saying “no!” Finally I found out that there was a toddler named Hannah as well. After a few visits we reached a compromise and they allowed me to be “big Hannah”.
- What I’ll miss: The ladies in the spa and their amazing massages, facials and pedicures!
- Ministry of the Month: Construction – painting and building shelves, feeding programs in needy communities, playing basketball, visiting children's homes and a home for teen girls.
- Spiritual Lesson/Revelation: Take one day at a time. The Lord is faithful to bring about what He's promised when you're ready. Don't be anxious about the future and miss the present.
- Prayer Requests: KIM (Kid's International Ministries) and all the volunteers that come through this awesome organization.
Sarah and I found robot earrings at the market. Sometimes you just have to be spontaneous!
Manny rides Maximus
Last team picture before Mike had to leave. I'm gonna miss these guys.
Thanks again for being part of this incredible journey. Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we head out to the airport for the last time. I can promise you all one more travel blog and hopefully a video for the Philippines. I haven't decided whether I'll keep blogging after the Race, but thank you for reading all of these thoughts of mine over the past 11 months. I appreciate all of my supporters, readers, prayer warriors, friends and family. Can't wait to give out some big hugs back in NC next week.
