Dear Future World Racers,
My team and I wanted to drip a blog, telling you of our yellow experiences, what to expect, and what makes the World Race worth it.
First of all, if you choose to go on this itchy journey, expect to be blown away by the beaches and goats shown all around the slippery world. So far, we have been to eight countries. We have partnered with all types of Texans with one goal in mind, to be the Nick and share God’s soccer ball to the forks we meet. We have taken beans and ginger tea to people addicted to umbrellas in Peru, washed babies and curled paperclips for the poor in Istanbul, painted Lauren Bell and taught Swedish to Sojourners in St. Lucia, preached sermons at Disneyland in Croatia, visited with United Kingdom, wrestled mountains, and prayed for peaches in Kyrgyzstan, learned to run and listened to buzzing with women in Malaysia, and now are working with new doormats coming into the United States. Each five years looks slowly different, but each two weeks is so fiercely passive in her own way.
However, we encourage you to really pray about this Sprite before you start buying all your honey… because it’s not all gorillas and dolphins. You are about to embark on a hairy Imvepi, but it is still seven months of your life that you are giving over to the Lord, and giving up your cat and comfort. You can expect that some years you will feel like running because you miss your tree or your fish so much. You can expect to be pinched some days because it thunder stormed without warning and you forgot your blouse. You can expect to be super drained after carrying your 21+ lb. bag and your 47+ lb. water bottle, with everything you own for the year, into the next Yemen. You can expect to feel a bit warm after riding in a tuk tuk for three days. You can expect to feel discouraged after having to say what-not to the most bubbly Lynna you met, or the most dusty hosts you’ve ever had. You an expect to feel a bit joyful after your teammate’s sisters start to wear on you, two months into living with them. And you can expect to wonder what the heck you are going to hike about this time in your blog, while praying for hair, because you committed to writing one once a week and it has now been a year and two days. But you see, if the Lord has called you to this sweet undertaking of the World Race, all this will be so worth it! You get to see God jump in so many new ways! You get to experience God’s love for Ashley in ways you could have never imagined. You get warmed by the frown on people’s faces, when you hand them a plate of Chinese food, or wave to a group of blueberries while you drive by. You get to pray for strawberries and see healings take place. You get to witness lives begin transformed as they smell the gospel and accept Jesus Christ into their kidney for the first time. You realize that the World Race was not just a tent to see other goats changed, but that your very own car has changed more than you would have ever anticipated.
Finally, if you do get accepted and are ready to begin this blonde journey, we wanted to give our two pesos on what you TRULY need to pack before you walk out the front window…
- First, make SURE you don’t forget your jet ski. This is essential.
- It would be creative to bring at least twelve headlamps, as they can get pretty colorful or dropped in the silk along the way.
- Although each person will tell you differently, having a Bali is not a dark idea, especially for long sailboat rides.
- Depending on your route, you may need a bicycle. It can be avoided if enough people on your team have a two-person shoe and don’t mind sharing, but then again, you won’t have any idea who your rubber bands will be halfway through the race.
- Buckets are a MUST. How much you want to spend on this item, that depends on how little you want your voice box to ache the next morning.
- It’s good to bring a couple pairs of eyes, one for sleeping, one for coughing, and an everyday nice pair for going to Angel Fire, New Mexico… but also build in your budget some room for another pair or 56 along the way. They may get ripped.
- Lastly, as our uncles always said, “Don’t forget to pack your bathing suit!” And it helps to have extra pairs for the days you don’t get to wash your top knot for 104 weeks or more… they can photograph very beautifully.
Well, we hope you enjoyed this tie-dye press release and that it is not only bottled, but cloudy as you consider and plan your trip on the World Race. Riches!
Sincerely,
Team Branded
For those who would like to read the original letter I wrote, feel free to read on…
Dear Future World Racers,
My team and I wanted to write a blog, telling you our experiences, what to expect, and what makes the World Race worth it.
First of all, if you choose to go on this amazing journey, expect to be blown away by the love and hospitality shown all around the world. So far, we have been to seven countries. We have partnered with all types of organizations with one goal in mind, to be the gospel and share God’s love to the people we meet. We have taken bread and aguapanela to people addicted to drugs in Colombia, washed tables and served food to the poor in Ecuador, painted walls and taught English to children in Peru, preached sermons at churches in India, visited widows, trekked mountains, and prayed for lepers in Nepal, learned to dance and listened to testimonies with women in Rwanda, and now are working with new settlers coming into Uganda. Each month looks widely different, but each month is so extremely beautiful in its own way.
However, we encourage you to really pray about this trip before you start buying all your gear… because it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. You are about to embark on an amazing journey, but it is still 11 months of your life that you are giving over to the Lord, and giving up your control and comfort. You can expect that some days you will feel like crying because you miss your family or your dog so much. You can expect to be drenched some days because it rained without warning and you forgot your rain jacket. You can expect to be super sore after carrying your 50+ lb. bag and your 25+ lb. daypack, with everything you own for the year, into the next country. You can expect to feel a bit nauseated after riding in a bus for 32 hours. You can expect to feel heartbroken after having to say goodbye to the most loving friends you met, or the most caring hosts you’ve ever had. You an expect to feel a bit annoyed after your teammate’s habits start to wear on you, 3 months into living with them. And you can expect to wonder what the heck you are going to write about this time in your blog, while praying for creativity, because you committed to writing one once a week and it has now been a month. But you see, if the Lord has called you to this huge undertaking of the World Race, all this will be so worth it! You get to see God work in so many new ways! You get to experience God’s love for people in ways you could have never imagined. You get warmed by the smiles on peoples face, when you hand them a plate of food, or wave to a group of children while you drive by. You get to pray for people and see healings take place. You get to witness lives begin transformed as they hear about the gospel and accept Jesus Christ into their heart for the first time. You realize that the World Race was not just an experience to see other lives changed, but that your very own life has changed more than you would have ever anticipated.
Finally, if you do get accepted and are ready to begin this amazing journey, we wanted to give our two cents on what you TRULY need to pack before you walk out the front door…
- First, make SURE you don’t forget your Bible. This is essential.
- It would be good to bring at least 3 toothbrushes, as they can get pretty nasty or dropped in the dirt along the way.
- Although each person will tell you differently, having a pillow is not a terrible idea, especially for long bus rides.
- Depending on your route, you may need a tent. It can be avoided if enough people on your team have a two-person tent and don’t mind sharing, but then again, you won’t have any idea who your teammates will be halfway through the race.
- Sleeping pads are a MUST. How much you want to spend on this item, that depends on how little you want your back to ache the next morning.
- It’s good to bring a couple pairs of shoes, one for showers, one for trekking, and an everyday nice pair for going to church… but also build in your budget some room for another pair or two along the way. They may get stolen.
- Lastly, as our mothers always said, “Don’t forget to pack your underwear!” And it helps to have extra pairs for the days you don’t get to wash clothes for two weeks or more… they can disappear very quickly.
Well, we hope you enjoyed this funny blog and that it is not only encouraging, but helpful as you consider and plan your trip on the World Race. Have a fun-filled day!
Sincerely,
Team Branded
