At the end of each month on the Race, I kept track of my overall ‘takeaway’ from that month. I’m a reflection type of gal, so it was super handy to be able to go back and see what I grew in the most during whatever month I was in. Here are short summaries of each of my top takeaways from being on the World Race, and a little bit about why I choose each one.
September (Swaziland, month 1):
SURRENDERING myself, my life, and my fears, beyond what I left in the states (college, family, friends, etc.) but only ‘halfway’.
-Swaziland was weird. A lot of people enjoyed it SO much, that I often felt like if I brought up how much I was struggling, people wouldn’t get it. Because of this, I became super consumed with thoughts of home and obsessed about all the things I was missing out on. Eventually, I realised I’d have to let those things go and give them to the Lord if I ever wanted to be able to grow.
October (Swaziland, month 2):
A WARNING that the temptations and distractions that follow and enclose me at home, can follow me here and everywhere (losing touch with God after first debrief, falling into a new & unhealthy routine without the Lord included in it, getting power at the compound and getting used to new luxuries)
-During our entire first month living in Swaziland, our compound had no power whatsoever. We had to use headlamps when it got dark, which typically happened around 6-7pm. Obviously this meant there was no way to charge our devices (we didn’t have WiFi either, but a laptop and phone still come in handy for movies, music, and blogging). Once we returned from our month 1 debrief, we had fully functioning outlets and lights to help us out. This caused a big issue for me because I’d often find myself turning to alone/quiet time watching movies instead of, I don’t know, socializing. Which isn’t bad at all, I love my capital I introverted self, and I know what I need in order to rest and recharge, but still it was a good wake up call to realise how much I was relying on having the luxury of electricity.
November (Swaziland, month 3):
INTENTIONALITY in my relationship with the Lord and with others takes work,effort, and is (partly) my responsibility to be seeking to remain present. It won’t simply fall into my lap, it takes work to be intentional, it takes work to be present.
-This realization hit me right at the end (refer back to my ‘The Chop’ blog). I learned that naturally, I’m a pretty lazy person. I often will expect things to simply ‘fall into my lap’ without any work on my part (heads up, it don’t).
December (Nepal, month 4):
REAPING FRUIT out of my obedience to His faithfulness. He is a good GOOD father, He will take care of His children always, no matter what.
-Coming right out of Swazi, I had no clue what I was about to experience in Nepal. But still, I tried my best to let go of any expectations I was holding onto, and just go and experience whatever God had waiting in store for me. Turns out, Nepal was amazing! Where we were staying at felt so similar to my favorite spot in India, which was incredibly refreshing after roughing it in Swaziland for three months. Nepal ended up being my favorite country on the race, which could have turned out very differently had I not chosen joy in the last few remaining weeks in Swaziland.
January (India, month 5):
His FAITHFULNESS endures forever, Through all. All times, all trias, every moment and second of the day. When I doubt my most, His provision exceeds every expectation beyond belief.
-OOF. This one was exciting (Refer to ‘Faith the Size of a Speck’ blog). God is so, SO good. ‘Nuf said.
February (India, month 6):
JOY!! He provides me what I need, I only need to ask Him for it. My prayers are heard and responded to accordingly. He listens actively to me no matter what, because my requests are important to Him.
-In January, I had really struggled with finding true joy and contentment in our ministry, and just in general in the middle of race life. I had just become fully funded, and now felt like I was in a funky sort of rut. I prayer for a majority of the last half of January and leading into February that the Lord would give me an unexplainable and uncontainable joy for ministry, the race, and just really everything during this season I’m in. And honestly, the first week and a half in February remained the same ‘bleh’ type of pace, but oh how quickly it all turned around! I found myself overcome with joy for every single type of ministry we had during that month, whether it be visiting a school or putting on impromptu VBS days.
March (Guatemala, month 7):
Contentment & intentionality at its very, very finest.
-The quick moving pace of Guat life keeps you busy, but not overwhelmed. How content and at peace he’s made me and grown me in during this month (even through countless unexpected hospital visits).
April (Guatemala, month 8):
Fruit in relationships, & continuous growth in pouring into them & choosing to make the best out of what things are.
-During month 2 in Guat, our team was finally settled after PVT, and began to face some resistance with our ministry communities. It made us realize the importance of pouring into people and our relationships with them, most especially the hard and difficult ones.
May (Guatemala, month 9):
PEACE over going home & starting the next brand new chapter of life, even through struggles remain.
-Excited and expectant on what the following year holds for me after living for 9 months on the world race, & ready to trust God with it all. Thankful for this season, & all the lessons He’s taught me.
Thanks for keeping up with my journey!
