this is for you!

42 days. That’s all the days left I have on this incredible journey of the World Race.

I’ve been a little concerned about coming home, but maybe for a reason, you wouldn’t expect. I’m not sure how to adequately describe the past ten months in a way you’d understand without possibly getting frustrated with myself. I know from my time in Haiti it’s effortless to ask the generic questions, “How was it? What was your favorite? Did you have fun?” Please, for my sanity, don’t ask these questions.

I want you to understand my heart behind this; I can not wait to see you all. I can not wait to share stories of the last year. But I know myself enough to know I’ll need specific questions and even more than that, I’ll need you actually to listen when you ask a question. If you don’t want to know anything about this last year, that’s okay! I’d rather you be honest. Or if all you care about is that one time I saw elephants in Thailand, ask me about that!

So, here is a list of 100 questions you can ask me instead of a generic question when I go home. This list is me helping you, to help me 🙂 

1. How did you adjust to the race month 1?
2. Where was your favorite place to have quiet time month 1?
3. What is quiet time?
4. What was it like visiting Trash Mountain in the Philippines?
5. What was local transportation like in the Philippines?
6. What was one of the things you did for free time Month 1?
7. Where did you go to church Month 1?
8. Did you get a fish pedicure in Thailand?
9. Did you ever eat anything weird in Thailand?
10. What was it like doing ministry in the red-light district of Thailand?
11. What was is like seeing Elephants in Thailand?
12. Did you enjoy your ministry in Thailand?
13. What was it like experiencing the Lantern Festival in Thailand?
14. How did you celebrate Thanksgiving in Thailand?
15. How was visiting the dentist on Thanksgiving?
16. How was it taking a sleeper train from Thailand to Malaysia?
17. What was is like walking across the Thailand/Malaysia border?
18. What was your favorite day of ministry in Malaysia?
19. How did ministry Month 3 affect your sleep cycle?
20. What was your favorite thing to eat in Malaysia?
21. How did you celebrate Christmas in Malaysia?
22. What was it like learning an Indian style dance?
23. How was your travel day to Africa?
24. How was spending New Years as a squad in South Africa?
25. How was the ride to your ministry in Mokhotlong, Lesotho?
26. What did you like about Lesotho?
27. Were you uncomfortable preaching and sharing your testimony in Lesotho?
28. How did you respond to not having access to water all the time in Lesotho?
29. What was your ministry in Swaziland?
30. How did you feel about teaching preschoolers in Swaziland?
31. Why did you get a free cake when you went to the grocery store in Swaziland?
32. How was your overnight van ride to Heidelberg, South Africa go?
33. What did you enjoy most about South Africa?
34. What was it like checking off visiting Cape Town on your bucket list?
35. What was one of your favorite things to do ministry wise in South Africa?
36. Who were your hosts in South Africa? Why did you love them?
37. What was the Awakening in South Africa like?
38. What is “Awakening?”
39. How did you feel about leading a breakout session on Sabbath during the Awakening?
40. What is Sabbath?
41. What was it like traveling from South Africa to Nicaragua?
42. How did it feel to have a layover in NEW YORK CITY?
43. How did you celebrate your birthday in Nicaragua?
44. How did you celebrate Easter in Nicaragua?
45. What was it like living on Ometepe island in Nicaragua?
46. How did you feel about waking up at 5 am to pray in Nicaragua?
47. What was your favorite adventure in Costa Rica?
48. What was it like living in the Costa Rican Rainforest for two weeks?
49. What was it like working with Adult & Teen Challenge in Costa Rica?
50. How did you feel about helping to build a house in Costa Rica?
51. What was it like having three different ministry hosts in Costa Rica?
52. What was your ministry in Panama?
53. What was it like speaking in front of students in their classrooms in Panama?
54. What was your ministry in Colombia?
55. How did you celebrate the Fourth of July in Colombia?
56. How did going on the World Race change your view of God?
57. How did going on the World Race change your view of yourself?
58. Did you lose anything on the World Race?
59. Did saying goodbye to so many people make you want to open your heart to others or close your heart?
60. How did you take care of yourself on the World Race?
61. Did you ever run into anyone you knew before the World Race oversees?
62. What is a debrief?
63. What did you enjoy about debrief in Bangkok, Thailand?
64. What did you enjoy about debrief in Nelspruit, South Africa?
65. What did you enjoy about debrief in San Jose, Costa Rica?
66. What did you enjoy about debrief in Medellin, Colombia?
67. How did your first round of team changes go?
68. What was it like being on a coed team?
69. Did anyone from your squad ever go home early unexpectedly?
70. What was it like traveling so much?
71. What was it like checking off an African Safari on your bucket list?
72. Did you ever take overnight adventures during the World Race to different cities?
73. How did you do your laundry on the World Race?
74. What was it like to be the squad treasurer?
75. What did you do as squad treasurer?
76. What did you miss most about your house back home?
77. Did you ever have a hot shower on the World Race?
78. Did you read your bible every day?
79. What were some of the songs you had on repeat during the World Race?
80. What is Team Time, and why did you have it almost every day?
81. What was it like going to the doctor oversees?
82. Did you enjoy the travel days?
83. How much did you miss your family?
84. What was it like living out of 2 backpacks, having to pack up at least once per month and carry everything on your back?
85. What is a bucket shower?
86. How was Parent Vision Trip?
87. Did you ever get homesick?
88. What were bathrooms like on the World Race?
89. How did you adjust to changing countries, currencies, languages, and cultures so often?
90. Did your Spanish improve over the five months you were in Central/South America?
91. Did you ever get emotional praying for people on the World Race?
92. Did you always go on adventures, on your adventure days?
93. Did you ever get to see movies in the theater on the World Race?
94. Did you ever get car sick on the World Race?
95. Did you always share a room with at least one person on the World Race?
96. Did you learn any new games on the World Race?
97. Where would you travel back too?
98. What was it like sleeping in 40+ beds?
99. Did you ever send a package home?
100. If you knew what you know now would you still do the World Race?

If you made it this far, you are a good friend, and I appreciate you! If you have questions that are not listed here, ASK AWAY! This is just a list of suggestions 🙂

And one last thing… if you let the question “How was it?” slide, that’s ok too. I’ll have grace for you, please have grace with me. We are all in this together.

LOVE YOU ALL, SEE YOU IN 42 DAYS! 

p.s. you can always email me at [email protected] if you have questions now!

& let me know in the comments below what you think of these questions!