Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I have no regrets about leaving the World Race early to spend a time with my boyfriend before he deployed to Afghanistan.
It took me two weeks of roundabout travel that spanned approximately 5700 miles and included lots of dancing, fun stops, and friends both old and new, before I finally arrived at my front door.
Now the question that most of you are asking is, “What’s next? Are you done traveling for awhile?” The answer to that is a resounding, “Not yet!” I will be here in Pittsburgh until early July. At that point, I will be moving to San Francisco to work for a few months. Then it’s off to Thailand for a few months to teach English and, hopefully, get involved with some of the Christian organizations in the area as well as have a chance to revisit friends there. Then it’s back to San Francisco to work until my boyfriend returns from his deployment. After that… well it’s up to him and God what happens ^_^
So the biggest things I think I’ve taken away from the World Race –
// living in community with women, getting along with and loving and understanding them
// patience
// unconditional love
// confidence in my identity in Christ instead of in what I do
// honor, respect, obedience, and support of others, especially of those in authority
// an ability and understanding that it is ok to be still and rest
// a lot of awesome new friends
// countless life-changing experiences
