The ending.
Well, if you ask any world racer they'll tell you it's "the beginning". This is the end of traveling the
world with 50 strangers, who became family, to 20 countries. Where is my mind? I don't know where my mind is and all I can pray is that this isn't the last time I travel the world on a whim for Jesus. Here's random days throughout the year..hope you get a kick out of it like I do.
Ireland
July 17th: Painting an 80-year old woman's house that goes by the name of Nelly. Her asking us to paint a different room daily so we'll come coming by and so she can make us tea in her cobweb filled tea cups. I love her.
July 20th: Playing baseball in the backyard and being chased by cows. Making homeade pizzas in brickovens and celebrating birthdays with the church that became family
Ukraine
August 7th: Feeding the homeless widows in Ukraine. Hannah and I sitting down with the most beautiful pale skinned, blue eyed, giant dimpled woman in the world. Her sharing a story of how she grew up on her own from the age of 14 and survived on her own her whole life..her one bit of advice? We're young so remember to love one another and treat people right..oh, and look for emeralds in India.
August 21st: Asking God to make it rain on a sunny day so it would fill the rock quarry where I would get baptized….He made it pour.
Moldova
September 21st: Daring Julia to stomp in rain puddles the size of the nile river on the way to get coffee.
September 23rd: Heath surprising us girls to dress up in our finest and taking us to the most beautiful stringed quartet I've ever attended in my life. Being asked to go to a village to help rebuild parts of the orphanage.
Kenya
October 10th: Exhausted from poor sleeping conditions and dreams of the tarantula coming back to life. Pastor sending us to three different schools to share the gospel…FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN ELECTRICITY IN TEN DAYS! In the middle of preaching in Kenya, it starts to rain..and not just rain, but hail! Giant ice cubes begin to run from the sky as every person in sight runs for cover.
October 23rd: Diane found out the hard way she was allergic to passion fruit. Grabbed a bucket from the river and took a shower behind the sticks of sugarcane..this is your privacy. Pastor canceled ministry so we decided to treat the women who make us our meals by serving them chocolate, singing them you are my sunshine, and washing their feet. If the world could have 1/100th the size heart as those women..we'd be in a lot better shape.
Tanzania
November 9th: Hung out in the morning on our front porch overlooking Lake Victoria playing the guitar. Children from all over come to play and teach me Swahili and attempt to play the guitar with me. Went to teach a seminar with the Pastor and came home to mice running all over our room..go figure. Decided to sit in prayer for the night and pray for another, when low and behold, an angel shows up (get used to this racers).
November 22nd: Woke up to a throbbing pain in my pinky toe…come to find out, part of it is 'dead' (I stubbed it in Lake Victoria..the dirtiest body of water in the world..and stepped on it). Had to be taken to the hospital on Thanksgiving to get part of my pinky toe cut off..in Africa (yes, it hurts as bad as it sounds). Brightside, I had Thanksgiving dinner after the loss of my toe, mmmmmmashedpotatoesmmmm. (Update: miracles do happen. God grew my toe back in Lake Malawi).
Mozambique
December 12th: Megan and I went to an all mens prison to preach and worship. As we cross by the security guards with machine guns and they pat us down, they then let us in. We walk into the courtyard with and ask anyone to join in with us and three men were saved that day. Finding Him in the least of these.
December 15th: Bryan, Diane, Charlie, Megan, and I go to the village a bit away with plans of making a fun day for the kids. We set up a speaker and shout that if you can hear this, come. 250+ kids come running from all over to get their nails painted, faces painted, chase chickens (legit game..you catch it..you eat it), and gave out candy. Ministering to them and the witch doctors through relationships and love. Later that night went playing in the mud with Lauren and Diane..quality nights.
Nepal
January 20th: I'm freezing. I live in the mountains outside of Tibet and decide for some reason it will be a cool idea to wash my hair in the river that flows down from China. Diane had to hold my feet so I didn't fall in head first and get taken by the current. Hitch-hiked a ride from a random truck driver to a nearby village to buy snickers. Come home to snuggle up with everyone in our sleeping bags and watch a movie.
January 22nd: Woke up to some more rice for breakfast. Climbed the Himalayan mountains for 3 hours to get someone's house to have fellowship…only two walk 3 hours back down the mountain. The pressure of walking down a mountain slamming my toes into one another and crushing my already cartilage torn knees…I begin to cry.
India
February 9th: Had morning devo at the boarding school for deaf children about Noah's Ark. Made them all into animals and passed out animal silly bands, they were in love. Played basketball with Ashley, Payton, Diane, and the little guys. Later that night was asked if we would watch Sound of Music with them…the could only hear the vibrations of the movie..and they loved it.
February 11th: Taught the kids about David and Goliath and then went out to make little butterflies with the young'ns. Cheered on Ryan, Matt, and Charlie as we watched them play soccer with all of the boys. Went on that night to worship with the kids and let them wave the worship flags. Perfection.
Thailand
March 24th: Going through with the burn that God spoke of and having strangers assure me that, "I'm in line with the spirit." I actually am listening. Being blessed to spend 24 hours with some of the greatest women on H Squad and blessing the new building in the red light district.
March 25th: Walked through the red light district tonight with the whole team. Tonight my girls got to see the horrors of reality when it comes to selling and buying women. Walking through and remembering to pray for the women, build the relationships with the women, and the Johns.
Malaysia
April 6th: Spent some amazing quality time with my new team leader watching the walking dead (thanks KJ). Had class filled with teaching English, more English, and more English..to kids that don't really like English (good combo). Had time at home filled with talking about Isaiah, playing the guitar extremely quiet, and shaved my head..again. While walking to 7/11 with Matt I stepped on a lizard and it pooped on my foot…only in Asia.
April 19th: Hung out in the morning and prepared something to share in my sermon for the night. Left for the jungle and didn't get there until two hours later. Come up to a secluded Indonesian village where you have to cross a log bridge to get to a hidden building, this being where we hold 'service'. Over 30 men come from all direction to hear the word of God in an area where this cannot be discussed. Beautiful.
Cambodia
May 6th: Taught my first preschool class of 15 non-English speaking Cambodians. Screamed everything I said with their best intentions of sounding just like me until we played duck duck goose. The bell rings for class to be finished and they don't run out of the room, but their little lice filled heads come sprinting towards me. Smiles that overwhelm their faces, giggles that muffle any other noise around you, and hands everywhere trying to tickle me…I now have 15 preschoolers that have successfully dog piled me.
May 10th: Had chapel and taught 200+ children the story of Daniel and the lions den. The lions you ask? Were played by the kids…so funny. Kids sang songs nonstop and at the top of their lungs, including gangnam style..of course. Played pass the dictionary with our new Malay doctor friends (the hunk next door) all while baby alligator lizards and bats fly into the room.
