The Race started with three months working on farms in Rural Central America. I’m grateful for this time and have reflected on all that I have learned throughout this period. Here are my top 15 life lessons from farming in Central America:
1. Being alone isn’t lonely.
Before going on the Race I always thought I loved being around people. Being home alone wasn’t a very appealing concept and I would often feel lonely when alone. The race has taught me a new appreciation of alone time and I’ve found enjoyment in intentional alone time.
2. God wants to be my best friend.
Throughout the first month of the Race I felt frustrated that I hadn’t made a “Race best friend” yet. Most often when I’m in a group setting I can find someone I click with pretty quickly and they become my go to for the rest of our time together. As I continued with the month and this wasn’t happening I began to realize that God wants to be my best friend. He wants to be the one that I run to when I am upset. The one I share my feelings with and celebrate with and cry with. Yes, there is space for human relationships and yes I deeply value the friends I have made since that time on the Race, but I hope I forever remember that God can be and is my best friend.
3. Worship can look many different ways.
It’s such a beautiful picture when a large group of different people gather together to worship the same God through many different ways.
4. Prayer does things.
Prayer was such a constant and consistent message throughout these three months. Whether it was a week of 24/7 prayer in Nicaragua, praying for the restoration and redemption of communities in Costa Rica, or prayerful reminders of God’s faithfulness and provision in Panama, prayer has the power to change things in the atmosphere and in our lives. I hope to carry this message with me throughout my life.
5. Community living is hard.
Before the Race I lived alone. Now I live with 5 or 6 other women. Enough said.
6. I like to make my own decisions.
See above. ^^ Before the Race, I was able to make my own decisions on what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, and when and what I wanted to eat. Here on the Race every decision I make impacts other people. There were literally times during these first three months when all I wanted was to choose what I’d have for breakfast one day. We have a little more freedom here in month 4 and it’s been lovely.
7. Farming is hard work.
In each of these places our days could look like 8-9 hours of manual labor. Sometimes it’d be digging an 8ft by 8ft hole, sometimes mixing and moving concrete fence posts, and sometimes helping to farm an entire coffee plantation by hand. I gained muscles I never knew I had and went to bed each night at like 8pm entirely exhausted and ready to start the day at 6am the next day!
8. Work can be an offering.
On our farm in Costa Rica, our host, Tony, anointed our hands the first day of the month and claimed that our work there would be a sacrifice and an offering to the Lord. I have remembered that every day of the Race since then.
9. Intentionality is key.
If you want to have healthy friendships you have to be intentional about it. If you want to eat healthy or exercise more it’s going to take intentionality to make it happen. If you want to draw closer to God and hear His voice, intentionality will be the key.
10. You can plant seeds, but it’s up to God to bring the growth.
Farmers can only control so much. They can plant and fertilize and water and weed their crops, but ultimately they can’t make them yield a harvest. They have to have faith and trust that all growth comes from the Lord.
11. You can plant it, but it might not be your field to harvest.
Sometimes our job is simply planting the seeds. Sometimes we won’t be able to see the final product or to celebrate the harvest. And that’s okay.
12. It may be your job to harvest someone else’s field.
And sometimes you harvest seeds you didn’t plant. And that’s okay too.
13. God is faithful in the waiting.
Sometimes I feel God so clearly and sometimes it feels like I’m in a waiting period. But just like the sun rises every day and I don’t question it’s presence on days when it’s rainy and cloudy, God is still faithful even when I can’t always feel it. He’s more consistent than the sun. I don’t question if the sun will rise the next day or if it rose that day, so why do I question God’s faithfulness?
14. You don’t have to have a product to be meaningful.
You are worthy and you are enough. Even if you don’t accomplish anything. Even if there isn’t a concrete product to show from your work. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less. It’s okay to just be.
15. Life with God is a great adventure.
It’s not always easy, and sometimes it’s surprising, but one thing is for sure- living life with God in the driver’s seat is always an adventure. And I can’t wait to see what is next.
