In the famous words of Bon Jovi, “whooah we’re halfway there, whooahhh livin’ on a prayer”! That’s right, I have officially surpassed the halfway point of my world race—five and a half months down, five and a half to go. Now I’m not exactly sure what Bon Jovi meant by “livin’ on a prayer,” but I do know that prayer has been the only thing getting me through. Over the past five and a half months, I’ve had the opportunity to travel through 8 countries, take 10 flights, learn how to say hello in 7 languages, and follow my one true God.
When I departed on the World Race in January, I truly had no idea what was in store. I thought I knew what life would be like, what countries I’d travel to, and what I’d be doing in each place, but God has a funny way of doing things His own way. “Why not change the route?”—oh sure. “How about removing all assigned ministry?”—of course! While some changes were met with more resistance than others (cough, removing Mongolia from the route, cough), I can now see how God’s will was ultimately accomplished in all of it. So in honor of officially passing the half-way point, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned along my journey so far.
Being a disciple is a blessing, but it doesn’t come without costs (and not just the obvious ones).
Before I left the States, I knew that living as a missionary would be a sacrifice. I knew I would have to push pause on starting my career and leave behind my pillow-top, queen-sized mattress, eating avocado toast for breakfast every morning, and driving wherever I want, whenever I wanted. Oh and of course my friends and family (I miss you all the most, I promise). I knew that living conditions could be hard and that occasionally I’d have to sleep on the ground or take a bucket shower, right? Well, not exactly.
I didn’t realize that I had insecurities about my body. Apparently, not being able to choose what I eat for every meal meant that I’d gain weight. Surprisingly enough, going from a diet high in fruits and veggies to white rice and white baguettes doesn’t help the waistline much. On top of that, being in countries where it’s inappropriate for women to exercise doesn’t ease the issue. Or in others where it’s culturally offensive to refuse food offered to you or to not eat everything given on your plate. RIP muscle mass. Also, people abroad LOVE telling Americans how big and fat we are! They (usually) say it with good intentions, but hearing that month after month can definitely get to you mentally. Being a disciple has meant giving my whole self—waistline, mental health, and all—to God.
I didn’t realize that I could only flush toilet paper in the States. Trust me, flushing it in other countries is a BAD IDEA. We had to use outhouses for two weeks in the bush of Swaziland because someone flushed TP. I also never realized I would need to pay money to use a public bathroom that doesn’t even have any toilet paper or hand soap. What am I even paying for people?! Word to the wise: always BYOTP (those over 35 please read “bring your own toilet paper”)! Always. Being a disciple has meant leaving my American standards and thoughts of what is “normal” behind.
I didn’t realize that traveling from one country across the border to its neighbor would take 80 hours! And that “travel day” in itself would involve no bed, no shower, and no sink to brush your teeth in, potentially for days at a time. Let me just say, you have no choice but get creative on travel days. Using a chip bag as a spit cup when you brush your teeth on an overnight bus? Did it. Twice. Using two Pringle cans as a pillow while sleeping on the bus station ground? My friend Katie did. The World Race changes you guys. Being a disciple has meant dropping all “personal limits” and being able to truly go-with-the-flow in any and every situation.
I didn’t realize that I’ll likely suffer with lung problems later in life due to the insane air pollution I’ve experienced. Madagascar, I’m looking at you. Smog is the enemy. Well, behind mosquitoes. And Satan of course. But being a disciple has also meant offering my physical health as a sacrifice to God.
God will give us more than we can handle… but He will never give us more than He can handle.
I will say it again, God DOES give us more than we can handle. Life happens—tragedies occur, people betray their friends, suffering happens, things pop up—and we often can’t understand why. A fact of life is that it’s not in our control. Your bus may break down on the way to the airport. You might arrive to church on Sunday morning and your pastor asks you to give a 20-minute sermon to the congregation. You may be thrown into a situation and have no clue what to do (like every single day on the world race). There are many times we feel like we are drowning and there’s no one to help us.
