What the Photos Don’t Tell You... - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Fang, Thailand
2-22-18

After a week of squad leader training our first week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, my new teammates and I were determined to see the infamous and majestic elephants on our first adventure day! The photos turned out amazing, and it was just as awesome as it looks like it was, but there is always more to a picture than what the eye can see…

What the photos don’t tell you:

I haven’t been obsessed with elephants my whole life, but those who know me know that elephants hold a very special place in my heart, so much so that I might have a small elephant tattoo. 🙂

My sweet grandmother was a lover of elephants and passed away in 2015. She collected elephants for many, many years, so when it was time to go through her things, I believe my mom and my aunt counted over 400 elephants throughout the house ranging from as small as a fingernail to as large as a tire. My grandmother was one of the few constant images I had of Jesus from the day I was born until the day she passed away. From as early as I can remember, she was expressing to me her love of God, of Jesus, who He was and how He loved me so so much. All she wanted to do was love me, tell me how much she loved me, hug on me, kiss me, and tell me how proud she was of me. She talked to me about her Bible and how she has read all the way through it many times. She rubbed my back until I fell asleep when I was a kid. She held me when I cried the summer my parents told me they were getting a divorce. She would lay with me at night telling countless stories of her and her siblings when they were young, how her and my grandfather fell in love, and how much she loved my mom and my aunt. She sent me cards every single birthday, even when her handwriting got so shaky that you could hardly read it. She loved with an unconditional love that I hope everyone has the privilege to receive in their lifetime. She showed me Jesus before I even knew Him. When we were going through her things the week after she passed away, my aunt handed me an envelope with my name on it. As I opened it, I found years of letters she has written me, dating back to when I was 7 years old. These letters were written after I had just seen her for Christmas or just spent a couple weeks with her and my grandfather in Georgia during summer break. She would write about her favorite part of having me there, how much she loved me and she would always end the letters with “I love you so very much and God loves you so much more.” I didn’t realize how much of a treasure she was, how blessed I was to have her, and how her prayers protected me from so much until I really began walking with Jesus in 2012ish. Through God’s unending grace and love, I had the opportunity to tell her how special she was to me those last few years she was alive. She had dementia, so there were good days and bad days when I was able to see her, but she always knew who I was. Her face lit up every time I walked in the room. And just like with Jesus, I did nothing to deserve the love and adoration I received from her. When she passed away, I had the honor of speaking at her memorial and shared about her how life was a portrait of the love of Jesus. She was not perfect, but she was quite an amazing woman. All that to say, it’s really hard for me to see an elephant and not think of her.

What the photos don’t tell you:

Before my niece was born, everything in preparation for her arrival was themed with elephants. We called her peanut while she wiggled, slept, and kicked in my sister-in-law’s belly. The baby shower was decorated with cute, little elephants, as was her sweet little bedroom. Before I had even met her on October 1, 2014, she was associated in my mind with little elephants. When she was born, I couldn’t believe the reaction I had to her. As cliche as it sounds, I didn’t know it was possible to love a little human so much…she didn’t even know who I was, but I loved her SO MUCH. It was and is such a crazy love. It reminds me a lot of how Jesus loved me before I even knew Him, which blows my mind. As she’s been growing and getting older, she has brought so much joy to our family. She brings us together. She brings more unity and more love. She exudes love because that is who she is. She reminds me of the importance of the little things in life. When deciding to go on the World Race and in preparation to leaving, the hardest part was knowing I would be missing out on 11 months of memories with her, funny things she did, and watching her vocabulary expand tremendously day by day. Would she remember me? Would she forget who I was? Those were scary thoughts that broke my heart to think about, but thankfully my brother and his wife have been so wonderful about sending pictures and videos often. If you are an aunt or an uncle, I know you can relate. There’s something really special about being an aunt. Again, all that to say, it’s hard for me not to think of my Jocelyn-lyn when I see an elephant, also. I actually got the aforementioned tattoo about a year after she was born and a few months after my grandmother had passed away.

What the photos don’t tell you:

How I felt super sick and had a pounding headache the morning of our adventure day, but refused to miss out on the one thing I wanted to do in Thailand.

What the photos don’t tell you:

How my teammate, Amy, has been throwing up for hours on a bus ride and then for a few more days when we first got to Chiang Mai, just a few days before this adventure day.

What the photos don’t tell you:

The conversations with people that started as strangers that day, but who later became friends and even an “uncle” to us. We started the day in the back of a truck with two 18 year old Canadian adventurers, 28 year old Kevin the photographer from Philly, and sweet Phil from Liverpool who took us in has his nieces and nephews. We had about an hour an a half to two hour drive outside of the city to the elephant sanctuary which was a good amount of time to get to know each other and bond over the mutual feelings of motion sickness through the windy roads. We got to hear a little bit about one another’s lives and each other’s stories, but just scratching the surface.

What the photos don’t tell you:

How the elephants are raised with humans their whole life in this park, never being chained up or ridden. They actually love humans just like we love them. In the words of Pinah, all day the elephants eat, sleep, poop, and sometimes “bang bang”. LOL. They are pretty free.

What the photos don’t tell you:

How baby King (the baby elephant who was 3 months old and about 150kg) ran around like a puppy, head bunting us and trying to wrestle and cuddle with Amy. Baby King completely stole our hearts.

What the photos don’t tell you:

The people that worked in the village with the elephant sanctuary were actually Christians. There were missionaries that came and lived with them for about 50 years a while back. RJ & Kayla prayed with them before we left. They asked to pray for their families and the elephants because when they get sick, the nearest hospital is about 2 hours away. You can imagine how difficult it is to transport and elephant down a mountain and walk two hours when it’s sick. Practically impossible.

What the photos don’t tell you:

The open conversations we got to have one the way home with Phil and Kevin specifically, sharing how God made things happen for us to be on the World Race. We got to hear about Kevin’s passions for photography, teaching English in Asia in the future, and his beliefs about a few different topics. Phil shared his latest journeys around the world and venturing outside of his bubble in England, despite what others may think is appropriate. He shared about his 18 year old daughter and lit up talking about her, which of course made me miss my dad even more. He extended the offer to come visit him in Liverpool anytime, and I hope we can take him up on that offer in the next few years. I was so blessed by the time we spent talking, playing with the elephants together, and sharing some pad Thai noodles.

What the photos don’t tell you:

It wasn’t just the elephants that made that day special. It was the people. It was the conversations. It was coming together to see one of God’s most amazing creations. It was the waterfalls and slipping and falling in them. It was being covered in mud with people you barely knew, but feeling like we were all in it together, like an inclusivity all around. It was memories with my new team. It was the fact that I didn’t take a single picture, but the people around me were so selfless in taking them and sharing them with me. It was the presence of the Holy Spirit and joy all day long. It was perfect.