My Race Route

           “The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely  missionary we become.” -Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia

“If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide
it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent
the cure from the eternal wages of death.” -Dave Davidson

When it came to choosing a world race route, I thought I was to go back to Vietnam and Southeast Asia where I initially lost my heart to the nations of the developing world and unknowingly began running more quickly down this path God has had planned for me. Yet with a lot of prayer about direction, I felt God calling me to route 2, which does not include a single nation of Southeast Asia. Instead of Southeast Asia specifically, God is breaking my heart for the 10-40 window. This numerical reference refers to the nations that partially, or fully, lie between the 10 and 40 degree latitude lines.  It is in this window of our world where most of the world’s least reached people live.  Route 2 has 7 nations that are included as part of the 10-40 window, and this is the reason I chose this route.

I will only make a return trip to 1 nation: INDIA. Can’t wait, because I loved it and have a special place in my heart for it since it is where I launched my “international missions career” (so to speak). 

Below, you will find my route and things that you guys could help me pray about as my squad and I prepare for ministry in these places:

(source: telegraph.co.uk)

Albania: In 1967, religious practices were officially banned in Albania, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state to ever exist.  After the fall of state communism in 1991, religious activities resumed. According to the 2011 census, 58.79% of Albania adheres to Islam, making it the largest religion in the country. Only 17% claim Christianity. I am so excited to be able to share my faith in this predominantly Muslim nation, and to start my Race here! Pray for open hearts!

Other interesting facts:

• The Albanian word for the country is Shqiperia, meaning The Land of the Eagles.
  
• The national airport of Albania is named after Mother Teresa, as she was born here.
• Albania, Armenia and Vatican City are the only European countries without a McDonald?s branch.
  
• Nodding the head in Albania is a disagreement while shaking the head means “yes”. The same is true in India! 🙂
  
• Albania has the 2nd highest rate of sex selective abortion in the world, between India and China. As a woman, I am so excited to be able to minister to women in each of these three nations where being female is considered grounds for being killed, and to show them how each life, no matter its stage, is a living being and that they as women are important, beautiful, and loved by their Creator! 
  
• The republic of Albania wouldn?t exist without the intervention of
  Woodrow Wilson at the end of WW1.  
  
• Albania is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.  It is tied at 113 out of 176 with Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Niger on the corruption index.
• For about 10 years (1968-1978), Albania’s only ally in the world was China. After China, Albania had no allies and was basically a more isolated than North Korea until 1991.
  

**There is so much need for a hope that can come only from Him, so I can’t wait to begin pouring out His love here!

(Cappadocia region of Turkey)

Turkey: Few nations have as rich a Christian history as Turkey. This is where Paul founded some of the earliest churches, including the church at Ephesus. Seven churches in this region were addressed in the Book of Revelation [Ephesus, Smyrna (Izmir), Pergamum, Thyatira (Nazilli), Sardis,
Philadelphia (Alasehir) and Laodicea, and are located in the Aegean region of Anatolia)]. Those in the early monastic movement found the caves of Cappadocia a near-perfect place to live out lives of prayer. Constantinople, now the city of Istanbul, became the capital of the Roman Empire just as it was being Christianized, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has been the leader of worldwide Orthodoxy for centuries. But Christianity came under Islamic rule in Turkey in 1453 and steadily declined for centuries; the last 100 years have been the worst. In 1900, the Christian population was 22 percent. Now most experts estimate that there are fewer than 200,000 Christians nationwide, comprising less than 0.3 percent of the population. I feel a pull to minister in this region and nation, and in the Middle East more generally. Please pray for open hearts!

Other interesting facts:

• The Grand Bazzar is located in Istanbul. The shopping mall is 540 years
  old and is covered. It spans across 64 streets and has 4000 shops with
  22 entrances and 25,000 workers. I desperately want to visit and experience the rich textiles, smells, foods, and sights that is the Grand Bazaar. Turkey, and Istanbul, has been a place that has captured my imagination for quite a long time and I am so excited to experience this nation and minister to its people! 
• The European part of Turkey is Thrace and the Asian part is called Anatolia. This is a land overflowing with Biblical history!
  
• Additionally, Anatolia is the birth place of legends like that of King Midas, the poet Homer,
  St.Paul the Apostle, Herodotus the father of history.  
• Our uniquely American bird known as the turkey gets its name from this country, because the Europeans mistook them for the Guinea fowl
  from Turkey when they first noticed these birds.
  
• The Turks introduced Coffee to Europe.
  
