Today I have been on The Race 100 days!! I know I can’t believe it either. 100 days living from one backpack, 100 days of having no permanent home and often no bed, 100 days of adapting, and 100 days spent living/sleeping/breathing within 2 feet of these 5 other women who have quickly become family.
January 12th left Atlanta and headed to our first stop, Ivory Coast. Since then we have been to Ghana, Cambodia, Thailand and now heading to Burma! We have had a ton of incredible experiences so far, some sad and some really great ones. So to celebrate our 100th day on the race I thought I would make a list of 100 things I have learned so far, so here they are:
1. We are blessed beyond measure to have been born in a country of freedom and opportunity.
2. What it looks like to truly be servant-hearted.
3. How to use a squatty potty. (Asia has left us no choice to put this at the top of the list. Great news is we surpassed the novice level and are entering expert territory—squatting flat-footed.)
4. How to live a semi-normal life out of a backpack.
5. A genuine smile is universally appreciated.
6. How to still feel like a girl without ever looking in a mirror.
7. The overflow of your life comes from the time you spend alone with the Lord.
8. ALWAYS carry toilet paper in your bag.
9. Mastering charades and hand gestures will eventually get you where you want to go.
10. How to safely and successfully kill a scorpion.
11. The importance of letting go of control…
12. And letting go of outcomes.
13. How to properly shave a coconut.
14. How to say goodbye every month to people you grow to deeply love.
15. How to sleep on a bus.
16. How to sleep on airport chairs.
17. How to sleep on the floor.
18. How to sleep on a plane.
19. How to sleep on your teammate’s shoulder.
20. Time spent making friends is always better than time spent searching for Wi-Fi.
21. Ant spray is a versatile killing agent for all kinds of creatures.
22. How to ditch all utensils and eat with your right hand.
23. How to say 5 words in 4 different languages and incorporate all of them into a single conversation.
24. How much people appreciate it if you attempt to speak their language, even if you fail miserably.
25. Ministry is a lifestyle, not a place you go.
26. Hydroflasks are lifelines.
27. How to sleep with earplugs.
28. How to fit 7 people in a 3 person tuk tuk.
29. Geckos the length of your forearm can bark as loud as a dog.
30. How to make the perfect cup of chai
31. Also, that chai tea technically means “tea tea”. Meaning most of America is walking around saying they like to drink “tea tea”.
32. It is impossible to drown ants. Even if you put your ant covered clothes in the wash for a double cycle.
33. The importance of walking in our spiritual authority.
34. A 10-hour bus ride does not guarantee a bathroom break.
35. How to cut hair. Specifically for Asian school children, providing girls with a perfectly manicured bob, and boys with the ever so popular uptown fade.
36. How to play a new instrument
37. That God doesn’t need us, but he invites us to partner with him because that is just how much he loves us.
38. How to communicate without using words
39. The proper way to put on & wear a sari
40. The Church is not merely a building, but a living and breathing community.
41. How to make 12 outfits out of 4 articles of clothing.
42. That you can actually survive without washing your hair for a week.
43. How to get 51 people across a border. (walking, riding a bus, or flying)
44. How to be okay with not being okay.
45. How to survive on rice and noodles for every meal.
46. The beauty of leaning on faith when you have nothing else.
47. How to barter with a cab or tuk tuk driver.
48. How to calmly and casually remove leeches from your body
49. You think you will want to keep something from every country but then you remember you have to carry it with you for 11 months and quickly change your mind.
50. At any given time you will have at least 3 different currencies in your wallet.
51. baggy waters. (The way of africa)
52. How to worship like no one is watching.
53. How to find Wi-Fi in India, or the Thai Jungle.
54. Playing cards in Thailand is a ticket straight to prison
55. Hot water is a luxury, not a necessity.
56. How to listen for the quiet whispers of God’s voice
57. How to make a luxurious face mask out of egg whites
58. To be a great leader you must first be a great servant.
59. Hallelujah is the same in every language
60. Eating curry with your hand for a month stains your nails an interesting shade of yellow.
61. How to get your team on the list for VIP events.
62. #favor isn’t fair.
63. How to de-lice a teammate or yourself without access to lice shampoo. (Sunflower oil, mayo, saran wrap)
64. Jumping spiders are very difficult to kill.
65. How to escape a Nepali hospital when they refuse to discharge you.
66. How to live in community… 24/7.
67. Even in 2018,God still performs miracles everyday.
68. The free table is the closest thing to Christmas morning. (*The Free Table* is the place each month where everyone on our squad drops items from their pack they no longer wish to keep)
69. The importance of brushing up on basic math when it comes to currency exchanges. (32.86 Thai Baht to 1 US dollar is no easy equation)
70. How to acquire a hot shower (visit your friends in the hospital… and don’t forget your shower shoes!)
71. How to be okay with being continuously uncomfortable…
72. And continuously sweating.
73. They eat blood in Asia…and you won’t know it until it’s to late. (Its not red tofu)
74. How to barter. (you hold all the power in the slow turn and fake walk-away)
75. Showering is a ridiculous process (not to mention trying to dry off after while you’re already sweating).
76. It is possible to charge 30 people’s electronic devices in one plug.
77. Hand washing your clothes will never quite get them clean.
78. You learn to carry toilet paper with you everywhere you go!
79. No shave November turned into No Shave World Race- ain’t nobody got time (or water) for that.
80. The importance of reading the Bible even when you don’t want to.
81. Prayer HAS power.
82. How to make your phone battery last on a travel-day.
83. How to trust the Lord to finish what he starts
84. True joy is found in the simple things, not the material things.
85. All people desire to be listened to and truly known.
86. Swapping movies on external hard-drives is almost as good as Netflix.
87. The importance of a “baby-wipe bath” when the water runs out.
88. In the first 100 days almost everyone on the squad will dye or cut their hair, pierce something or get a tattoo.
89. Things you thought were important to you no longer are when you have to carry everything on your back.
90. Wearing make-up is the least of your worries.
91. The average height of a male in Asia is 5’6”.
92. Being okay with not knowing where you’re going. (even the day before you go to a new country)
93. How to go through the process of abandoning.literally.everyting.
94. The whole world is searching for God even if they don’t realize it.
95. Being able to drink cold water is a treat!
96. You will be okay if you have to go a week or in some cases a couple months without a phone.
97. You can fit way more than 15 people in a 15 passenger van.
98. Getting wifi, often times, requires a taxi ride.
99. Air conditioning is a rare treat.
100. Jesus Christ is the same [all across the WORLD] yesterday and today and forevermore.
Here’s to 237 more days of growing, learning, and loving!