Scriptures tell us that God allows trials to come our way so that we are forced to stop relying on our own strength and rather turn to Him. In our weakness, He helps us. He has rescued us before, and He will rescue us again (1 Corinthians 1:9-11). God causes all things to work together for the good of His people (Romans 8:26-30). The Creator of the universe loves you and He can conquer any giant you may face. That sermon you’re going to have to share in 15 minutes? Listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide you.
Throughout this life, we will get overwhelmed, become tired, and want to give up. But God’s heart will never get overwhelmed. He will never tire or give up. And when we accept that life will give us more than we can handle, we can find the promise that God is faithful and we must depend on Him to handle it for us.
Living in one place for only a few weeks at a time becomes normal and long-distance travel is no biggie.
Before the race, traveling to a different country was a huge venture that required a lot of planning. I’d have to pack the perfect carry-on bag with my fully-charged laptop, headphones, eye mask, Kindle, fuzzy socks, plenty of my favorite snacks (Justin’s mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups, pretzels and hummus & fresh fruits and veggies), magazines, and my Swell bottle full of cold water. I would make sure I had all of my music and movies downloaded, I’d check into my flight hours before and wait at the gate in anticipation. (I’m a planner, what can I say.) Now, traveling between countries is a lot like commuting to work. Another 9-hour layover? No problem. An 11-hour bus ride? Let’s go. Traveling isn’t always (or usually) rainbows and unicorns. Most of the time it’s dinners from convenience stores and really bad body odor. But it’s now my life.
Over the past few months, I’ve developed what I’d like to call the “world race itch”. I’d say most racers experience it. It’s the feeling you get when you’ve lived in a country for two and a half weeks and you know that change is on the horizon. You look forward to it. You’re ready. It’s nothing against the ministry you’re currently doing, it’s just the fact you know your time there is almost over. It can get a little stir-crazy living in the same place for more than 3 weeks at a time. Once you’ve finally gotten everything figured out—where the best ice cream place in town is and how to properly say “hello” and “thank you” in the local language—it’s time to leave! Transition back to the U.S. will be a whole-other ball game. And when that time comes, God please help me.
My life’s purpose is to follow the call that the Lord has placed on my heart. And in each season, that may mean a different call.
This life I now live will only last a season. The World Race is an incredible season that I will cherish until I am old and grey, but it’s only 11 months. Once I return home, my life will continue. I will create new goals, make new life decisions, and carry on. The World Race is just one chapter in my life’s book, and while it’s a big, beautiful chapter full of lots of love and adventure, it’s not the whole book. Last year, God placed the call on my heart to live as his disciple and to go on the World Race. And when this is over, He will give me a new call.
After the race, God may call me to pursue a career in environmental science. Or maybe He will call me to international missions full-time. Maybe (much) later in life God will call me to become a mother and disciple my children. The point is, I have no clue. But as long as I stay connected to Him and seek His will in all aspects of my life, I will be following His call. The Lord has blessed me with a unique set of gifts and talents He wants me to use to advance His Kingdom. And while it’s easier to see Kingdom advancement in dedicating my life to travel the world to share the gospel for a year, being a mother and raising warriors for the Kingdom is just as advancing. So I am excited to see what the Lord has in store!
Going into this next half of the race, I hope that I continue learning and growing. I never want to let a day go by without feeling the weight of the blessing the World Race is to me. I likely won’t have the opportunity to live in such a tight-knit community of 45 believers my age again. I probably won’t be able to push pause on my life at home to travel the world sharing the Gospel. But that is the gift I’ve been given with this call, so I want to invest in every day and not take a second for granted. Now I know that I definitely will because of my humanness, but I am grateful to serve a God whose everlasting love for me covers all of my imperfections. So World Race: Part 2, watch out, I’m coming for ya.
Love,
Britt
