One of my favorite things to do is go to Cedar Point. If you happen to be one of the unlucky folks who have no idea what this place is, let me enlighten you. Okay, close your eyes. Now, imagine scanning your ticket and walking through the metal tumbler after waiting hours in front of the park. It’s hot, sticky, and there are tons of people inside already, but you know that it’s all worth it so that you can ride your favorite coaster.
The Race has been pretty much like a wild roller coaster ride. An eleven month long ride. There were plenty of ups, downs, twists, turns, yet always a thrill. But every ride comes to an end. In the last few seconds you can see the stretch of metal engineering steering you towards the platform. There’s a sense of dread for the end, but a lingering joy from the memory of the ride.
That’s where I am at now. I’m on the homestretch (literally) and I keep looking back to my fondest memories of the Race. I’d thought I would share some of these with you since you have been sitting next to me the entire time.
Kosovo: Bowling with all of my friends from the church. I think this may still be my favorite memory on the Race. Month 1 always will hold a special place in my heart.
Romania: The best Thanksgiving ever! Two days of cooking, over 20 people cramped around a table, and yes, MASHED POTATOES!!!
Malawi: Singing off-key our own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas as an appreciation gift for our hosts Moses and Susan. There’s probably a video of that floating around somewhere on the interwebs.
Zimbabwe: Almost getting eaten by the Painted Dog when we camped in the African bush with Jeff. I survived. I’m a survivor.
Botswana: Coming together with a brand new team to defeat the camel spiders (or as Nettie would call them, Coc-Spi’s). They’re seriously terrifying, look them up.
Cambodia: Growing in my confidence in evangelism. It was hard, bro, but the reward was great.
Thailand: Befriending all the girls in Agape Children’s Home. Oh, and freaking Songkran. If you ever want to visit Thailand and participate in the world’s largest water fight, go during Songkran. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you’re a cat.
Malaysia: Not getting stung by a jellyfish, that’s for sure. Eating all the naan my belly could hold and exploring the Ramadan markets for more tasty snacks.
Panama: Learning to Merengue and Salsa in a castle. Sounds like a fairy tale, but it was real life.
Costa Rica: Eating around the dinner table every night with Beth, Brian, Kirsten, Katie, and the rest of my team.
Costa Rica pt. 2: Playing Nine-Square in the Air on Katie’s (Conexion’s intern and honorary B Squad member) last night in Costa Rica.
No matter how much you plead with the ride conductor to let you stay strapped in the seat, he always tells you to get off and find another coaster. Sadly, that’s what I am going to do. I am going to leave my seat, walk down the ramp into the rest of the park, and find a new thrill.
If my Race has impacted you even a little, I encourage you to join me in my next journey. I have created a new blog site for post-Race blogging. You can visit kristiemcfadden.home.blog to read up on the new things the Lord will be teaching me. You might even find a few old World Race posts.
Thank you all for joining me on this ride. Until next time!
