Due to the overwhelming amount of questions you all sent me I decided to split this blog into two parts! Here is the first part!
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What were some of the things you were worried about before the trip that you laugh at now (because there was nothing to worry about)?
I think the biggest concern I had was in relation to health. I was terrified that I was going to get every possible stomach bug, cold, and disease that I would be exposed to. In Cambodia I had a minor freak out the first day because I got a mosquito bite (we were in the middle of the capital city), and it’s funny to look back on and see that as the first of many mosquito bites 🙂 God has had His hand of protection on me this entire time and blessed me with not once being sick with any diseases and only one cold! Every once in a while we will try some new food that may not settle well, but honestly I’ve proven to have a strong stomach!
Do you unpack at each place or live out of your suitcase?
It depends on the month. Some months my six person team has lived in a 10×12 room, which doesn’t really allow for unpacking too much; we just shove our packs under the bed and pull things out as we need them. Other months we have been blessed with a nice little apartment that provides the space to take everything out and make it our temporary home.
How do you balance getting involved and building relationships with the knowledge you can’t plant deep roots?
That’s a tough one, and something I am still in the process of learning. I hate saying goodbyes, so at the beginning it was easy to invest just enough love into relationships in order to do ministry, but not completely break my heart when I had to move on. God has been teaching me to love without reservations though – that is His first calling on my life – to love Him fully, and in turn, let that love pour out onto every person I meet. I have recently found myself praying at the beginning of the month for relationships that hurt to leave, and He answers that prayer fully. It’s tough to move on, but He is showing me He uses me where I am at, in the moment I am there. I just need to love beyond my capacity, fully leaning on Him for that strength.
What were the things that encouraged and inspired you when things got rough?
There have been many moments in which I have wanted to pack up and go home; moments of apathy, tiredness, discouragement, spiritual attacks, and homesickness. In those moments I have learned to turn straight to Scripture; that is the first and strongest form of encouragement I have found. God also has provided in those moments the opportunity to talk with people back home. Hearing stories from my parents of how they get to share the Gospel through talking about what their children are doing, and friends telling me of what God is showing and teaching them in this season of their lives is some of the most inspiring things I can hear! You all encourage me to continue on and seek what God is teaching me!
If you could pick a 12th country to go to what would it be and why?
I would choose either Nepal or Ireland. Even before the race God had placed both of these countries on my heart to pray for! I would love to someday make it to both, but we will see where and how God leads!
What has been your most embarrassing moment on the trip so far?
Oh boy, gotta love this question. Hands down it would have to be the first day we were in Ethiopia. Let me set the stage: we had just flown from Rwanda, leaving at 2 in the morning, and I had not gotten a wink of sleep on the plane; that was my first, and hopefully last, all-nighter I have ever done. As we drove the 4 hours out of Addis Ababa to our ministry site at Hope Ethiopia (where 31 of our 39 person squad would be working for the month) I was in and out of consciousness in the back seat. Once we arrived at our dorm style lodging most everyone pulled out their sleeping bags and went to sleep. I decided to take full advantage of the hot showers available, and lack of a line. So in my sleep deprived state I got in the shower, locked the door, and enjoyed every minute of my first hot shower in two months. After dressing and gathering all of my stuff I went to unlock the door, only to realize the key was stuck. I mean stuck, there was no way I could turn it or pull it out of the door. While fidgeting with it for a few minutes and also figuring out the window way above my head was stuck shut I heard someone come into the bathroom. Much to their surprise (and confusion) I started knocking on the door. Well, to make a long story short, after our host, a drill, and possibly a few kicks to the door were involved, I was freed from the shower room. Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed to lock anything the rest of that month, and even now I get a tad nervous (and maybe say a quick prayer) every time I lock a door of any kind.
Have your future plans changed at all since the beginning of the race? Like has God called you somewhere you didn’t expect?
One of my main desires while signing up for the race was that God would use it to narrow my path and direct me to the place He wanted me to be. I think I came into the race expecting that I would have a definite answer and that God would reveal it to me within the first month. Instead He reminded me that my calling in life is to love and serve Him by loving every person around me. While in Thailand, month two of the race, God gave me a beautiful picture. He has given me a piece of marble – my calling – and every month He will chip away at it. One month He may chip away at one side, and the next month move to the other side. I don’t know what the final product will look like (and that won’t come until we all enter into glory with Him), but slowly it is taking form and shaping out. I love seeing new parts revealed each month! So in short: I think I had a clearer picture of where I wanted to end up when I left on the race, now I’m sitting in the exciting mystery of God’s plan, and I couldn’t be more content!
What are the best ways to spend free time?
I would have to say my favorite ways of spending free time is exploring the area and country I am in! I love seeing what each community holds, finding local coffee shops, and learning the history of the area! Many of the communities we spend our months in are not the more touristy or well known areas of these countries, so they provide cool perspectives of the culture and way of life!
And last, but not least, a great question from my roommate Kayla (who is currently living in Madagascar)…
What are the chances you’ll get re-routed to Madagascar?
It’s looking like those changes are very slim, seeing as we have now moved over to the Western Hemisphere 🙁 But, hey, there’s always month twelve and beyond 😉
