I’ve only been home for about a week, and I haven’t had the chance to talk to many people yet. But I’m anticipating the obvious question, “How was your trip?” when I finally do.
It’s hard to sum up the last eleven months, but I guess I can try.
I read 33 books and 34 books of the Bible.
I made a list of 1754 gifts the Lord gave me this year in little daily ways.
I’ve spent around 350 hours (or about 14.5 days, just over 2 weeks) in long-distance travel. I’ve traveled approximately 46,414 miles, which is a little less than twice the circumference of the earth.
I’ve seen the highest mountains in Asia (Everest), Africa (Kilimanjaro), and South America (Aconcagua).
I watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat, swam with penguins in Cape Town, and visited Machu Picchu.
It has been an incredible blessing to have seen so many beautiful places in the world, but as much as I can try to sum up what this year has been, there are so many more moments that can’t be quantified.
In India, I sat worshiping in the stairwell of our incomplete dorm with my entire squad and prayed over people at free medical clinics.
In Nepal, I preached my first sermon and discovered a passion and a gift for teaching God’s Word. I also cherish all the family dinners where our Nepali Papa would lead Bible studies, and our Nepali Mom would make jokes at our expense that we couldn’t understand.
In Vietnam, I took communion two days before Christmas with my courageous brothers and sisters who defy the authority of man when it goes against the authority of God and says they cannot share their faith.
In Cambodia, I rode a bicycle along the Mekong River, received a new revelation of how God sees me and delights in me, and worshiped alone in an empty marketplace.
In Botswana, I talked and prayed with students during a tumultuous time of strikes on their campus, which eventually closed for the month.
In South Africa, I played cards in the afternoons with a man who didn’t have anywhere else to call home except the facility where we were working, but who also has one of the most contagious smiles I’ve ever seen.
In Swaziland, my parents flew 15 hours to see me and do ministry with me in Africa. We also got to see lions and rhinos, and our jeep was charged by an elephant!
In Argentina, I had a sleepover at a sweet abuela’s (grandmother’s) house, and her family made us a delicious barbecue and helped us recover a sense of joy and purpose in loving people.
In Chile, I pushed a handicapped girl around the playground in her wheelchair at recess so she wouldn’t have to just sit and watch the other kids play, and then I would go in and help feed her lunch each day.
In Bolivia, I prayed and handed out fruit and flowers to the homeless. I also saw the beautiful Body of Christ in action as my team was received so generously by a family who didn’t know us or the World Race, but wanted to love us and bless us.
And in Peru, I held precious babies that only know love from the tias (“tia” means “aunt,” which is what they call the nurses who care for the children), and I experienced sweet times of communion and fellowship with our host family.
I’ve gotten a few souvenirs in my travels, and I’ve taken lots of pictures. But these will be the things I remember and cherish most from this year.
So if you ask me how my trip was, and I pause a little too long, it’s just because I don’t really have words to easily express what a year full of those moments has meant.
I can count the numbers of books or how many total days I’ve spent on buses, but I can’t count the number of times God has spoken to me in little moments and showed me a little more of his character. I don’t know the number of smiles that have filled my heart with joy. I lost count of the little ones I’ve hugged and felt the love of God for his children. So I’ve stopped trying to keep track and just started saying “thank you.”
I appreciate all of you who have followed my journey and are graciously welcoming me back to life here in the U.S. I can’t wait to share some more of these stories with you as we find time to sit down and really talk.
Until then, I would also like you to know that this will be my last post on my World Race blog. But I have also discovered that even if no one reads it, writing blogs is a helpful way for me to process the things I’m learning so I will continue writing after this. If you want to keep following along with me, you can find my new blog here: https://thewordandthewayblog.wordpress.com/.
God bless and bon voyage!
