Hello all! I have received so many incredible questions and I am so excited to answer them for you! To anyone who’s question was unanswered or anyone who didn’t get the chance to ask, my inbox is always open, If more questions rise I would love to put together another question and answer post!
What has been the toughest part about the race?
-I would have to say that the hardest part of the race has been being away from my friends and family for so long, though I know that the amount of growth that has happened in my family and friends wouldn’t have happened unless I had left, so I’m very thankful.
Is it dry heat?
-I don’t know if all of you know this but I live in Florida and I think any heat that isn’t florida heat is dry heat.
Whats the food like there?
-The food is good! Not as spicy as I expected. Once a week we have fried chicken!! We love it.
What has been your favorite experience so far?
-I got to go to Kruger National Park and go on a Safari, I saw my favorite animal in the world (elephant). I thought that was the closest I’d ever get to one BUT in Chitwan, I got to pet an elephant! It was one of the best days of my life.
What food have you tried that you’ve never eaten before?
-Most of the food I have eaten on the race has been new! It looks like a lot of home cooked meals and occasional trips to a cafe.
Do you think that living out of a rucksack for so long has changed the way you will look at material things when you return home?
-I am human and I occasionally want for material things, that being said, living out of a 65 liter pack has 100% changed the way I view material objects. I know that I don’t need all the things I thought I did before leaving. I have lived with the same 5 outfits for 5 months and I know that when I return home A LOT of money will be saved on clothes. I have also picked up thrift shopping! Turns out every article of clothing you buy doesn’t have to be name brand, who knew? I have also learned that I can make do with very little. The Lord has freed me from so much entitlement to material things.
What is one thing you wish you had with you and one thing you could have gone without bringing?
-If I really think about it, something I wish I had with me would have to be clothes that make me feel like a girl. On the race with different ministry everywhere we go, its hard to look cute and feel normal. Granted were all made in the Lords image and perfect in His eyes but its hard to feel normal when you’ve worn the same dirty outfit for a week straight. MY TENT HAS MADE EVERY TRAVEL DAY MISERABLE. The only thing I would drop would be my tent (have fun lugging that back to the states after PVT momma, love you!)
What is the security like/are you safe?
-Im sure many parents have been asking this question since we launched in September! Our squad leaders, mentor and hosts have done an incredible job of making sure that all of us are aware of anything that could be going on in the area and giving us the appropriate guidelines to follow for safety. I have felt safe and protected everywhere we’ve gone and feel we’ve been given a proper amount of freedom in each country.
How afraid are you to tell your grandparents you got your nose pierced?
-Hi grandpa and grandpa, I got my nose pierced! Its tiny I promise, love you lots, see you so soon!!
Do you feel that you were prepared physically for all you’ve needed to do on the race?
-To be completely honest, I did not think that I was going to have a problem with any physical challenge but this has not been easy. ( for any future racer, the fitness hike at training camp is no joke, please prepare yourself prior to enduring it). In all seriousness, I don’t have the best knees or back because of cheer in high school and sometimes they flare up and make it hard to complete walks to and from ministry but nothing has been impossible. I feel I could have better prepared myself for the physical challenges I was going to face while being on the race.
Has your perception of self or others changed?
-Prior to the race I struggled a lot with self worth and confidence. I relied on my family and friends to tell me who I but I never asked the Lord who He said I was. I now know that I am beloved, pure, kind and joyful among many other things. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, you are who Jesus says you are. I struggled with judgment of others before leaving for the race, I looked at appearance instead of asking the Lord who He called others to be. I thought I was better than everyone else because I was following Jesus and they were following the ways of the world. Truth is, were no different. Sure, my goal is to follow and glorify Jesus with all that I have but I’m still human, I still make mistakes and I still have to ask for forgiveness every day. By nature were all designed to please our flesh, now I am just trying to choose Jesus before myself.
Has the race and your walk with God during this time revealed to you a specific calling? Do you see yourself fulfilling a specific role when you come home?
-I have grown a lot in many areas and the Lord has made me passionate about so many things when I come home. I want to get involved in the homeless community when I get home, I feel a huge pull to reach out to those in need and let them know of the comfort and peace of the Fathers love. I feel a huge tug to work at my church, especially with the younger generation and tell them of the freedom that we have in Jesus name. If you read my testimony blog, you know that I struggled with addiction and carried so much shame for so long but am not living in freedom from addiction and sin. I feel that the Lord wants to use me as a vessel to bring that freedom to others struggling. He gave me a vision in Swaziland for this exact thing. As soon as the Lord claimed victory over my addiction, I knew that He wanted to use my testimony to show others of His goodness.
