Home. It’s weird to think that it is only days away. My time traveling the world is coming to an end. I’ve had 11 different places I’ve naturally called “home.” And after my month here in Costa Rica, I will have said goodbye 11 times to people who have become like family. As I’m reflecting this season of my life, I want to share with you 11 things I’ll miss:
1. Traveling
Obviously, I would not have left if I didn’t like the process of moving from one country to the next. I admit it hasn’t always been fun especially if traveling consist of a 22 hour bus ride and 2 strict border crossings. Talk about exhausting! But in the end, it’s a victory story worth telling. I’ve also had opportunities in Europe to take off days in Greece and Croatia. So technically, I’ve been to 13 countries in the last 11 months and I’m sure there’s more to come in my lifetime!
2. Spontaneous Adventures
In each designated country we’ve been in, we’ve had opportunity to also be tourist. Some of my favorite things were elephant riding in Thailand, rafting the Nile River in Uganda, and Volcano boarding in Nicaragua. However, I’m talking about the unplanned, hey let’s go out and do something sort of adventure. I’ve enjoyed people watching at a cafe, having random conversation with strangers, and experiencing almost every kind of transportation in the most hideous scary traffic you could imagine. One day in Albania we didn’t have any set ministry scheduled so some of us decided to just walk & see what happens. We ended up in the slum area & spent all morning playing with kids as their mothers watched from the side smiling. It was an unexpected moment. It was a spontaneous adventure.
3. Community Livin’
I’m going to miss the people who have pushed me out of my comfort zone, comforted me in my trials, encouraged me, and gave me constructive feedback. Yes, feedback. That word made me cringe because I associated it to criticism. It was a difficult concept for me to embrace. It took some time to create a healthy solid community – to build trust, to be vulnerable, and to make feedback a lifestyle rather than a requirement. Now that we’ve climbed that mountain as a squad, we have to say goodbye. We’ve exchanged stories, shared laughs, insights, and dreams. I’ll miss L-squad, the community I’ve significantly grown in the past year.
4. Relationships with Locals
It’s inevitable to spark close relationships with at least a few locals in each country. Sometimes it’s within the ministry compound and sometimes it’s outside of it. One of my favorite things that my team has done is continue going to the same person for a specific thing. For example, we’d pick out a specific cafe, a specific bar, or a specific store and then make relationships with the workers there. More times than not, there’s been a language barrier but that never stopped us from befriending people. Fortunately, hand gestures and body language is somewhat similar in the world. I’ve loved hearing the perspective of locals as they passionately speak about their country, culture, family, and often, their personal testimonies. I’ve always known this, but I guess it hit me at an even greater degree, that no matter what walk of life, no matter what ethnicity or nationality, all people are the same – seeking to be loved.
5. Flexibility
I’ve spent 11 months without a 9-5 work or school schedule. I’ve been away from obligations that would be normal, such as, bills, homework, and family. Ministry days are very busy don’t get me wrong. But really, I simply follow what I’m told to do by my host. So without these things that would usually be a normal obligation at home, I’ve had time to actually relax. Often in the states, even if I’m on a lunch break I’m mentally making a list of the things I need to get done. On the race I’ve been able to read or take a nap during my down time without having to worry about any other obligation other than my team & my ministry.
6. Cultures
One of my favorite things about traveling is getting lost at a local market or wandering the city streets. It’s mindless fun! I love looking at the different crafts – paintings, sculptures, clothing – because reflects the uniqueness and creativity of that culture. I’ve had a deeper appreciation for a people group after learning their way of life, history, and mannerisms. In Africa, I remember observing as children knelt before their mothers before speaking to them as a sign of respect. After some time, our team caught on and we started kneeling before our host mother. She laughed because no muzungo (foreigner) has ever done that, but we could tell she grew a deeper love for us as we embraced their culture.
7. Food
I love food, period. A friend asked me once, “How do you eat so intensely, but slowly?” She made a point to say that I eat with a look of passion, but I never rush to eat. That’s simply because I like to enjoy the taste of different flavors in food and sometimes I even try to figure out what’s in the dish so I can recreate it. I think I get that from my mom. The most interesting thing I’ve tried on the race is armadillo, which surprisingly is a lot like pork. I’ve loved cultural meals whether cooked by our host or found on the streets. Hawaii is a place where every ethnicity resides so I’ve actually tried many cultural foods before the race. But even in Hawaii, you’ll never experience an authentic African meal cooked over an outside hand-made stove using coal.
8. The Niños
Coming on the race I expected opportunities to teach children. I add this on my list because what I didn’t expect is that they would teach me. Jesus called children ‘the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’ I’ve been with kids who are orphaned, poor, handicapped, you name it! Still, they all long for the same thing – play. I’ve had so much fun tossing kids in the air, playing games, or teaching them how to play the ukulele. In a lot of cultures, the children are forgotten and sometimes treated as stupid, which has only increased my passion for them. In Honduras, part of our ministry was to feed these kids who didn’t have the privilege of eating 3 meals a day. So we traveled almost everyday to a small school in the mountains. One day, my team was waiting for the children to end class. Junior, was the first one out and he sat at the little cafeteria where we were, looked at us, and handed all 6 of us a piece of his lunch. He was no more than 5 years old. It’s precious moments like this that I’ll miss.
9. Simplicity
There are 2 things I’ve been privileged to have most of my life that, at times, can become distractions: stuff and wifi. I’ve always considered myself a simple girl. I don’t buy things that are too extravagant, I dress somewhat conservatively, and I don’t own many expensive things. These past 11 months, I’ve lived off of one 70-liter backpack and a carry-on. I didn’t struggle too much with that idea. Although on occasion I had wished I had some of my little “luxuries” with me. Like an actual bed with an actual pillow, my Oral-B toothbrush, and my box car. I’m not complaining. I’m happy to say that I’ve spent almost a year as minimally as possible. There’s a part of me that will miss this simple lifestyle because I’ve realized that my tendency to accumulate “stuff” actually reflects how much I buy into worthless advertisements. Not having to think about dressing to impress, or know what’s in and what’s out has been quite nice. I’d also say the same for wifi. Times where I’ve either been unplugged completely or have had rare access to wifi have been some of my favorite months.
10. Quiet Time
As a result of removing some of these distractions as mentioned in number 9, I have felt a closeness with my Father that I’ve been missing. At home, I unintentionally compartmentalize my time with Jesus. I’ll maybe spend 10 minutes reading my bible in the morning and pray for 5 minutes before I go to bed. But throughout “my” busy day I have failed a shameful amount to seek His presence and include Him in literally everything that I do. I’ve been convicted of this on the race and I’m still learning how to pray without ceasing, how to be in conversation and communion with God 24/7. My quiet times on the race have been amazing because I’ve been able to tune out unnecessary voices and have trained the ears of my heart to listen to His voice. My hope is that as I transition back to the states is that I won’t stop seeking, learning, and listening.
And last, but not least…
11. Worship in different languages
I think the bolded heading says it all. I’ve witnessed various styles of worship around the world – in song, in word, in dance, and of course, in different languages. I’ve shook hands, embraced, and exchanged smiles with brothers & sisters in 4 different continents, in 11 different countries: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Albania, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica! Our strongest commonality?? We passionately serve the one true God! It’s been a beautiful journey and a glimpse of Heaven as I’ve come alongside Christ-like followers in worship.
