This post will be the first of two parts: my expectations of what we will be doing versus the reality of what we are actually doing. Before and after.
Before….
When I think about what we will be doing in the field on this trip, I get so excited. There are countless ways that we will be able to help others and spread God’s love. The one thing that I am most excited about is working in orphanages. I’m really looking forward to playing with them, hugging them, holding them, teaching them different things, and giving them hope. I went to Thailand in May of 2012 for a month to teach English. There was the most adorable one year old. I was the only one she would go to. When anyone else would try to hold her she would cling to my shirt and turn away from them. I almost came home with a much heavier suitcase than I left with!
In my blog profile picture I was trying to hand her to another person in our group. You can see how she is clinging to me and turning away.
I know the little kids in all countries that we will be going to are in desperate need of love and affection. I hope that we will be able to provide that for them, even if it’s only for a short time. I think saying those goodbyes will be the hardest goodbyes some of us have ever had to say. Kids have a way of touching your heart.
Some of the things we will be doing will be hard. Making friends with teenagers who have been involved in human trafficking and forced into sex slavery is one of them. I’m not sure what to expect, but I hope I can help those girls in some way. Maybe they just need someone that will listen. I can be that person for them.
I’m a little worried about not having much contact with everyone back home. I know we will have some internet connections, but I have no idea how much. Maybe it will be only once or twice a week. Maybe I will be surprised and there will be a lot of places with wifi. That’s another challenge I will be facing. Can I live without all the technology I constantly have surrounding me? I know I’ll be fine without a TV. I’d rather be outside anyway so there won’t be issues there. My phone is a different story. I’m so used to having my cell phone with me everywhere I go. It’s so easy to just pick it up and call anyone I want whenever I want. It’s definitely something that I take for granted. Maybe that’s one reason God has called me to go on this race. Maybe he’s going to show me that I actually can live without my phone and it is not as important as I think it is right now. If that’s the case, I’m ready to unplug from technology for a while and just enjoy living in the moment with the people that I have with me. But I hope I can make some phone calls home!
I like my luxury when I sleep. My nice queen size bed with at least three pillows, tons of blankets, a box fan on to drown out all noise, and my puppy curled up next to me. There will be none of that for 11 months. Every person has to bring a two man tent, sleeping bag, and a pillow. The tent will only be big enough for you and your backpack (like the big internal frame backpacking bags that will carry everything we need for the entire trip, yikes). What I am imagining is setting up our tents outside in the dirt, sometimes being cold during the night. Or maybe setting up our tents inside a sanctuary of a church. All of us crammed in tight. Definitely not what I’m used to. Yet another way God is going to test me. I see a trend here that He is wanting me to simplify my life… Challenge accepted!
I’m sure some of my expectations will be accurate while others will be drastically different. There are things we will be doing that I haven’t even imagined yet. While I may not enjoy everything that we will be asked to do, I know in the end it will not only change the lives of the people we have come to help, but it will ultimately change my life. I am so ready to see what is in store for us while we are in the field for 11 months.
