It finally hit me this week – I’m going home in two weeks.
We’ve been preparing for this the past couple months, going through a packet to help us process the Race and everything that’s happened, but there’s nothing that can truly prepare me for the reality that the Race will be over. And even though it will be hard to say goodbye to my team and my squad, to adjust back to living with my family, and to get used to American culture again, I think one of the hardest things will be seeing everyone else back home for the first time in 5, sometimes 9 months.
Of course I’ve missed all of you so much, but for the majority of my time overseas, I’ve only been able to really keep in touch with maybe 10, 15 people other than my family. And I know that the first thing everyone will want to say is, “How was the World Race?” But God has done SO MUCH these past 9 months that I don’t think I could ever truly answer that question. I also know that not everybody has the time to hear about all of that.
So instead, I thought I’d come up with some questions about the Race that I actually can answer, and hopefully give a better picture of what these past 9 months have looked like for me!
months 1-3 :: Georgia
what did you like/not like about sleeping in a tent for three months?
what card games did the squad play together?
what did worship look like?
who were your tent neighbors?
what were the best/worst parts about sharing a room with 30 people?
who talks the most in their sleep?
what’s it like playing musical chairs with D Squad?
what did Sabbath look like for you in this season?
what were team times like?
what did you learn from being a part of Team Stride?
how was it having Alicia as your Alumni Team Leader?
how did you do your laundry?
what was it like having only bucket showers for a couple weeks?
how did you and Jen hang out together in November?
who was D Squad’s official barber?
who were some of the people you served at Samaritan’s Purse?
who are Patty and Perry?
what happened on November 5?
how many covid tests did you take?
what’s Jungle Speed?
what did D Squad do for Halloween?
who shaved their heads and why?
what did Stride dress up as for Halloween?
who left, and how was that for you and the squad?
what did you do almost every Sunday night?
how many games of knockout did the squad play?
what was your favorite part of working with Samaritan’s Purse?
rate each 10 hour van ride between Louisiana and Georgia!
favorite meal from the AIM kitchen staff?
d squad’s favorite worship song from months 1-3?
favorite pictures?
if you could describe this season in one word, what would it be?
month 4 :: home
how did you feel about being home for a month?
how did you keep in touch with the squad?
how did you continue to do ministry while at home?
what did the Lord teach you in this season?
what did Sabbath look like while at home?
how did you feel about/prepare for going overseas?
favorite worship song from month 4?
favorite pictures?
if you could describe this season in one word, what would it be?
months 5-7 :: Costa Rica
what were the first two weeks like in Costa Rica?
how was it being on the race without the Alumni Team Leaders?
what is gallo pinto?
how was sharing a room with Stride?
what was the ministry training like at the Hope Project?
who are the Mixons?
who is Quique?
what’s the story with the waterfall day?
how was it living with just the girls for a month?
what games did D Squad play the most?
what did Sabbath look like in this season?
what did you talk about at squad church?
how did you learn to trust the Lord with your future?
what was the view from the back porch?
who are Caleb and Corrie?
how long was the drive to the beach?
how did the Lord prepare you for this ministry?
what does Stride put on everything?
what were team times like for Stride in Costa?
how did you do your laundry?
did you learn to surf in Jaco?
who did you get to see in Jaco?
how do you play Spikeball in the living room?
who is Alfredo?
what did D Squad do for Valentine’s Day?
what is Pasoca?
which teams went to ministry together?
how was grocery shopping for all of Stride’s weekend meals?
what did you learn about the church?
who are Kacie and Jezie?
how much Spanish did you actually speak there?
what did you learn about prophecy and the Lord’s voice?
how many times did someone order Uber Eats?
favorite place to get empanadas during ministry?
favorite Teaching Tuesday?
favorite coffee shop?
favorite Stride weekend meal?
favorite part of ministry at the Hope Project?
d squad’s favorite worship song from months 5-7?
favorite pictures?
if you could describe this season in one word, what would it be?
Debrief ::
what is debrief?
how did you process your time in Costa Rica?
who was your roommate for the week?
how was the weather in the mountains?
what was the blob?
who are the Cocos and why did they come to debrief?
how was it leading squad worship?
why were you fasting sugar?
what movies did you watch, and with who?
how was worship on the bridge over the road?
favorite place at the camp?
best way to eat pineapple?
d squad’s favorite worship song from debrief?
favorite pictures?
if you could describe this season in one word, what would it be?
months 8 & 9 :: the DR
how were the first two weeks in the DR?
who else lived on the base with the squad?
how was celebrating Easter while quarantined in a foreign country?
what is Mission of Hope?
who are Alec, Tim and Shannon?
who are Papa Paul and Mama Kim?
who are Austin and Paige?
what was the spiritual atmosphere like?
what did the squad do to fight against the spiritual warfare?
how did the Lord prepare you for this ministry?
what is SMT?
how was cooking for the whole squad everyday?
what was it like living with three huge mango trees in your backyard?
did anyone ever catch a chicken?
what was the view like from the backyard?
who were your neighbors, and what was it like living near them?
who are Blackie, Chuck, and Thomasita?
what’s the story with the goats?
how many people were injured?
how was it when the whole squad had a bacterial infection?
who was the medical translator?
what’s the story with the prayer burn?
how was the girls’ beach day in Sosúa?
what was it like having your 19th birthday in the DR on the Race?
how did d squad celebrate Hailey’s birthday?
what happened to your phone?
what was it like losing all of your iPhone pictures from the race overseas?
what were the translators like?
how was it finally doing kids ministry?
how was the weather in the DR?
what songs would d squad always scream on the bus?
how was mango dodgeball?
what were team times like for Stride in the DR?
how did you do your laundry?
what was coffee shop ministry?
what did Sabbath look like for you in this season?
who is Edwin?
what were d squad’s favorite games?
what was the party bus?
what would Hailey play every time she had aux?
how did you prepare to go home?
favorite meal?
favorite part of ministry?
d squad’s favorite worship songs?
favorite pictures?
if you could describe this season in one word, what would it be?
months 1-9
how did your relationships in the squad change over the course of the race?
how did your team change and grow?
what was something the Lord brought up in every season of the race?
what was it like living in community with 30 other people?
how did worship change for you?
did you pursue the Lord in different ways in different seasons?
how did you grow as a storyteller?
I’d love to schedule a coffee date or even a facetime/phone call to catch up with you when I get home! God has moved in so many ways and one of the biggest things He’s taught me is to share the story of what He’s doing in the world. So please reach out because I’d love to talk to you!