• A stranger who appears at one’s doorstep is considered God’s guest for at least three days. After that I guess you’ve overstayed your welcome?!?
  
• The Turks answer their phones with “My Master?” instead of Hello. Turkish, the official language, has base words to which affixes and suffixes are
  added. This makes the words longer and longer. Such a language is called
  an Agglutinative language. Sounds difficult, right?!

“The TRUTH is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.”

-St. Augustine

(source: againstcorruption.eu)

Bulgaria: Bulgaria is a European destination for human trafficking.  According to the Joshua Project, 47% of Bulgarians are nominal Christians; 28% are unreached! What possibilities we have to show Christ’s love here, and show Bulgarians what real Christianity looks like. According to an article on Dec, 27, 2013 from the NY Times, interviews in December with residents of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, revealed widespread frustrations with the succession of governments, corruption and the country’s inability to shake off its Soviet roots. It has also been unable to lift itself up from being Europe’s poorest nation. (Bulgaria’s output, per capita, is last among the European Union’s 28 states, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.) Within this context, change is coming because on the first day of 2014, nine European Union states, including Germany, France, the Netherlands and Britain, will lift labor restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians. The wealthiest one-fifth of society in Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007, have a lower median income than the poorest one-fifth of society in Britain, France, Germany or other wealthy European states. A common joke in Bulgaria goes like this: “There are two ways out of Bulgaria’s problems: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2”, referring to the two terminals at Sofia’s airport.  Life is therefore difficult here, and broken families may become another major problem if emigration starts happening in large numbers.  We have the opportunity to bring HOPE that is greater than what any job or stable government can offer! I’m so excited to get to Bulgaria and share with these people who in many ways may have lost hope due to current circumstances! What a blessing!

Other interesting facts:

• The famous Bulgarian rose oil is used for making some
  of the world’s most popular and expensive perfumes. One gram rose oil
  is produced out of 1000 rose blossoms. 
• Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe that hasn’t changed its name since it was first established. This happened in 681 AD.
  
• Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was founded 7000 years ago. This makes it the second oldest city in Europe. The Cyrillic alphabet was invented in the 9th century AD by none other
  than the two most famous Bulgarian monks ever to have lived– Cyril and Methodius. 
• Bulgaria is the country with the highest number of natural mineral springs in Continental Europe over 600.  

Romania: According to Joshua Project, 22.6% of Romanians are nominal Christians; 38% are unreached. Romania is home to the gypsy community, and gypsies are despised by many. They are
strangers in their homeland and forgotten by society, but as a result of this persecution and rejection these strong and vibrant people embrace the light of Christ in an
inspirational way! I am so excited to see their trust in Him, as I know it will be a great witness to me! Here, my team and I will teach English, lead sports camps, live
life with the gypsies, and more.

Other interesting facts:

• The city of Timisoara in Romania is the
  birth place of the horse tram and the electric street light. These
  inventions were first introduced in 1869 and 1889 respectively.
  
• The Voronet Monastery in Moldavia is dubbed as the Romanian counterpart of the Sistine Chapel.
  
• The Romanian Palace of Parliament in
  Bucharest is the second largest administrative center in the world, next
  only to the Pentagon in the United States. It is the largest, heaviest and most expensive civil administration building on the planet. 
• Romanian is the only Romance language in Eastern Europe.
• Romania?s national currency is the Leu, which means lion in English.

(source: digitaljournal.com)

South Africa:  Not in the 10-40 window, and with a history of colonization by Christian nations of Europe, most South Africans have heard about Jesus Christ.  According to Joshua Project, 11.3% are unreached and 77.6% claim Christianity as their religion. Despite these numbers, with the end of apartheid in the early 90s, there is still healing and reconciliation needed. Also, the HIV/AIDS rate is quite high like in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.  We have the opportunity to bring hope to the people who are suffering from the impact of HIV/Aids and to provide needed items to those living below the poverty line. We will also hopefully have the opportunity to share the idea, food, and family day that is our Thanksgiving, as this is where we will be spending the month of November.  It should be a wonderful opportunity to share our culture, to share our faith, and bless those we are serving alongside us this month!

Other interesting facts:

• The world is divided into six floral kingdoms. All these kingdoms
  encompass several countries, and in some cases, several continents.
  South Africa, which has a floral kingdom wholly contained within the
  country, is the one exception. The Cape Floral Kingdom has 9,600 plant
  species, 70% of which are not found anywhere else in the world. 
• Kruger National Park supports the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent.
  
• South Africa has the most luxurious train in the world, The Rovos Rail!
  