Food craving?
-I crave fast food on a daily basis. As soon as our plane landed in India I was so delusional I messaged Chick-Fil-A and asked them to go universal with their franchise. I did say universal, not global. The aliens need Chick-Fil-A too y’all. I wondered for so long why they never responded. Travel days take everything out of us.
How important were the pre-written letters you took with you on the race?
-The letters my family and friends wrote to me have gotten me through many funks and made me feel so loved. I can honestly say that if nobody had written me, my race would have looked a lot different. These letters have meant so much to me and I am so grateful for a mom who always knows what to say even before anything happens. You’re the best momma!
If you knew then what you know now would you have still gone on the race?
-Absolutely. Every day I am growing more and more in intimacy with the Father and nothing could ever change my gratitude for this program and for the new brothers and sisters I now have because of the Lord’s calling. I can confidently say that while I am still me, I am completely changed for the better. I have a new sense of responsibility and maturity that I likely would not have gained if I hadn’t left. I feel closer to the Lord than I have in my entire 19 years. My perspective on so many things have changed because of every single aspect of the world race. I think that if I knew what I know now, It would have only increased my excitement for this journey.
How do you explain the calling to be a missionary to those who don’t understand it and who would argue that there is a lot of good that could be done at home?
-I would tell them that while there is a lot of good to be done at home, we are called to share the love of Christ to every nation and I specifically felt the Lord’s tug to serve Him in these specific countries. While being in these countries though the Lord has called me to take action in specific areas when I return home.
How do you believe this experience has changed you and your view of the world?
-The race hasn’t changed me at all, the Lord has changed me by calling me here. Often times people accredit the world race for all the people who’s lives are being changed, but the only one changing us is Jesus moving in and through us because of the call to participate in the world race. Don’t get me wrong, this program is incredible and I appreciate their obedience to partner with Jesus in sending us out among the nations to serve others but Jesus is the one working. As for the world, being in so many different cultures and countries, the Lord has opened my eyes to how corrupt and broken these places are. He has also opened my eyes to how much bigger He is than all of of the brokenness. I have felt the Lord’s presence everywhere and I know that He is fighting hard to free everyone from the bondage of idolatry and false practices. He has shown me just how limitless He is.
How does the health care you had to receive in Nepal compare to the U.S?
-In Chitwan I didn’t feel that I received good medical care but in Kathmandu I always felt cared for and safe. Much like in America.
Would you do it again?
-I would be lying if I said that there weren’t days where I struggled but if this was something the Lord was calling me to do again I would in a heartbeat. This has been the most incredible experience of my life.
How do you think this experience will change you once you get back to the U.S.?
-The Lord has shown up and changed my life forever, I know that when I return a lot of my friendships will change, I will have to make better decisions about what I do when I seek people out and I know that I will be much more intentional about the things that I say to people. A friend and squad mate asked me a question a couple weeks ago that took me aback; he asked me if I was fighting as hard as I could for every persons eternity I came into contact with. At the time the answer was no and I went back to every encounter with friends or family or strangers back at home and realized that I could be fighting so much harder for my brothers and sisters in Christ. This is something I plan on being very intentional about in every encounter.
Whats next when you get home long term?
-I still have no idea. I do know that I want to be so in tune with the Holy Spirit and His plans for me. For a while I have been praying that the Lord would make His desires for my future my desires as well. I still don’t know what they are but I know that my only purpose is to glorify the Lord.
Did you change anyone else’s life or did your presence make an impact on someone else’s life?
-None of my own power but all of Jesus’. If I made an impact on anyone else I know that it was none of me and all of the Lord. I know that my life has been forever changed because of the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been but the only thing that could have impacted anyone else would be Jesus in me.
How does the toilet paper compare to the U.S.?
-Im just thankful to have toilet paper. I don’t think that any of us expected to have toilet paper in Nepal or India because of the culture but God was gracious enough to bless us with the gift of toilet paper in both.
Thank you so much for all your questions! I loved getting to know what you guys were thinking about all aspects of life on the field.
with a full heart,
Lucy Jackson
