Hello from Imphal, India! We are currently living in the foothills of the Himalayas in Northeast India, serving at a medical clinic and teaching teeny tiny cuties in the local schools. India is completely beautiful. The food is AMAZING and the people are so beautiful. I can’t explain how wonderful my first few weeks in India have been. I was pretty sick the first week, so that made for a lot of sitting in bed. But the past week, I have gotten to dive headfirst into the gorgeous, vibrant culture of Northeast India. If you want to see some pictures, you can check out my Instagram @emmacolon. Now. Without further ado, the long awaited Part 2 of the Q+A is finally here!! Enjoy!
Kevin Colón: “Who on the race has impacted you the most?”
There are so many people who have impacted me on the race, but the first two that pop into my mind are Mason and Emily Alpert, my first squad leaders. They were the first people who truly saw me. They made me feel seen and like my voice was important. Emily has literally been there for me through everything. She is my safe place and my dear friend. Mason is wild and hilarious. He always knows when I need a hug or a laugh. Talk about a great support team. I absolutely adore them and they have given me so much wisdom and love and care, and I am beyond grateful for them.
“Has there been a time when you saw something truly miraculous happen?”
I haven’t had any moments on my race where I’ve seen a healing or witnessed someone accept God as their Savior or anything like that. But there was a girl in Ukraine named Katya who wrote me a letter when we left. She was going through a lot personally when our time in Ukraine was coming to an end. She had been going to the hospital for reasons I never understood, but she would come to English class afterwards, scared and sad. In the letter, though, she wrote, ”Because of you, I again saw the Lord in my life, and how much He loves me. I choose to be happy.” And wow. That was just. Wow. I literally cried for an hour at that letter because Katy and I had prayed one day after English class for joy to come back into her heart. I would call that miraculous.
“Your most embarrassing moment?”
Well. In Chile, our abuela bought this instant chocolate flan mix. So one day, I decided to make it and surprise everyone with my amazing flan making skills. The thing is, I couldn’t read Spanish very well at this point, so I tossed the package aside. I thought it was just like Jell-O. I mixed the mix with milk and put it in the fridge to set. Hours later, I checked and the flan hadn’t set. I was confused, but also impatient. I hesitantly took a sip of the flan and it tasted like really thick chocolate milk! So of course I ran to Colby, Connor, and Mason (the closest people) and said, “The flan didn’t set, but it tastes amazing!!! Come drink it!” And they did. Our abuela walked in at that point and saw what we were drinking. She stared at me and said, “Did you cook it?” I was confused. She pulled the package out of the trash and explained that you were supposed to cook the flan/milk mixture first. Otherwise, you’ll get really bad diarrhea . I looked morosely at the three men drinking my flan disaster. You can guess how this all ended. I’ll leave the flan making to Abuela next time.
“A lesson you will never forget?”
Giving up something you think is good for something God knows is better.
“How would you describe yourself before the race? How would you describe yourself now?”
I could go on about this for forever. I feel like a new person. A refreshed person. A freshly planted person. Before the race: afraid of myself and who God made me to be. Now: confident and proud of who I am and much more in love with God than I have ever been.
“After this experience, what’s the very next country you must visit?”
Argentina!! Or back to Ecuador! I need to go back to South America! Ahh! I wouldn’t mind going to Vietnam again. But hmm yeah I would go back to Ecuador in a heartbeat.
“Does the Bible really help you in life?”
I would say yes. There are a lot of times where I’ve turned to the Bible to help me sort my own thoughts out. I’ve never read the Bible as much as I have on the Race. But it’s kinda cool because it makes me think hard and get curious about why God is a certain way or how what that one character did was significant for another part of the story, etc. But also. It’s just really beautiful. It’s just a narrative. It’s poetry and wonderings and history and stories all about completely average, kinda messed up people. I love that. Sometimes it’s hard to read and boring as heck, but I think it helps in the fact that it not only teaches, but broadens our imaginations and displays hope in a tangible way.
“Tell me more about your dad. I hear he’s a very wonderful and handsome man.”
I love you 
You really are the best dad in the whole wide world. To all four of us girls. I can’t wait for car rides and lunch dates and hugs again! Two more months and I’ll be back with the raddest dad on the planet!
Gretta Holgund: “What is something you wish you could’ve told yourself at your training camp that you wish you knew right now?”
