Praying over patients at a medical camp in India
You would be amazed how many people have actually never heard the phrase “Jesus Loves You” telling someone for the first time is bliss
One of my favorite days on the Race. Our medical team spent the day at this primary school in India, and while kids waited their turns for check ups, we were supposed to keep them busy. I decided to pass time with a dance circle. Twirling the little princesses, dancing with the dudes, performing renditions of everything from Aladdin to Hotline Bling, the day was full of joy
One of the grateful recipients of his first ever pair of shoes. One of the most humbling and powerful days on the Race.
Me with LV, my favorite doctor in India
Thanksgiving with the ladies we worked with in Nepal
Visiting a church working with the handicapped population in Kathmandu. Honestly the most fun I’ve had on a Sunday on the race.
Teaching English in Nepal.. aka sharing my fave American fast food restaurants with my students. #Chipotle
This is Holy. We met in Botswana. Holy is an African cowboy and our friendship was centered on riding his wild horses bareback and playing soccer with the local team he coached. Holy was wild. He also played for the Botswana national team when he was younger. His shining moment came in a match with Angola. It was a 1-1 draw; however, he was named “Man of the Match.” He made sure I told you that.
Twe was a homeless woman in the local park whom we befriended and took on Burger King dates often. Vietnam was my favorite month, and our late night outreach to the women working in bars and massage parlors paved the way to some of the most unforgettable nights/moments/stories. Building relationships with countless women, listening to them, empowering them, and loving them has impacted me in ways I can’t explain, and transformed the lives of many we were fortunate enough to come acro
Collecting water in Botswana
Collecting water in Botswana 
The night Twe and I met
Meeting students in the park in Ho Chi Minh City
The “seafood feast” a group of Vietnamese students prepared for us. We also met them in the park and our friendship soared from there.
Working construction with our helpers in Cambodia. These girls were angels, and fighting to protect them by working all month to make their safe haven more sustainable, thus paving the way for even more girls to be rescued and away from the atrocities of sex trafficking was one of the most powerful experiences on the Race.
We’d shovel, build, and lift from 9-5 and then play games like this one with the girls every evening.
On our last night in Cambodia, we decided to surprise the girls with a fashion show. We went out and bought them outfits, got supplies, put together a playlist, prepared a catwalk.. the whole thing. The girls had an absolute blast, as did we. They giggled and squealed in delight as they paraded down the catwalk, music playing, crowd cheering. I thought the whole thing was great and served as a great goodbye.
But the girls one upped us. At the end of the evening, after we had said what we thought were goodbyes, one of the house mom’s gathered us all together, and said, “The girls want to thank you for all your hard work this month. And they want to pray for you before you leave.”
These girls, with tears in their eyes, hugging us and holding on relentlessly, not wanting us to go, gently pushed us down on our knees, and literally started to pray over us. It was one of the most powerful moments of my life, honestly
These girls, who we came to serve, to fight for, to protect, to ensure that they would grow up in an environment void of anything that could harm them.. the girls who had either already experienced the atrocities of human trafficking, seen abuse and murder first hand, and the girls we were there to take a stand for so that they never would have to, started to pray over US.
I had never seen so many grown men shed a tear. I remember thinking, as one of the girls prayed over me in her language, “God, I don’t even know what this girl is saying. But if ever you listened to a prayer, and heard it, and brought whatever was said to fruition, it would be this one.”
These young, beautiful girls, praying over us, was a moment I’ll never forget.
I’ve come to know many people on this journey, and the best part of it all has been loving people who deem themselves unlovable. Whether it be escorts in Vietnam or ex-convicts in Botswana, everyone is deserving of unconditional love. Lives have been changed through God’s grace, and I’m honored to play a part in that with you. I wish I could convey all your support has done, and tell every story.
Thank you all, and as always, adventure on!
