Dear friends and family,
We will be back on U.S. soil in just 7 more days! We can’t get over how quickly this year has gone by! We’ve traveled to 15 countries, partnered with 11 ministries, seen the Lord move in so many ways we’ve never experienced before, and have lots and lots of stories to tell! But honestly, we are kinda dreading when we get back the question of “How was the World Race?”. Because one, that would be like us asking you how your whole 2018 was, and two, this life-changing experience has been more than all the languages that we have heard this year could ever describe. Since it’s quite difficult to summarize our whole year into a practical conversation, being specific with questions can be really helpful in sharing our story. And we are so excited to share with you all! We thought up some questions that our supporters may be curious about that will help us talk with y’all about our past year on the World Race. Some fun, some serious, but all relevant to a year on the field. Ask away!
General
What did you learn about being a believer this year?
What places and moments broke your heart?
What places and moments did you feel most alive?
What were some of your worst living conditions? What were the best?
What ministry was the most challenging?
Which ministry was your favorite?
What other countries did you go to that were not on your route?
What was it like to live out of a backpack all year?
Asia
What was the weirdest thing you ate?
What was public transportation like?
How did Greg celebrate his birthday in Thailand?
What was the strangest thing you saw being carried on a motorbike?
What did you see in nature that amazed or inspired you?
Ask us about off days/adventure days in each country and what they looked like.
Ask us about a ministry that intrigues you! (listed below)
- In Bali, we served at a local church and poured into the relationships that we made in that community, ministered to Hindus, ran a kids camp for a week in a rural Balinese village, attended small groups around the area, and put on a children’s ministry event every week that we called “Fun Friday”.
- In the Philippines, we started feeding programs in nearby areas & partnered with pastors from local churches, did construction on a school in the area, worked at the school in the nursery & preschool classrooms, and helped at a pregnancy clinic.
- In Thailand, we taught English at an after school center right outside of Bangkok.
- In Cambodia, we put on a Vacation Bible School for a week for the neighborhood children, played games with patients at the local hospital, worked at a boarding school, and helped start up a local cafe in town.
- In Vietnam, we taught English to university students, built relationship with our students and the local Vietnamese people that we interacted with daily, and served at a local church.
Eastern Europe
What was the transition like going from Asia to Eastern Europe?
How did Alyssa celebrate her birthday in Bosnia?
Ask us about a ministry that interests you!
- In Bosnia, we did ATL (ask the Lord) ministry, which led to us spending a week hiking through the Bosnian mountains, building relationships and sharing the gospel with people in Mostar, and working with a local organization that empowered orphans and disabled young adults.
- In Kosovo, we were part of a huge outreach/evangelism week-long event, ministered to Muslims, and worked at local thrift shops that supported the church that we were partnering with.
- In Romania, we served at local Gypsy churches, put on a week long children’s camp, and did construction at the ministry site that we lived at.
Africa
What was your sleeping arrangement like in Zambia?
How did Zambia, Lesotho, and South Africa differ?
Ask us about a ministry that interests you!
- In Zambia, we served at local churches in Lusaka and did door-to-door evangelism at nearby neighborhoods.
- In Lesotho, we served at Africa 4 Jesus, did construction at the ministry site that we lived at, and did evangelism in the villages around the Malealea Valley.
- In South Africa, we helped with construction on an expansion project for the local high school, and we also spent time debriefing our year with our teammates.
These are just some examples of certain questions that could help us share our stories. We cannot wait to be back home and ask you all questions as well! We want to hear about it all — from big things like engagement stories, wedding memories, and birth announcements — to more routine things like what your new favorite shows are, what books you’re reading or podcasts you’re listening to, or even what your last purchase at Target was. We’ve missed a lot back home this year and we can’t wait to catch up and hear from you all!!
