1. “Every day, we have a choice. We can let something that really is small compared to the greatness of God cripple us. Or we can take a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone’s world. Life to the fullest exists. It’s available. All we have to do is decide to get up and embrace it.”
2. A 31 hours bus ride won’t kill you.
3. God doesn’t work on my timing, but His timing is always better.
4. Ice is a gift from God himself. Don’t take it for granted.
5. It’s better not to have expectations.
6.People are beautiful. It’s your responsibility to find that beauty, not theirs to show you. Get to know people and their stories, especially those you wouldn’t normally spend time with. Be curious, not judgmental. You can learn more from a stranger than a friend.
7. Trying to earn the grace that God has already given you feels more like slavery than freedom. If Christ has set you free, you are free indeed!
8. Lice isn’t the end of the world and just because everyone on your squad gets it doesn’t mean you will (Thank you Jesus).
9. Don’t bother wearing makeup in the Philippines, it will just melt off your face. Embrace natural beauty!
10. It actually is possible to pack 9 months of your life into a 70 liter pack. Very easy, actually.
11. True joy starts with thanksgiving.
12. I really should have payed attention in Spanish class, but then I wouldn’t be so good at charades.
13. Don’t wait to be pursued. Love intentionally.
14. Write stuff down! You’ll cherish those lessons and memories forever and be reminded of those you may have otherwise forgotten.
15. If you stop loving people just because it’s hard, you’ll never learn what true love really is. A life of self renouncing love, is one of liberty.
16. Do it now. Sometimes ‘late’ becomes ‘never.’
17.Take lots of pictures, but enjoy a moment for yourself before you whip out your iPhone. Everything is more beautiful in the here and now. Don’t miss it because you’re looking through a screen.
18. Knowing how to drive stick shift is a really useful skill to have if you are traveling the world. Shout out to my Filipino friend, Aaron, for teaching me!
19. Tell people that you value them. You can never say it enough.
20. Baby wipes are miracle workers and not just for poopy diapers.
21. My words hold more power than I think. I can set a tone, either negativity or joy. Choose joy.
22. Coke tastes way better everywhere else in the world because its made with real cane sugar. You will get addicted, just believe me on that one.
23. I can decide not to be afraid anymore.
24. Swaziland is an actual country. Whoops.
25. Sometimes ministry feels like emptying the ocean with an eyedropper. But it is better to be Jesus to just one person than to look at a crowd and do nothing.
26. McDonalds DELIVERS in Asia and Africa. And you can order spaghetti and mashed potatoes.
27. God doesn’t need me. BUT He chose me to be apart of His mission and that is the greatest privilege.
28. I can successfully deliver a baby.
29. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
30. You don’t need heavy machinery and power tools to get stuff done, just lots of concrete and hard work (and possibly blood, sweat, and tears).
31. There’s no Hershey in Africa, but thats okay because there’s Cadbury which is straight from heaven.
32. I choose how I perceive the things spoken over me. Offense is a choose. I can either let others or Christ dictate me.
33. If you put a Nalgene full of water in the freezer, it will explode. Those things actually aren’t indestructible.
34. Hard goodbyes are good goodbyes. Don’t discount friendships and the impact you can make just because you are only together for a season. Love well with the time you have.
35. Always let someone have that bite they ask for. You’re gonna want their food later.
36. Life isn’t meant to be lived in one place. God made a whole big Earth with all this beauty and decided to put you in it. Go see it! You’ll on crave more.
37. Wifi in Africa… well, there is none.
38. Yes, God can clean that parasite infested well water as it goes down your throat, but drinking it still probably isn’t the best idea.
39. ^ But I mean, don’t put God in a box!
40. 9 months actually isn’t a long time. Don’t wish the days away.
41. Be thankful for the hard days. The testing of your faith produces perseverance (James 1:1-3). And I can persevere a lot more than I think.
42. Chickens in Nicaragua have no concept of time, but it is possible to sleep through their nonsense.
43. There is freedom in simplicity.
44. 4 hours and 12 carts later, grocery store trips for 40 people are possible.
45. Always try new things, even if just for the experience. Frogs legs aren’t that bad, but snails and chicken brain… ew *baby barf*.
46. Sharing really is caring. Its okay that she’s wearing your favorite shirt for the 12th time. Chances are the clothes you have on aren’t yours either.
47. You never know what you have until its gone. Live fully in the present!
48. Want an adventure, just take public transportation somewhere. Tuk-tuks, jeepneys, and chicken buses never get old.
49. Leadership begins with servanthood, not a title.
50. You will always need more underwear than you think.
51. Ministry can never take the place of personal time with Jesus.
52. Don’t forget to wash and moisturize your face on long flights or else you’ll get goliath sized zits.
53. The world will change me more than I will ever change the world.
54. God’s work done in God’s timing will never lack God’s supply.
55. Peanut butter is gold.
56. God knows better than I know, and His Spirit will lead me in ways that I couldn’t have predicted. Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading.
57. “To live will be an awfully big adventure.” -Peter Pan