Praying is powerful! Don’t doubt the power of prayer. Don’t doubt the authority God gave you in prayer.
Clay Turner: “How would you encourage people out of their comfort zone?”
I would say that there is so much gained when you step outside of your comfort zone. It takes a lot to open yourself and buy in every single day, but the work is so worth it. If you leave your little comfort bubble, I can guarantee you will find such immense joy and beauty and vibrancy. There is so much out there; it just takes your open hands and willing heart to choose it! People really aren’t as scary as they seem. Almost everyone is willing to give you a smile and a conversation if you just say hello. There are so many stories!!! I can’t tell you how anxious and shy pre-World Race Emma was. I never volunteered for anything. I kept to myself in conversations with my team. But one day, I started asking questions…and opened up conversations with people in schools..and decided to say yes to having tea with my host mom even when we didn’t speak the same language. And now, my heart is full to bursting with love and deep friendships and connections to last a lifetime. I could not recommend stepping out of your comfort zone enough. The times when you grow are the times when you are uncomfortable. And you receive so much joy out of it, too. <3
Sara MacIntosh: “What was something you didn’t expect the race would offer, but has been surprisingly needed/good?
Positive female influencers. Every one of my SQLs (Emily, Sara, Kirsten, and Amie Beth) have all influenced me and been amazing examples of what it means to be a woman of God and how to love others and lift others up. I’ve also met women around the world (Vita, Benny, Letty, Zhingi, and Lawm) who are such great role models of being a wife or mother or teacher or friend who serves God with everything she was made to be. I have learned so much, and I will never forget the lessons I have learned from them. I really do love them so much.
“What’s the first funny story that pops into your head about your race so far?”
One night in Ukraine, Jenna Rose killed over 18 flies with her bare hands. Enough said. (Vita made her scrub the dead flies off the walls the next day. Iconic.)
“I have noticed each country/month holds different lessons. What are the main lessons the Lord has taught you in each country/month?”
Month 1 (Romania): The importance, significance, and joy of community.
Month 2 (Ukraine): Learning how to be vulnerable with people. What loving deeply looks like.
Month 3 (Chile): Feeling all of my emotions fully – especially how to express anger and frustration in a righteous, healthy way. How to process/deal with the hard parts of my life.
Month 4 (Chile): Learning that I value family, quality, beauty, and diversity.
Month 5 (Peru): Physical, emotional, and spiritual self-care. Falling in love with God.
Month 6 (Peru): What healthy boundaries are, and how to create and keep them. Being extremely flexible with whatever task is at hand. Putting every ounce of trust in God when I have literally no clue what’s happening in my heart and mind.
Month 7 (India): Grieving the old, but celebrating the new. How to deal with change. The art of taking it easy.
Hank Reed: “How do you think you were prepared mentally and spiritually for this journey? What additional learnings would have helped?”
Preparing for the World Race was a really interesting journey for me. I spent a lot of time by myself, writing and getting excited. But also, crying and grieving the nine months away from my family and friends and home. It’s a lot! Deliberately setting part nine months of your life to focus on your relationship with God is a big deal! Quiet time alone, simply reflecting and dreaming helped me so much. I also wrote letters to my friends! I met with my sweet friend/mentor, Cari, and she helped me process a lot about who I am as a daughter of God and what I needed for the journey ahead. My dad and I also went on a lot of drives and talked about everything. Having a group of people who supported and loved me and wanted to help me grow was essential, I think. I wish I could have learned more about what I needed to fill up and recharge in the midst of community more.
Pat Fralick: “Have you met a lot of Jesus followers? In any particular country?”
Yep! We’ve worked with churches in Romania, Ukraine, Chile, and Peru! And now we’re working with a seminary in India.
“What is one of your most rewarding moments so far?”
One of my most rewarding moments on the race so far was when I taught my first English class alone. I never believed myself to be a teacher or a leader of any kind. One night, after Jenna Rose and I taught our intermediate English class, a group of middle aged Ukrainian men and women who knew very minimal English wanted a class! Everyone else was busy doing one on one lessons, so I took over and taught an entire beginner class about kitchen vocabulary and basic sentence structure. It felt so good at the end to see their notes and watch them practice “What is your favorite food?” together. Definitely a proud moment. 😀
Thanks so much for reading!!! Much love!
-Emm