• It also has the highest commercial bungi jump in the world, at 710 feet.
  
• The world’s largest diamond was the Cullinan Diamond, found in South
  Africa in 1905. It weighed 3,106.75 carats uncut. It was cut into the
  Great Star of Africa, weighing 530.2 carats, the Lesser Star of Africa,
  which weighs 317.40 carats, and 104 other diamonds of nearly flawless
  color and clarity. They now form part of the British crown jewels.

(source: theguardian.com)

Swaziland: Not in the 10-40 window, and with a history of the Dutch and British in the area since the 1840s, over 84% of the people of Swaziland claim Christianity as their religion (according to Joshua Project).  The reason we go here, though, is because this tiny African Kingdom has the highest percentage of HIV/AIDS in the world. We will be a part of trying to help reverse the number of victims, as over 26% of adults have HIV/Aids and over 50% of adults in their 20s. We will be there to teach, care for, and love on the many orphans that are also victimized by this disease.  It is in this nation where my team and I will spend Christmas, and what an opportunity we will have to shower these people with the love and giving that comes alongside the Christmas season and to share the reason for the season! 

Other interesting facts:

• Most of the country is
  made up of mountainous terrain. 
• Clans are ranked by their
  relationship to the king and heads of state.
  
• Traditionally, infants were not recognized as “persons”
  until the third month of life. Before that age they were described as
  “things,” had no names, and could not be touched by men.
  
• Almost all children receive primary education today, although there is a
  significant dropout rate before age thirteen. Only about half the children
  of secondary school age attend school. As a teacher of 12-14 year olds, this breaks my heart!
  
• Agricultural activities are a
  national priority, and relevant subjects are taught at many secondary
  schools.
  

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

-St. Augustine

Botswana: The second most sparsely populated country in all the world (behind Mongolia), Botswana has also has the second highest HIV infection rate in the world (behind Swaziland). The population is sparse because it is an area that struggles with drought and increasing desertification.  Not in the 10-40 window, and with a history of the Dutch and British in the area since the mid-1800s, 66% of people in Botswana claim to be Christians and just 2% are unreached (according to Joshua Project). Although many identify as Christians, this nation’s people very much need missionaries whose aim is to advance
the kingdom with love and in power. Much like in Swaziland, we will likely have the opportunity to love on orphans, teach health education courses, and perhaps even love on an elephant or two, as this country has one of the largest elephant populations in the world!

Other interesting facts:

• Two-thirds of the
  country is comprised of the Kalahari Desert, which is covered with grasses
  and scrub but has scarce surface water. 
• Sorghum or corn meal porridge is the staple of most Botswana meals.
  People wake in the morning to a thinner version of the porridge, sometimes
  enriched with soured milk and/or sugar, and tea. A thicker version of the
  porridge, known as
  
  bogobe
  
  , anchors the substantial midday meal, accompanied by a stew of meat
  and/or cabbage, spinach (or wild greens), or beans. People also use rice,
  but it is considered more expensive and associated with Europeans. Meats
  include chicken, goat, sheep, cattle, fish, a caterpillar known as phane
  and various wild game. 
• Formal education is
  considered the means to achievement in modern society, but many children
  receive little support at home to help them progress through school. 
• Batswana people emphasize extensive greetings and inquiries after each other. It
  is polite to address senior men as
  
  Rra
  
  and women as
  
  Mma
  
  (literally, father and mother).
  
• Note to us ladies: Grown women should keep their thighs
  covered, but especially in the urban areas this is changing.

India: Where do you start with India? The birthplace of major world religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, and a place where the caste system, poverty, feminicide, and human trafficking seem at times insurmountable problems to tackle. Despite the uphill battle, I can say that the Indian church is passion-filled and moving. I have been blessed to see it for myself, and God is indeed working amidst the people of this beautiful nation! Joshua Project numbers state that 91.1% of people groups in India are unreached with the Gospel (yikes!), and that within the remaining 8.8% who have been reached, 95% within those people groups have still not heard. Thus, there is still much to be done here and I am so excited to go back and be a small part of His kingdom mission in this nation!

