I cannot believe that I have been back stateside for 3 months since coming off one of the greatest adventures of my life. So now that I am back to my life here in the good old US of A, I thought I take some time to put together a blog about some of the most common questions that I have been asked since I have been home from the Race.
Here we go!
What have you been up to since coming home?
The short answer to this question is pretty much recovering from my journey, catching up with people here at home & preparing myself for the next season of my life that God has in store for me.
Were you afraid to come home/back to to the US?
I hate to admit this but yeah I was downright freaked out about coming home, and back to my life here in the US (more so then I actually let on to my teammates). I was scared that so much about home had changed to the point of me not feeling like I belong here. I was scared that all my friends wouldn’t know me anymore, and in a way a sense of abandonment. I was worried that I couldn’t handle American life/culture, and in a way forget about my identity as a American, and by this I mean that I would find myself being overly critical of the American life, and my view about Americans. I was also scared about myself, and the transformation that had taken place in me over the last year, and people’s reaction to that, and the feeling of being chained up to a post similar to the way I felt before I left for the Race would come back.
What is the one thing that if you could go back and change about your race, what would it be?
The community that I had in P Squad in the way of being more intentional with my squadmates, and building a better relationship with them, and not mucking up those relationships (which I did with certain ones).
If you could come up with a word/phase to describe the theme of your race, what would it be?
Building relationships wherever we were serving not only us as P squad and building relationships with each other but it was also building relationships with our hosts, and the community that we serving in as well.
You mentioned that before the race, you worked in retail. Are you going back?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no. I feel like when I left for the race, God firmly closed & sealed that door shut on that season of my life.
What are some of the biggest lessons that you learned this past year?
To lean on the spirit always as he is the thing that will help get you through life’s curveballs both on the race and after the race.
The enemy has a highlight reel of your life, and he will use it against you whenever he gets the chance. Spiritual warfare is a very real thing.
How to set boundaries & the lesson that I need to have them in place, and stick to them to avoid going back to who I was before the race.
That I am a 8w7 on the enneagram test which explains alot about me and my tendencies, and I am working on being a healthy 8. (google it to know what I am talking about)
Emotions are a good thing to have (I am still working on this lesson)
Not to take things or people in my life for granted & to cherish every moment cause life is short
What words of wisdom would you give someone who is thinking about going on the World Race?
Take a probiatic starting from the day you find out you got accepted to go on the World Race
Invest in a power bank to charge your phone & make sure its charged before travel days
Just do it or else you’ll regret it later in life if you don’t take the risk
Take pictures of everything & everyone & cherish those memories
Unless you are spending the first few months of your race out in the bush, just pack enough personal hygine items as you will be able to find most of these items in major cities/towns
Always carry baby wipes in your day pack & a couple clean pairs of underwear as well (I learned this lesson the hard way when my bag was one of the bags that got left behind for 24 hours in Turkey on our way to Ethiopia.)
Which one of your teams had the most impact on you & your transformation while on the race?
While all 3 of my teams that I was a part of all had a huge impact on me for various reasons. But Hands down it was Team Surrendered that had the most impact on me & my growth (go read my blog “Dear Team Surrendered to understand why)
Favorite/Least Favorite Country?
Favorite Country: Serbia
Least Favorite Country: Ethiopia
Favorite non ministry memory(ies)?
Climbing Mayan ruins/snorkeling in Belize
Picking oranges in Honduras
American Christmas Day in El Salvador
Going to Pricemart with our host, 3 of my teammates & 2 of the girls
Kayaking in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam
Visiting the Killing Fields in Cambodia
Skiing in Albania
Month 6 debrief in Belgrade Serbia
Visiting Bran Castle in Romania
stargazing while listening to the hyenas in Ethiopia
Golfing in Rwanda/Seeing the live action version of The Lion King
Going on Safari & white water rafting on the Nile in Uganda
Do you miss P Squad?
Yeah I miss my goofy/fun/passionate/caring/servant-hearted sisters and brothers in Christ, and the memories that I made with them all I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.
What’s next for you?
Back when I was serving in Serbia, I felt like God was calling me to go into full time ministry by means of going to seminary and getting ordained as a pastor in the Presbyterian church. So I am currently in the applications process of following that call. Serving in Serbia has also given me such a heart for the Serbian people, and the building of relationships between Christians and Muslims in today’s world so that is something that I want to find a way to pursue as well as part of my mission and my call so much so that I hope one day to go and plant a Protestant church over there in the town that I served in that month. (Check out my blog titled Kingdom dreamin to find out more about this dream)
I also want to write a book about my experiences while on the World Race & incorperate these blogs into the book
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
P Squad 5th Gen Alumni
Psalms 18:2
