With a little over a month left on the race, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on this experience. It’s been wild, crazy, and fulfilling while also being surprisingly normal, uneventful and ordinary at the same time.
When I get back home, I’m anticipating to be asked the the million dollar question, “So, how was the World Race?”
As much as I’m excited to share this experience with all of you who have supported me along this journey, it’s impossible to sum up this experience in the general response that question is inquiring.
Two of my squadmates came up with questions about their journey that their communities back home can ask that will better direct conversations and allow them to better capture their experience for loved ones. I thought this was a great idea and I came up with some of my own!
These questions carry so many memories and I can’t wait to share them with you!!
Feel free to pick a few and send them my way in a message after reading this post or bring them up over a cup of coffee when I get back state-side.
As always, thank your for your love and support through prayers and through staying updated on my journey by reading my blog. It means the world to me!
- How many people were you able to fit into a Tuk tuk in India?
- Did your teammate really hold a chicken throughout the entirety of a worship session while your squad leader was simultaneously getting proposed to with a cow?
- Why did you wear a rain jacket in a swimming pool?
- How did God humble you out of the victim circle after working in a medical storage building for ministry all month?
- What is the significance of rain for your squad?
- How did renting a hotel room in Nepal help you and your teammate, Shelby, recover from being sick?
- Which month did you hear the voice of God the clearest and see the work of His hands the best?
- Wait, you got ran over by a motorcycle? When? How?
- How was your first surfing experience?
- What was a traditional African wedding like?
- What was it like to live in the African bush without running water or electricity for a week?
- What was the funniest thing that happened while living next to an orphanage in Botswana?
- What was it like to go paragliding in Nepal?
- Tell me about the adventure day where you got to pet lions, walk cheetahs, and ride elephants?
- Wait, you acquired a parasite in Africa?!
- How was it spending Christmas in the hot, southern hemisphere and what did you do to celebrate?
- Why did you have to facetime friends and family from a men’s bathroom in South Africa?
- Why did you feel like a superstar when walking through the Indian market Charminar
- Why did you move three times in three weeks in Haiti?
- Where did you eat the best bread you’ve ever tasted in your life?
- What did you have for dinner after spending all day carving out steps into the side of a mountain?
- Which country did you get attacked by a cow in?
- What’s the ratio of donkeys to people in Botswana?
- How was it going on a true African safari?
- How are bucket showers?
- What’s a squatty potty?
- What did it feel like to hang over the edge of Victoria Falls?
- How many times did you hair get braided by children?
- How many times did you sleep in your tent?
- How many times did you sing “King of my Heart” in one month?
- How good is traditional Indian Chai?
- How difficult is it to put a Saree on by yourself?
- What was it like being in countries where you couldn’t read a single word on a road sign, billboard or in a grocery store?
- In which country did God start speaking to you about his plans for your future?
- How many times can a 12 year old the Monkey dance in a row before passing out?
- Is greek yogurt and gyros really that much better in Greece?
- How did the race re-shape how you view vacations and traveling?
- What was it like traveling for 95 hours straight without having a bed?
- Who are your World Race BFFs?
- Why did you join a construction crew choir?
- What is “chinking” and when did you learn how to do it?
- What was the first country you were sad to leave?
- Which country did your clothes get the cleanest in?
- What food did you miss the most from home?
- What did you eat for your thanksgiving meal while in the bush of Botswana?
- What brings relief to burning lips after eating the hottest Indian curry of your life?
- Did you like having henna done on your hands?
- What did it feel like seeing the Himalayas for the first time?
- What was it like leading a teenager through the salvation prayer for the first time?
- Did you feel you were equipped enough to preach every night for ministry in India?
- What was your favorite team to be on?
- What is spicy uno and how do you play it?
- What did it feel like to walk through a Buddhist Monastery?
- How did God humble you, John, and Victoria after refusing a blessing he was trying to give you?
- How do you play foot tennis?
- How did God answer your prayer through a Husky?
- Did you really see a rat at a 5-star restaurant?
- What were the ghetto’s like in Romania?
- What was the most challenging month of the race?
- What was team leading like?
- How was it being a camp counselor for a week?
- Which country thought your American accent was the funniest?
- What did it feel like to pray over sick children in a third world country’s hospital?
- How did you use your physical therapy skills on the race?
- What was it like living with your entire squad for a month?
- Did you like doing door-to-door evangelism in Africa?
- How did you teach “head, shoulders, knees and toes” to children in the Dominican Republlic?
- When and why did you get mad at God and question his goodness?
- How did God use your knowledge of Anatomy to bring you fresh revelations of his character throughout the race?
- Can I listen to some of the music you picked up from each country?
- What was it like being in a relationship during the race?
- How did it feel being away from your family and friends for so long?
- How was the race different than what you had expected?
- How many different ways did people pronounce your name?
- Why is ordering food in other countries never quite what you expect it to be?
- How was it wearing the same outfits over and over again for a year?
- What have you learned from the race that will benefit you as a health care professional?
- Why do you over enunciate your “t’s” and other letters now?
- What was the best part about living in community?
- What was the worst part about living in community?
- What are some major lessons the Lord taught you over this past year?
- Which country felt most like home?
- How did you celebrate your 25th birthday in Africa?
- What comforts from home did you miss the most?
- Did you really eat with your hands for every meal in India?
- Did you like the food on airplanes?
- What was bar ministry in the red light district of Nepal like?
- Tell me about the corruption you heard about in Bulgaria, both in the church and in the school system?
- Why did you have to wear face masks when in Nepal?
- What was your favorite living situation on the race?
- How many stores did you go to before finally finding a pair of jeans that fit in Nepal?
- How did the race re-shape your relationship with the Lord?
- Why was it hard to stay present the last two months of the race?
- How did it feel completing your first job interview ever while still on the mission field?
- Tell me about team time, feedback, debriefs, team changes, and squad roles
- Did you feel supported by family and friends while you were gone?
- Did you enjoy writing blogs about your experience?
- What language is your favorite to say “thank you” in?
- What did you collect from each country as a momento?
- How can I pray for you during your transition off the race and back into the American lifestyle and culture?
- Would you do it all over again?
