1. What has been
your favorite country?
–My favorite country was Uganda. I loved being
surrounded my kids that I could just fall in love with. It was such a blessing
to just feed off of their joy. I also really loved Thailand. Being able to
build friendships with the girls that worked in the bars was amazing. God
really worked on my heart that month too.
2. What has been
your least favorite country?
–My least favorite country I think was Malaysia. A
lot happened that month. I also had surgery so it was all around a really hard
month.
3. Who is the
coolest person you have met in a country?
-A
woman named Roxanne. She lives in Uganda and has her own foundation called
Tukutana, which works to bring in supplies for orphanages, schools and
churches. She partners with flight attendants from Emirates Airlines. The
flight attendants collect different hygiene products from hotels all around the
world to give to Roxanne. Then she collects it and hands it all out. We had the
opportunity to give the school kids we were working with all month a bag full
of shampoo, soap, lotion, body wash, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a comb.
4. What fellow
racer have you gotten closest to?
-Bethany
Eason. To use Grey’s Anatomy terms: she is my person. We have become really
close throughout the trip. We were on the same team for eight months so we were
really able to just go to each other anytime either of us was struggling with
something. She is amazing!
5. What will you
miss most when you return to the states?
–I think I will miss the community aspect of the
world race. It will be hard to go from being constantly surrounded by the
people on your team 24/7 to being alone the majority of the time when I get
home. I will also miss all the different culture and the opportunity to learn
from the people within those cultures.
6. What will you be
happiest to leave behind?
-All
my nasty clothes. I have been wearing the same clothes I left home with a year
ago. I have had the same 3 pairs of pants and 4 shirts since the beginning of
the race. I might have a bon fire of all my clothes before I come home.
7. What is the best
thing you’ve experienced/done on your free days?
-It
is a toss up. I have been able to do something fun in almost every country.
Philippines I went snorkeling, Malaysia I went to the tea fields, Thailand I
rode elephants, Cambodia I went to Angkor Wat, Kenya I went on a safari, Rwanda
I went to the original hotel Rwanda, Uganda I went white water rafting and
bungee jumping, India I went to the Taj Mahal, Nepal I took a flight to see
Mount Everest, Ukraine I went to Kiev, and Romania I went to the Jon Bon Jovi
concert in front of the parliament building.
8. What is the most
extreme “God-thing” you have experienced?
-I
experienced God deliver girls that were demon possessed in Uganda. I saw how
the name of Jesus is so powerful and has so much authority.
9. What is the
coolest thing you have purchased?
–Starbucks cups for my dad from the Philippines,
Thailand and Romania.
10. What is the
saddest thing you have lost?
-I
lost my rainbow flip-flops month two. A dog ate them. I would also have to say
I lost my appendix. That was pretty sad.
11. If you could
vacation in one of the countries which one would you choose?
-I
would vacation to the Philippines. I would go back to our little island and sit
on the beach all day.
12. If you could
live in one of the countries which one would you choose?
-I
would live in Bucharest Romania. The city if amazing, full of history and great
people.
13. What type of
ministry was your favorite?
–My favorite ministry was in Thailand. Building
relationships with people has been something that has really blessed me and
taught me so much. We were able to live life everyday and go out at night to
talk with the girls in that bars to just show the love that Christ has for us
to the girls. AMAZING!!
14. What type of
ministry was your least favorite?
–Door-to-door evangelism. Some people have the
gift but I do not.
15. What type of
ministry grew on you the most over the 11 months?
-Ministering
to young adults. I have always loved little kids but I have started to realize
how much I enjoy seeing young adults grow in their relationship with Christ and
being able to be apart of that.
16. On a scale of 0
to 100 how much do you think you have changed (where 0 is not at all and 100 is
like you are one of those people in the identity theft commercials where
physically and characterly you are someone completely different)?
–I am still Chandler. But God has changed me in so
many ways this year. I have found my identity in Him and who I really am in His
eyes. I know that people are going to be able to see the change that has
happened in my life but I am still me. I am just a stronger, more confident me.
17. What have you
missed the most?
