So when you’re stuck in a miniscule village in Nepal that’s over 100 degrees most days, you have to learn how to appreciate the little things in life.
The first thing I came to appreciate was fresh brewed coffee … every morning! My new teammate Silas (yup, we switched teams again for the third and last time) found a box of Starbucks coffee on our squad’s free table – at the end of the month, we all pile the items we’re sick of on a table that anyone can take. I realized I’d been on the Race a long time when I was overly excited to find a green t-shirt that had a few bleach spots on it. But … it was a “new” color and a “new” shirt! A cold bucket shower became like heaven to me and my team … a temporary break from pouring sweat.
While I normally savor the moments I can play guitar and sing songs to Jesus without interruption, I thoroughly enjoyed the morning a drunk man interrupted my worship time by chucking a video game at my head as I was sitting on the balcony. It was 10:00 in the morning.
One afternoon after my team finished teaching English and Bible at the school, I went to sit on the gravel and play guitar in front of our view of the mountains. A few minutes after I had been there, a little girl walked up to me and handed me a mat to sit on. 
Herbal remedies are key to most things in life. During month two of the Race, two warts began growing on my leg. This month I put some fresh garlic on them with a band-aid for two days. Turns out that garlic is way more powerful than I thought, so I ended up with blisters all around the warts! Today – three weeks later – the warts and blisters are mostly cleared up … so I appreciate the garlic.
Tea time around 5pm. ‘Nough said.
Our contact informed us that their village had many vipers and cobras. One evening the next-door neighbors all began screaming and quickly ran into the house. My teammate Christina immediately ran toward our house because she “thought war was breaking out!” It was just a snake.
At the end of the month I gave Dorothy, a missionary staying in our house, a bottle of purple nail polish that I didn’t want to carry around anymore. As soon as I gave it to her, she began talking about how every missionary that had recently given her a gift had given her something purple. She said that God revealed to her that the color purple meant “royalty and kingship.” Considering she grew up in a very poor family, the idea of being a “queen” and being special and important in God’s eyes was new to her. She used to hate the color purple, but God has taught her to love it. Dorothy exclaimed, “It’s God’s way of showing me how much He loves and cares for me!” Who knew what a simple bottle of nail polish could do …
And now for the Dumb & Dumber moment …
Towards the end of the month, I woke up with my stomach churning and gurgling. It wasn’t the type of churns that pass after a few moments. I knew if I didn’t get up that minute, I would have seriously pooped my pants. Yup, it wasn’t just diarrhea. It was urgent diarrhea.
As soon as I stood up, my stomach felt like it dropped to my knees. I flew open the door and ran – literally ran – down the hall. Of course the one western toilet was already being used. And the minute I walked over to the squatty potty, the door closed on me. I panicked, recognizing that if I didn’t find a bathroom within 30 seconds, it would be an explosion in my pants.
So I sprinted down the long hallway, down the stairs past my teammate who tried to start a conversation, and into the open stall. After the many Dumb & Dumber sound effects that erupted like the Fourth of July, I turned to flush the squatty, and … it was broken! I then attempted to turn on the small faucet near the ground, and of course … the water was off.
So, even though I didn’t have a flushing western toilet, I sure am thankful for them.
