I’LL BE HOME IN 3 DAYS!!!!
JESUS HAS BEEN SOO FAITHFUL YALL!!
He has done exactly what He said He would. He has called me to this year over seas & He has been faithful to give me the strength & grace to finish well! He has gone ahead of me & He has been with me & He has NEVER failed or abandoned me! (Deuteronomy 31:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:24).
I’ve seen and experienced a lot around the world & know that re-entry is gonna be another adventure. 🙂 I’ve seen the Lord move in ways I’ve never experienced, and I have lots of stories to tell. All that to say, I’m writing this blog to help yall, people who I care about & who I know care about me, know how to help me re-enter into the states well. I wanted to give yall some questions that are helpful for you to ask me.
First though, there are some questions that are more overwhelming than helpful:
“How was the World Race?”
“How was your experience?”
Unless you have 11 hours of free time. 🙂 It’s really difficult to summarize a whole year into a practical conversation. Being specific is really helpful. I understand that you care, and that you want to know more about what has been happening & I’m excited to share! So here are some fun, some serious questions, but all relevant to this year on the field:
General
What did you learn about being a follower?
What were some of your favorite moments with your three teams? (Joyful Fortitude, R1:16 & Giraffes)
?What places & moments broke your heart??
What places & moments made you come alive?
What was your longest travel day?
What was one of the biggest lessons the Lord taught you this year?
How did you grow in freedom?
What other countries did you get to go to that were not on your route??
Who are your closest friends you made on the Race and why?
What were some of your best living conditions? Your worst?
Which ministries were most challenging for you? Which did you enjoy the most?
What passions did the Lord grow in you over this year?
What were some adventure activities you got to do?
What were the weirdest things you ate?
What was your favorite country & why?
What was your main means of transportation every month?
What was it like to live out of a backpack & in such tight quarters all year?
Choose one of the 11 countries that intrigues you and ask me about our time there. 🙂
(India, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa)
Asia
What was the traditional food like?
What was the weirdest thing you saw people eat?
What was public transportation like?
What was the weirdest thing you saw being carried on a motorbike?
What did you see in nature that amazed or inspired you?
What did the Lord teach you about orphans in India?
How did we survive the Cambodian heat?
How was celebrating your birthday on the race?
Ask me about a ministry that intrigues you:
India: Partnered with Jireh’s Children’s home. Loved on the kiddos there & taught daily Bible lessons along with various children’s songs.
Nepal: A month of mod podge ministry. Prayer walks. Dance Bar ministry. Went to the “jungle” for 10 days & did some more prayer walking as well as house visits. Even attended a funeral.
Vietnam: Taught English to various age groups, including several older pastors. Visited a widow. Played on a soccer league every Friday night.
Cambodia: Village ministry as well as got to live in a village for a week doing evangelism & loving on the orphans we were living with.
Thailand: Taught English in the Buddhist schools. Shared our testimonies at a Juvenile detention center & got to witness 6 boys accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior. Visited several members of the local church to encourage them, some up to 2.5 hours away.
Europe
What did you do during your layover in Rome?
What was the transition like going from Asia to Eastern Europe?
What were your expectations of Eastern Europe? What was the reality?
Which place was hardest to say goodbye to?
What was your ATL (Ask the Lord) month in Greece like?
Who is Vida?
What was the food like in each country?
Ask me about a ministries that intrigues you:
Albania: Lived & worked at a Christ for the Nations Bible School cleaning, weeding & doing some childrens & womens ministry. We got very close to the interns who worked & lived with us. We got to pour into & be poured into by them as well.
Greece: Street ministry: handing out flowers to women on the street, handing out waters on hot days to the homeless/people working in the heat. Stood in a plaza multiple times & held up signs asking people to write a response to a specific question. This opened up a lot of doors for conversation. Public worship in the city square.
Bulgaria: Attended a youth camp in the mountains of Bulgaria & made some amazing connections with the youth. Built relationships with other local believers as well.
Africa
In what ways did Africa surprise you?
What did you do when you visited Victoria Falls?
What was hardest about being a woman in Zimbabwe?
How did Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa differ?
How did you make coffee in Binga, Zimbabwe?
What wildlife did you see?
Why was Swaziland your favorite month?
Who are Pelaylay, Pheleesewa, Chaka & Musi?
What did you learn about how to steward white privilege well?
How did the raxial divide in South Africa affect you?
Ask me about a ministry that intrigues you:
Zimbabwe: Partnered with Hope Ministries. House visits. Children’s ministry. Visited a couple Squatter camps. Lived & did ministry in the bush for 4 days.
Swaziland: Carepoint ministry, loving on kids day in & day out by playing hopscotch, reading books, letting them sleep on our laps, playing simple games like double-double-this-this-double-double-that-that, pushing them on the swings.
South Africa: Cooking in a restaurant & helping prepare food & cater a bridal shower. Volunteered at a horse barn, grooming horses & leading trail rides. Fellowshipping with our hosts & living life with them. ?
DISCLAIMER: I am just as interested in your lives! I want to hear the funny stories, the amazing unexpected things the Lord did, the challenges, the wins, etc. Life in America may seem very routine and mundane, but there are a lot of times that I have missed the routine while being gone. I want to know what your last purchase at Target was, your new favorite restaurant, how the Carolina Gamecocks are doing in football & what the best sermon you have heard lately is. Your year was just as significant as my year so please share with me as well. 🙂
Love you all & super thankful for all the support I have received over these 11 months! 🙂
SEE YALL SOON!!!!!
Anna Beth
[Huge thank you to McKenzie Tritt & Keeley Knie for the inspiration of this blog]
