While at home a lot of people asked me what being on the field and experiencing many different cultures for 11 months was like. So below is a list compiled of things World Racers struggle with while being on the field. Some may be funnier than others but ALL ARE TRUE.
– Missing Pets (I put missing pets before family and friends because there are countless racers I’ve talked to that say it’s harder being away from that special animal #SorryMom)
– Missing family and friends
– FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) at home
– Lack in variety of food #RiceandBeans #MoreRiceandBeans
– Washing clothes and them coming out dirtier than before. Seriously, someone help me.
– Language barriers. Short story: my last team went to a restaurant and ordered 3 pizzas to split between the 6 of us. The waitress seemed to understand. 20 minutes later we each now have an entire pizza to eat. #HappyAccident #NotAlwaysThough #ShoutoutToM&C
– Living in community. Enough said.
– No AC or fan
– Bucket showers
– No showers (you know who you are)
– Wanting snacks but not wanting to continue spending personal money on snacks
– Wanting to lose weight but also wanting that extra piece of bread
– Sweating yourself to sleep
– Going more than 36 hours with no sleep #TravelDay #CantSleepOnPlanes
– Living out of a backpack
– Finding new norms and schedules each month. When I say new norms I mean getting used to herds of animals walking through a church service while you are trying to preach #India #ShoutoutToMadds
– Being asked to preach at every church you visit. Every. Single. One. #WhatRestDay #LifeIsMinistry
– Feeling gross all the time #ShoutoutToMyself
– Fundraising. Seriously, it sucks asking people for money.
– Not being able to drive anywhere you want at any time you want…unless Swazi. #rental #confessions #sheesh
– Blowing up the toilet and realizing there is no water or toilet paper (imagine dumb and dumber)
– Learning to use a squattie. If you don’t know what this is Google “eastern toilet”. Now just think of that but 100x dirtier
– Pooping and missing the hole of the squattie #ShoutoutToTim
– Being a grown man or woman and pooping your pants. #ShoutoutToHalfTheSquad
– Falling onto the squattie
As funny and ridiculous as a lot of that sounds, those struggles lead to some of the best memories I will ever have. The world race was one of the smartest decisions I made. All of those “struggles ” listed above are light in comparison with the deep friendships I will now have for a lifetime and the intimacy I experience with God daily. There is something about going through really tough times with people that bring you close together. If you are considering the World Race I urge you to pray and apply. Let God take you on an adventure. I heard recently that thankfulness is the pathway for increase. I sure hope that is true because I am so thankful for the growth I experienced last year.
I hope you now see a little glimpse of things we went though last year. As I co-lead this D Squad I am still going through a lot of these struggles so the racers I am disciplining can experience growth, friendships, and intimacy like I did. But I can’t do that without financial support from people back home. I need to raise $6,000 before June so please pray and consider donating. Everything you give to this blog is tax deductible. Thank you!!
#ShoutoutToRSquad
This is basically an Ode to R Squad. Thanks for all the memories. Thinking of you guys a little more today than most. Love and miss you all. Long for the day when we are all reunited. #Weddings #WhoisNext
