My birthday was two days ago! April 14, I turned 27 in Chiang Mai, Thailand in the heat of Thailand’s new year celebration, Songkran. If you are not familiar with Songkran festivities, it is a 3 day water fight. You cannot walk, drive, or exist anywhere in Thailand without getting soaking wet. Buckets of water, water guns and hoses are thrown on you in the streets, in your car, in your neighborhood. It was amazing and left us in wonderment and wet pants for 3 days. It was an incredible experience getting to have almost my whole squad together and throwing my birthday into the mix of it all.
Throughout this world race journey, we have had many experiences similar to Songkran. Not experiences that look quite like that, but experiences that take us by surprise, exceed our expectations, and teach us so much about God and His creation.
So, for my birthday, I wanted to write down 27 lessons I have learned so far on the race and share them with you.
1. Sometimes, even I need alone time.
2. I can make a story out of anything. Literally anything. Even an ant.
3. God speaks to me through dreams and sometimes visions.
4. People truly don’t need material things to be joyful, but greed lives in all hearts.
5. Nothing beats a grateful heart.
6. Sweating is fine with me. And I do a lot of it.
7. Change of scenery does not change your habits. New countries, same me.
8. The Lord has given me the gift of JOY. More than I ever realized.
9. I fall into the trap of having a scarcity mindset, which usually means I carry too many toiletries.
10. I like coke. Very strange.
11. I serve a very radical God who wants to show off this year.
12. Sometimes I dwell on the past too much.
13. God has given me squad mates with insane talents and huge faith.
14. Growth can hurt, but the other side of pain is beauty.
15. God loves to listen to music with me.
16. I have not even scratched the surface of the depth of His love for me.
17. People are incredible, strong, resilient and kind.
18. Christians all over the world are fighting for the gospel to be heard.
19. There is so much beauty to behold in this world, yet people are the most precious in God’s sight.
20. Wear bug spray when your host tells you to. There is a reason. You will get eaten alive without it.
21. It is easy to stay connected overseas. Disconnecting is a choice.
22. I am more adaptable than I thought I was.
23. Nature and children are my happy places.
24. American entitlement is a very real thing and sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it.
25. Loving difficult people is hard, but worth it.
26. God wants me to learn how to fight for and relentlessly pursue people and relationships.
27. Father God is on this journey with me and has more in store for me than I have ever dreamt of. He reveals more of Himself to me every day.
This is just some of the lessons I have learned in my 3 months on the field. I know there are countless lessons left to learn and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me.
Cheers to 27 years of learning and many more to come!
