This blog is to give a little insight into the Race! Thanks for sending in questions- they’ve really helped me process the last 11 months. Since there were so many I decided to split it into 2 blogs! Part 2 coming soon!
Most memorable meal and poop?
Most memorable meal would have to be water buffalo bladder in India, fried snake (I ate the head) in Cambodia, or garbage fish soup in Vietnam… As for the poop, maybe when I barely made it into the KFC before pooping my pants- the stomach flu started an hour later. Actually, scratch that, it’s probably when I pooped in the woods right next to Angkor Wat.
Create a playlist the fits your last 11 months.
This is a GREAT question. Here’s a list of secular songs that I either listened to a lot in that particular month and/or describes the month well and/or reminds me of someone I met there.
India– “Welcome To Your Life” by Grouplove
Favorite lyrics: “Welcome to your life, yeah, yeah / it could be your fantasy, yeah yeah / Welcome to your world, my girl / let it be your fantasy”
Nepal– “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors
Favorite lyrics: “If you love me, don’t let go / Hold / Hold on / Hold on to me / ‘Cause I’m a little unsteady / A little unsteady”
Thailand– “May I Have This Dance” by Francis and the Lights
Favorite lyrics: “May I have this dance? / To make it up to you / Can I say something crazy? / I love you / Give me both your hands / To make it up to you / Let me spin and excite you”
Cambodia– “Dancing On Glass” by St. Lucia
Favorite lyrics: “Better believe it’s getting harder / But I’m never gonna stop until it’s broken / Never gonna stop until it’s broken”
Vietnam– “Renegades” by X Ambassadors
Favorite lyrics: “Long live the pioneers / Rebels and mutineers / Go forth and have no fear / Come close the end is near”
Ethiopia– “Dirt Road Anthem” by Jason Aldean
Favorite lyrics: “If it’s broke round here we fix it / I can take y’all where you need to go”
Rwanda– “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
Favorite lyrics: “And I told you to be patient / And I told you to be fine / And I told you to be balanced / And I told you to be kind”
Bolivia– “Friends” (ft. Bon Iver) by Francis and the Lights
Favorite lyrics” “Still dreamin’ of a glory / Of somethin’ new”
Peru– “Saltwater Gospel” by Eli Young Band
Favorite lyrics: “But I know I’m not alone / Yeah, I got all the proof I need / And it sure makes me believe / When I go down and sink my feet in the water / And I soak up that sun and I watch it set / Yeah, I can feel the power of the saltwater gospel / I’m as close to God as I can get”
Ecuador– “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
Favorite lyrics: “Just another heart in need of rescue”
Colombia– “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’
Favorite lyrics: “Oh, home, let me come home / Home is whenever I’m with you”
Here’s a list of worship songs that rocked my world on the Race!
India– “O Come To The Altar” by Elevation Worship
Favorite lyrics: “Oh what a savior / Isn’t He wonderful? / Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen / Bow down before Him / For He is Lord of all / Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen”
Nepal– “Hills and Valleys” (The Valleys Version) by Tauren Wells
Favorite lyrics: “On the mountains, I will bow my life / To the one who set me there / In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there”
Thailand– “Death Was Arrested” by North Point InsideOut
Favorite lyrics (honestly the whole thing): “Our savior displayed on a criminal’s cross / Darkness rejoiced as though heaven had lost / But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand / That’s when death was arrested and my life began”
Cambodia– “Take Courage” by Bethel Music
Favorite lyrics: “So take courage my heart / Stay steadfast my soul / He’s in the waiting”
Vietnam– “A Christmas Hallelujah” by Alan Cox
Favorite lyrics: “I know You came to rescue me / This baby boy would grow to be / A man and one day die for me and you / My sins would drive the nails in You / That / rugged cross was my cross, too / Still every breath You drew was Hallelujah / Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah”
Ethiopia– “Come Taste and See” by Red Rocks Worship
Favorite lyrics: “I’ll never walk away the same / My heart forever rearranged / By Your love, by Your love”
Rwanda– “Love Changes Everything” by Red Rocks Worship
Favorite lyrics: “So come on into the waters / Come let the broken sing (hey!) / Come all you sons and daughters / His love changes everything (hey!)”
Bolivia– “Do You Not Know?” by Fellowship Creative
Favorite lyrics: “Do you not know and have you not heard? / He summoned creation by the power of His words / Who has measured the waters with hollow of / His hand? And has told every mountain where He wants it to stand?”
Peru– “The Lion and The Lamb” by Big Daddy Weave
Favorite lyrics: “Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah / He’s roaring with power and fighting our battles / And every knee will bow before You / Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain / For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains”
Ecuador– “Crowns” by Hillsong Worship
Favorite lyrics: “There’s nothing more I want / Than just to know His love / My heart is set on Christ / And I will count all else as loss / The greatest of my crowns / Mean nothing to me now / For I counted up the cost / And all my wealth is in the cross”
Colombia– “New Wine” by Hillsong Worship
Favorite lyrics: “So I yield to You and to Your careful hand / When I trust You I don’t need to understand”
What will you miss the most about each country?
India– The food, no doubt! Nothing quite like spicy curry that may or may not make you cry.
Nepal– Kairo’s Coffee Shop. It became such a safe haven when our house was infected with copious diseases.
Thailand– The farm and Pat, our host. This was easily one of my favorite months on the Race. Check out my former teammate’s video to learn more about it!
Cambodia– Pon. Such a sweet (not really that sweet) little boy. Cambodia was one of the hardest months of my life, but Pon made me smile every single day without fail.
Vietnam– The laughter. Our lives were ridiculous this month but we couldn’t help but laugh at all the mishaps.
Ethiopia– Team Shema. Those 6 people rocked my world.
Rwanda– This was seriously one of the best months of my life. The Rwandan people truly do have my heart- especially our host family and of course, my favorite little neighbor boy, Poumpli. It seriously puts tears in my eyes thinking about that kid. And just that month as a whole.
Bolivia– The mountains. Bolivia has some of the most beautiful nature I have ever seen.
Peru– Spending the month with just the Stay Salty Babes and watching “This Is Us” almost every night with my girls.
Ecuador– The sketchy chicken down the street.
Colombia– Our ministry site! Man, Ciudad Refugio is such a rad foundation. I’m already missing the people that run it!
What are you most anxious about returning to the States?
At first I was worried about looking like a “Jesus Freak.” But then I realized I am Jesus Freak and that that’s a really good thing. So, what am I actually anxious about? That my entire year of learning to be accepting will go out the window.
A couple days ago I started chatting with some people and just got overwhelmed by how much they cared about things that really don’t matter, like the “coolest thing to do on a Wednesday night” or “how clear the water is.” I get worried that I won’t be able to hold my tongue (I did last week, don’t worry) and that I’m going to come off as judgmental, or worse, actually be judgmental. Let me just say I’m so sorry if I do this. As I said in my “Dear Home” blog, “feel free to call me out if I’m being unreasonable but have grace as I try to remember what life with you (America) is like.”
Side note: I am a Jesus-freak but I love every single one of you more and more every day I’m away, and it’s all because of Him.
Another thing that makes me anxious is how quickly I will be transitioning to Denver. I’m excited to work for Red Rocks Church, but it really will be hard being home for such short amount of time. I want my family to feel seen and loved and cherished- because they are.
What makes you the most excited about coming home?
Seeing my niece!!! Sorry, rest of the fam, you’re in a close second, tying with the dogs and Cheez It’s.
