There’s a park in my backyard. It has a really enticing swing set. Every time I look at it the memories of feeling like I was flying as a kid flood my mind….My friends and I were hammocking when we decided to wander over to the beautiful swings. There were only two “big kid” swings and my friends got to them before I could, but I wanted to swing too! That’s when it happened; that’s when I made eye contact with THE baby swing. Being 5’2 and 105 pounds, I thought to myself, “Oh yeah, I can totally fit in this!” My extremely supportive friends were right there to back me up and encourage me (how sweet). So, I did it! I slid right in. It was pretty fun…for a good 2 minutes but then my legs started to really hurt-go figure. I decided it was time to get out but. I. couldn’t. Not to panic, though! My friends could tilt me upside down and we would let gravity do the work…nope. Okay, that’s fine, Emily can run inside to grab butter to rub on my legs…nope, still very stuck. At this point, I had been in there for about 30 minutes and it was really hurting to stand (probably, most definitely because all my blood flow was being cut off to my legs). So, I was in this really uncomfortable/painful position that would be so hard to describe to you. 45 minutes of rubbing butter on my legs, tilting me upside down, and honestly just staring in a dazed confusion had passed when my legs starting turning PURPLE- LIKE A DEEP PURPLE. Quickly I decided that couldn’t be healthy, so I called my dad. SURELY papa Glen could get me out. He came running…no sprinting outside with (I kid you not) a SAW, a bucket of ice, and a towel?? Take my word for it, having your dad trying to saw that close to your legs is TERRIFYING. But don’t worry because that didn’t last for long! Turns out baby swings are very, very safe (for babies). Under the black, rubbery exterior there was A SHEET OF METAL. METAL. At that point, it had been about an hour and we decided I could potentially lose a leg so…we called the fire department. I’m sure you can all imagine the curiosity all the neighbors had when they heard a fire siren coming down the road. (Side note: when they all came rushing out to watch, I felt like a famous person, which was super fun.) Once the fire department got there they were able to cut me out. Needless to say, this is the closest I’ve ever come to dying/most embarrassing/funniest moment of my life.
Lessons learned from getting stuck in a baby swing:
1. Go for it! Take risks! Because you never know what’s going to work out and what’s not.
2. Listen to your gut-my gut was saying no, but my friends were saying yes.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help…it takes a village!…or maybe a fire-department.
4. I can’t believe its not butter…or gravity, or saws, or dads, or ice that can fix everything. Sometimes you’ve got to have a little faith!
5. When your legs start to turn purple, that probably means they’re about to fall off! That has no relevance to the World Race or really anything, I just thought you guys should know.
6. Some things aren’t meant to be, like 17-year-olds fitting in child swings, or going to college right after high school.
7. Everything has a purpose-interpret that how you want.
8. LAUGH. LAUGH A LOT. LAUGHING IS FUN.
For those reasons (& many more) I have decided to go on… THE WORLD RACE GAP YEAR!! I could not be more excited that my “gut” [God] has led me to this journey of faith, risk-taking, and adventure.
In September 2018, I’m going to have the opportunity to meet the people of Costa Rica, South Africa, Thailand, and Myanmar. I will be on this adventure for 9 months with 55 other students my age doing different kinds of mission and service work.
Why am I doing this? What led me here? I want to go on The World Race Gap Year to explore if God wants me to be a full time missionary and if not, what else he wants to use me for. I want to take a year to intentionally invest in my spiritual life before going to college and to figure out who I am. I think the Gap Year will help me to grow a year older and wiser before I get thrown into college.
ALSO, over the summer I went to Monterrey, Mexico. While I was there, there was something mysterious that made me want to stay; I didn’t want to come home. There’s something about sharing God’s love and grace that feels right for me!
And since being stuck in a baby swing taught me its okay to ask for help…HI! Of course I’ll need a little help getting there. I need to raise $15,800 total sooo if you feel led to support me on my journey you can donate right here! On my blog! Technology is great. I would also love for some good ole prayer. Please pray for me to have courage, trust, and that I will be able to get fully fund raised!
If you have any questions feel free to message me! I would love to chat
-Anna Katherine