–My family especially when there are big things
going on. Sometimes it was hard to stay in touch because of the lack of Internet
in some countries and that was really hard. Having a close family and feeling
out of the loop of what is going on was really difficult sometimes.
18. What was you
favorite mode of transportation?
-I
would say boda bodas in Africa. It is just a motorcycle but you would fit at
least 3 people on one.
19. What was you
least favorite/scariest mode of transportation?
-Taxi’s in India. They are crazy drivers their.
20. What was the
most interesting animal/creature that you saw?
-Seeing rhinos and giraffes on our safari was
amazing.
21. What was the
most interesting/gorgeous natural thing/landscape that you saw?
–The sunsets in every country were amazing. It is
hard to explain because each one was different but it just shows how big God is
that even though every place has a sunset not one is the same as another.
22. What was the
hardest thing that you had to do or that you faced?
-I had to learn to love the men in the bars in
Thailand that were buying the girls that we had become friends with at night.
It was so hard. I didn’t understand how I was supposed to love them and got
really angry with God. But He continued to tell me that it is our job to love
even when it is hard and we don’t want to.
23. What was the
scariest thing that you had to do or that you faced?
-The
scariest thing I had to do was to let my guard down and start receiving love
from not only God but the people around me. I had given up on love before the
race so it was hard and scary to let people love me again and to actually feel
loved.
24. What was the
most rewarding thing that you had to do or that you faced?
–The most rewarding thing I did on the race was
realizing that there is power in my story. That my story might be dark and
twisty but it is mine. I have this story for a reason. It has been rewarding to
become confident and comfortable with my story. God has helped me to understand
that my story and the things I have gone through in my past has shaped who I am
today and the relationship that I have with Him.
25. What was the
most fun/enjoyable thing that you had to do or that you faced?
-The
most fun and enjoyable thing I did was learning an evangelistic dance with my
team in Kenya. We all had so much fun practicing with each other and performing
it at a graduation party, our church in Uganda, and again when we flash mobbed
out squad in India.
26. What was the
worst bathroom/shower situation on the race?
–Rwanda we had a hole in that ground for the
toilet and our shower was just a room that we bucket showered in. Not too
horrible the bathroom just smelled really bad all the time and had cockroaches.
27. Do you feel
like you were adequately prepared for the race?
–NO!! I don’t think you can be fully prepared for
something like this. The change each person goes through is not something that
you can prepare yourself for. With ministry it is kind of living and learning.
You can only prepare so much but the way the race is things change so much that
you can’t expect anything to happen a certain way. You can’t prepare yourself
for what God has for you throughout this trip there is no way.
28. Was there a
country you didn’t go to but you wish you could have gone to in place of one
you did?
–Not really. Every country we went to had its own
lessons. I wouldn’t replace one of them.
29. What was the
best thing you ate?
-All
the fresh fruit we had in each country especially, the bananas. I have had more
types of bananas on this race than I can count.
30. What was the
worst thing you are?
–A fermented egg in Malaysia. It was black and
didn’t taste so great.
31. Do you still
keep in contact with people from the countries you visited?
–I have tried to. A lot of the youth are on
facebook so that is an easy way to stay in touch with people. It is hard
sometimes because of the number of people you meet in every place but the
people I have built relationships with I have tried to keep in touch.
32. How did the
race change your view on America?
-It has made me realize how fast our culture is.
We don’t take the time to sit and have a meal for a few hours just to
fellowship with people. I didn’t’ really notice how much of a “Go-Go-Go”
culture America was before the race.
33. How did the
race change your view on other countries?
-My view of other countries changed so much, in
that people are much more hospitable than I ever expected. We go into towns or
villages to bless the people there but all they want to do is bless us. I have
also realized that people just want to be loved. That sometime love is a
greater gift to people than any material thing you could ever give them.
34. How did the race
change your view on God?
–My view of God has changed so much on this race.
I have realized the immensity if His love for me. I have realized His desire to
have an intimate relationship with me and not just a surface level
relationship. I understand what is means to have an identity that is founded in
Him and Him alone. God has become such a huge part of my life now it is funny
to see the lukewarm, surface level relationship that I had with Him before I
came on the race.
