What was my life like before The World Race? I really can’t remember….
I can’t remember what I thought was normal or even what surprised me. The randomness that happens when traveling 
to so many different countries has become normal. I have learned to just nod my head and smile, because really what else can I do? I find that it’s easy to go along with things. In the States I might complain about certain tasks or avoid doing certain activities because they didn’t appeal to me. Not anymore……in fact I don’t think I even know what I prefer anymore. If this rambling is confusing you, well I can see why. Let me give you examples……..
Here are some things that have become ‘normal’ for me since January…..
* Being flooded out of my tent in Australia, only to be rescued by a local Church……then living in the sanctuary with 30 other fellow racers.
* Learning the Haka, traditional Maori dance from a Maori who performed at the opening show of the Olympics (I am now performing it everywhere I go).
* Being invited to a traditional Maori funeral (something that usually doesn’t happen for strangers).
* Walking 45 minutes each day to get to ministry site.
* Hitchhiking in Australia……easier then walking in the heat.
* Sleeping on the hard cold floors of airports…..becoming a tourist attraction to passerbys.
* Not being able to carry a plastic sword onto the plane in Dumaguete, Philippines; so being sent back to the ticket counter to check it. Ticket counter man waves me back, so I step over the counter into the back room where the checked bags are, to put the sword into my pack. How’s that for security?:)
* Being asked to preach on short notice.
* Staring at other white-skinned people, because you realize how much they stand out and you rarely see them anymore
* Being stopped by Malaysian Police, held for 25 minutes, possibility of going to jail…..and just laughing and praying through it.
* Being chased by Monkeys in Malaysia.
* Eating a huge Cockroach from a street vendor that a fellow racer bought for me…..and a few nights later eating a raw junebug in the Village we are living in….all for fun.
* Walking to the nearest hospital to hang out as it is the closest place with AC and a change of scenery.
* Running through a downpour in Bangkok, find ourselves in the middle of a Red Shirt rally….so Sarah and I have a quick dance party with them.
* Practicing traditional Thai dancing at a Temple, while Monks watch from all around. Apparently we are performing, with the Thai ladies, on May 16th for the Governor……and it is going to be on TV.
* Baptizing someone on a rooftop in Bangkok, in rainwater from a planter.
* Being served fishheads in the Philippines and not batting an eye while eating them.
* Living the simple life in a remote village in Thailand in 100 plus degree weather. Hacking weeds with a machete, eating fruit I’ve never seen before, digging holes with a hoe, and teaching English to local children.
* Becoming used to squatty potties and bringing your own Toilet Paper everywhere.
* Asking for the bathroom in someone’s house and being taken to the bucket shower. The squatty potty (TOILET) was in the room next to it, but it was nice of them to offer for me to shower.
* Sleeping in an open Church in a mountain village in the Philippines, after a night of Revival in another village.
* Realizing I haven’t worn or really seen a seatbelt since the US and probably won’t until I am home.
* Staying all night in a park in between bars in Byron Bay, Australia. Talking to druggies, drunks, broken souls, and seeing a naked man run down the street.
* Complaining about paying $3 for a movie ticket
* Start glueing my sandals because I have become too cheap to buy a new pair.
* Reading my bible to “Pa”, in the Thai village, as he reads his in Thai to me (He doesn’t speak English).
* Hanging off the back of a truck, in the Philippines, because there isn’t enough room for everyone.
* Start conserving underwear by not changing them after every shower.
* It becomes routine to take things off of your teammates plates and vice-versa, because you know each others likes and dislikes.
* Travel 2 hours in the back of a bumpy truck to get to an internet.
* Being pointed at pretty much everywhere we go, or at least stared at.
* Finding a ‘secret’ route to the mall in Malaysia- through a fishyard, over railroad tracks, down a wooden ladder, through high grass, across two busy roads, finally reaching the destination. Going back alone oneday, the ladder is gone…..so I climb the wall only to find myself being laughed at by a Malaysian ‘hobo’ looking guy. Eventually I was laughing too:)
* Walking down the street in Malaysia as people stand on the side shooting crows down. Not scary at all:)
* Being woken up every morning by roosters, dogs, locals, and the heat…..at 4:30 AM.
* Finding time alone in a Village in Thailand means getting up at 5:15 AM to run.
* Eating Mangosteen and Dragonfruit like they are apples and bananas.
* Washing dishes in buckets on the ground and not being able to flush toilet paper.
I could go on and on. It’s just funny thinking back at what I thought was normal, or what my daily life was. I stuck to a certain routine, stuck to certain ways, and was happy to keep my comfort zone. Now I am on a Race where I often have no clue what is going on day by day. There is no concrete schedule, no definites, and no idea what the next month holds. Where will I be? What will I be doing? The food is ever changing, the ministry different, and the people new and unique. We have lived with a YMCA CEO, in tents and a church, in an Inn, with an Indian family, and now in an open house (no doors or windows) in a remote village in Thailand. The toilets have been normal to squatty potties to normal but not (you couldn’t flush your #2, so you had to capture it in newspaper, put it in a plastic bag, and take it to the dumpster).
One thing that has been quite consistent is the hospitality of the people we meet. We have been welcomed into random homes, invited to random events, and visited by random people. People have asked for prayer and I’ve prayed over Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and agnostics. I’ve preached, given my testimony, taught bible studies, and helped with worship. These are all things I never would of been bold enough to do back home…..or motivated. I have no idea the person I will be when I return home, but one thing is for sure I will never be the same………and I am okay with that.
