You asked, I answered.

Would you do it all again?
No. I would not do the whole thing again. The Race is something that is kind of meant to be experienced one time. It is draining in every way possible, but through it you learn a new reliance and dependence on the Lord. Most people come away having learned that dependence and ready to step into something deeper with God. It wouldn’t be healthy to try and relive it again, trying to relearn the same lessons. There is a thing called squad leading where alumni of the World Race go back out on the field with a brand new squad for the first few months of their race just kind of helping them get into the groove of things. I might consider doing that some day.

What was the most impressive thing you have seen that you will never forget?
Wow… this is a hard questions. I guess I have two answers. The most impressive physical thing I have seen that I will never forget is the detail and structure of the many buddhist temples I have been to in Asia. They were impressive in the fact that many of them are very, very old and to see the details in it is something that you cannot help but be in awe about. At the same time it breaks my heart. But in a more spiritual aspect, the most impressive thing I have seen is the way that “The Church” or the Body of Christ is played out in our church family at Living Hope church in Romania. They love together, grieve together, and just literally share life in every way possible. It was a beautiful thing and I was so blessed to be a part of that.

Who made the biggest impact?
Well I have been on a team with almost anyone on the squad. People in each place have had some sort of impact on me, but probably three of the most impactful/influential people on my race have been my first team leader Kelly King, and two other women from my first team Brittany Baker and Suzy Hachey. The three of them encouraged me so much in my first three months of my race and helped me to learn and understand things I had never heard about before. We walked through some hard times, but I never doubted their love for me. They have authority to speak into some of the hardest places in my heart and they can call me out on things that if other people tried I wouldn’t even hear.

When did you feel God carry you?
In Romania and Ukraine (months 4 and 5) when I had no desire to be on the race anymore because of the team change that happened. If plane tickets hadn’t been expensive, I probably would have gone home. But I asked the Lord to sustain me and to carry me because I had no energy or desire to do it myself. And he did. Then in month 8 there was redemption and restoration in the relationships from the team I so desperately wanted off of.

What was your favorite food on the race?
I have one from each country. Guatemala- Tostadas, El Salvador- The rice, veggie, and meat dinner that Juan Carlos made for us, Hondurad- Baleadas, Romania- Shaorma, Ukraine- Jenny (our contact) made the most delicious cheese and garlic biscuits, Tanzania- Chips Maeye (potatoes and eggs), Kenya- Samosas/Cake from Sisima/Spaghetti with delicious meat and veggies made by Joyce), Thailand- Pad Thai with flat noodles, Cambodia- Mangosteen/Curry/pineapple fried rice, Malaysia-Strawberry Tea, Blueberry Scone, Ramen noodles with Spaghetti sauce.

What was the best food and the worst food and which country was that in?
Hmm… best food is a tie… between Thailand and Cambodia. In Thailand we were handed our food money and could go out to the market and buy food. It was all amazing and so delicious. I really miss the night markets with their amazing food stands that sold food for really cheap. In Cambodia we had our Philipino contact cooking lunches for us and our teammate Aisha cooking dinner for us. We had an array of fruits, veggies, and meats every meal. It was always so delicious and probably the most well balanced meals I have eaten on the race consistently.

Tanzania wins the worst food award. We ate beans and rice for at least 7 days straight for both lunch and dinner. We rarely had anything besides beans, rice, chips maeye (basically an omlete with potatoes in it), mandazi (fried bread), and banana soup. Mostly carbs and so much oil…

What were you occupied with when time seemed to fly?
Usually playing with children, having deep conversations, goofing around, laughing, or having fun with my various teams. The days always went fast when I was focused one step at a time, then suddenly it was time to leave and move on to the next country.

What were you occupied with when it seemed to stand still?
Usually when I was sick (malaria in Tanzania) or after an hour and a half of teaching English and we come upon stuff that I don’t feel confident in myself, so it is hard for me to teach it. And in the same breath, teaching English when my students were participating well and laughing, when I got to the level where I could joke around with them. Time seemed to stand still in an annoying way when I couldn’t understand during 3 or 4 hour church services, but it stood still in a great way when I could feel the Spirit moving and doing things in the church. And probably the biggest time that time seemed to stand still was in the old prison in Romania when I felt a shift in my heart.

What was your favorite ministry you did and why?
My favorite ministry was probably in El Salvador or Romania. Both were working with local churches, getting to be a part of the church family and working alongside them to expand the truth of the gospel into neighboring communities. Two very different places and styles of preaching, but the same concept on bringing people to know the Lord. We were very relational in each of these ministries and I felt known and loved by our contacts.

In Tanzania who was your favorite teammate from iowa?
Hahaha… of course, by process of elimination… Joshie you know you win that spot. Josh was one of our passport teammates for our month in Tanzania. Josh got to walk into a lot of freedom that month and God revealed some really cool stuff to him and began walking him into a new boldness as a man. It was really exciting to see and to continue to see his journey progress after he went back home.

In what ways do you feel you have changed?
This is a tough one… I feel like I have changed in so many ways, and at the same time I feel like I am very much the same. The core of who I am has stayed the same, but there are spiritual gifts I have walked into on the race that I never thought I had. There are things that I have realized about myself that I do naturally that are not natural for others. I didn’t even know that, so just knowing that is a change. I have changed in the way I deliver my words to people. I want to bring life and speak life over people and not speak pain and darkness into being. I have walked into a new maturity and peace that I didn’t have before the race. I have learned what it looks like to abandon everything I have, be broken before the Lord and before the people surrounding me, and depend on him for every single thing that I do. The biggest way is just falling in love with the Lord more than I thought was possible. It renewed in me a passion for not just the nations, but for generations to know and believe that the Lord is good and that he is God. It reminded me of why I went to a Bible College and dedicated my life to helping others change their lives and live for the glory of the Lord. I have learned what it looks like to be a person who lives a Kingdom lifestyle and who not only lives it but shares it with other people. I have changed a lot, but the joy and encouragement and love that I have always had is still there… maybe just magnified a little more.

Where in your race did you experience the best adventure?
This is another one with two answers. In El Salvador- we went to the beach, we went camping in a cloud on a mountain in the freezing cold, we swimming in waterfalls, and rode in the back of a utility truck [totally open] all the time. Every day was an adventure. In Thailand- we went Elephant Riding, Bamboo Rafting, to another waterfall [that was a strange orange color], to a beautiful little city called Pai, and we drove all the way across the country… twice.

What was the most emotional experience?
Well… the whole thing kind of was an emotional experience. All of your emotions become heightened when you are out of control of the majority of things in your life. But there were some things that came up about maturity that were quite emotional for me and some things that came up about relationships with some people I am friends with back in Michigan. This one is one of those things that is really hard to explain over the internet and I would be more than happy to share about it when I am home.