One question that I have gotten over and over on the race and I’m sure I will be asked when I get home is: “So, what has been your favorite country?” And I’m here to tell you that I don’t have one.
Every country and month is so unique and trying to pick a favorite is nearly impossible. So, instead of picking an overall favorite country, I’m going to share a few categories of favorites from the race:
Favorite Food: Let’s start with the most important one. My favorite food on the entire race was easily Indian food! Every night my team and I would go to a different village to preach. After we were done the family that hosted the service would bring us into the kitchen area, we would sit down on the floor, and they would shower us with the best food I’ve ever had. It was amazing. The spice level would usually make me cry and sweat, even though they dumbed it down for us. By the end of the month, we were professionals at eating with our right hand. And they would always come around and slop another heaping pile of rice and curry onto our plates. (I’m salivating just writing this.)
Favorite Host City: This is another easy one: Antigua, Guatemala. Over the course of month nine I fell in love with this city. The cobblestone streets, the easy public transport system called chicken buses (people really bring their chickens on the bus), and everything else about the city. I even got the pleasure of having my mom come spend a week with me hanging out and doing ministry in Antigua. I will definitely be coming back again someday!
Favorite Housing: I have had some pretty awesome houses on the race, but none compared to the two weeks my team and I spent working and living at the Adventures in Missions guest house in Cambodia! After we finished our work for the day we were able to cool off in the pool, hang out in our air conditioned rooms, or relax with our awesome hosts in the lobby. We were a little spoiled that month. Not to mention the view from the roof or the city of Siem Reap ten minutes away!
Favorite Mode of Transportation: I used to like TukTuks, but then one fell on top of my foot in India and changed my opinion. I would have to say my favorite way of getting around was boda-bodas in Rwanda. Basically just a motorcycle, bodas made it fast and easy to get where you needed to go and what’s more fun than whipping around the winding roads of Rwanda?
Favorite Bonus Country: Whoever said it was “eleven in eleven” didn’t realize that there is a chance to go to more than eleven countries. In addition to the original eleven, I got to go to Singapore for a weekend trip and to El Salvador for a little rest with the squad. El Salvador was cool but Singapore wins out in this category. It was probably the coolest place ever. Seriously, the people were amazing and the city is beautiful!
Favorite Type of Ministry: If you know me then you know how much I love babies. In Uganda I was able to spend my days chasing after two baby boys. And then in Ethiopia we worked at a baby orphanage. This was a dream come true. I got to hold, play with, and love on eight babies all month and it was glorious!
Favorite Layover: Stopping in LA before heading into the last three months was pretty awesome, but my favorite layover was when we stopped in Dubai. After three months in Africa, stepping into the Dubai airport was like a fairytale. It was a chance to treat ourselves to a little Starbucks and McDonalds before heading to India.
Favorite Debrief Location: Debrief in Nepal was super cool and I loved the cold weather but Phuket, Thailand takes this one! The beaches and islands in Phuket are probably the prettiest in the world. We also celebrated Easter with a sunrise service on the beach and I was baptized in the ocean! It was a really special couple of days!
Favorite Adventure Day: This is probably the hardest question because I have gotten to do so many cool things. But rafting the Nile River in Uganda was the scariest thing I have ever done. It set the bar pretty high for adventure day activities.
Favorite Culture: There is something about the Central American culture that I just love. All four countries that we have visited in Central America have had the friendliest people and have welcomed us into their culture. I also love being able to speak Spanish and communicate in that way!
Favorite Ministry Organization: This is a hard one because all the organizations have been amazing in their own ways. My two favorites are Raising up Hope for Uganda and The Leadership Center in Honduras. Both organizations had incredible vision for their ministry and the Lord was clearly woven throughout every aspect!
There are probably a million other reasons why each month was my favorite, but this is all I can think of for now. I hope by sharing my favorite things I can answer the question that I know everyone is going to ask!
Until next time,
Carly