Other fun facts:

• Nodding the head in India is a disagreement while shaking the head means “yes”. They shake their heads a lot and it is quite endearing, though it also can be confusing and we must be careful to watch our own nodding and shaking of heads! 
• Many Indians find toilet paper repellent and consider it cleaner to splash
  water with the left hand in the appropriate direction. Consequently, the
  left hand is considered unclean and is never used for eating. 
• India is the birthplace of chess. The original word for “chess” is
  the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”, which
  were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers. 
• The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. 
• In India, grasping one’s ears signifies repentance or sincerity. 
• Marigold flowers are used as decoration for Hindu marriages and are a
  symbol of good fortune and happiness. These marigold “necklaces” are seen all over, sold by street vendors and are presented as a gift of honor. My group, when I went as a missionary in 2012, was presented on 2 occasions with these.  It is probably one of the greatest gifts and signs of respect I have ever been shown. Indians, from my perspective, are some of the kindest and most giving people, I have ever come in contact with.

Nepal: Known as the Land of Everest and being “The only Hindu Kingdom in the world”, the kingdom of Nepal is a land of sublime scenery. Although the GDP of “The Land of Buddha” is very low, it is rich in scenic splendor and cultural treasures. According to Buddhists and Hindus, Nepal is the holy land of Lord Pashupatinath and Gautam Buddha where the Hindus and Buddhists have lived together in harmony for centuries. The Temple of Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most sacred Hindu shrine and one of the four most important cities in the world for Shiva worshippers. Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal’s southern plains, which makes Nepal a scared pilgrimage destination for Buddhists as well. According to Joshua Project, 75% of Nepalis are Hindu, 16% are Buddhist, 4.4% are Muslim, and only 2.8% are Christians. Because Hinduism is the dominant religion, the caste system is in place and marginalizes many. There is a desperate need for the people of Nepal to hear about Christ, and numbers do not lie: According to Joshua project, 97.4% of people in Nepal are unreached (they have not heard the message of Christ)! Whoa, that is STAGGERING!  I hope we can make an impact and begin to reverse those numbers, as these numbers show the need for Kingdom workers in this nation! How blessed we are to be a part of bringing Christ to the beautiful people of this nation!

                                              “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”

                                                                                       -Luke 10:2

Mongolia: With a population around 3 million, and spread out (1.89 people per sq km), Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world. According to Joshua Project, Mongolians are 37.4% Buddhist, 32% practice ethnic religions, 25% are Non religious/other (atheism exists as a result of being ruled by Communist China and Russia for many years), 4% Muslim,  and Christians are few at 1.7%. 80% of people groups in Mongolia are unreached, and have never had the opportunity to make a decision to follow Christ! How can we not GO?  What a great opportunity we have in this nation to be his hands and feet, and be a part of bringing the Kingdom of God to Mongolia!

Other fun facts:

• The two humped Bactrian camel is indigenous to Mongolia. The annual Thousand Camel Festival is run by a local non-governmental organization working to protect and preserve the Bactrian camel population.
  
• Genghis Khan is considered the founding father of Mongolia. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia and establishing the largest empire in the world, exceeded only by the British Empire in the 19th century.
  
• In a span of just 25 years, Genghis Khan’s horsemen conquered an area larger and greater in population than the Romans did in four centuries. 
  
• Also, I’ve heard that some of our most interesting food experiences may happen here in Mongolia! 🙂  A missions pastor I met through my Perspectives course says that Mongolia is the one place he has traveled where the food is difficult for him.  One of the delicacies he’s experienced while there: fermented mare’s milk!

China: An “it” country that the world is constantly buzzing about these days. This is a nation technically closed to the Gospel, a nation with great Kingdom potential and where God is indeed working, though there is much darkness that His light needs to pervade. Numbers testify to the success missionaries are having in China when they say YES to Him and take the message of Christ to the Chinese, because within reached people groups 89.3% have heard the message and the church is growing as a result of fellow Chinese working to bring His Kingdom to their own people!  Yet we also see there is still much work to be done, in that 82.7% of people groups in China have still not heard the message of Christ! What light we can bring to this nation who is yearning for Him! 

Other fun facts:

• One in every five people in the world is Chinese.
  
• Toilet paper was invented in China in the late 1300s. It was for emperors only.
  
• White, rather than black, is the Chinese color for mourning and funerals.
  
• Red symbolizes happiness for the Chinese and is commonly used at Chinese festivals and other happy occasions such as birthdays and weddings.
  
• China’s “one child” policy has contributed to female infanticide and has created a significant gender imbalance. There are currently 32 million more boys than girls in China.

Please pray for my squad as we go to each of these nations! That we move in His power, and that open hearts can be the norm! That there will be healing in these places, miracles in these places, true belief in these places and baptisms in these places! 

“The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible”

-Ralph Winter, missiologist

“We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.”

-Oswald J. Smith

“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

-John Stott