I don’t remember much from my birthplace in Denver, Colorado, but I do remember running around in Costa Rica shortly thereafter with my brother in “whitey tighties” (more accurately “reddy tighties”) over blue jeans, a blue shirt and a red towel around his neck while I donned “yellow-y tighties” over black jeans with a black shirt, towel and mask. Without our knowledge, we had formed both the Justice League and a friendship that would last a lifetime. Our countless differences kept our days split equally between fighting imaginary enemies and each other, but like dipoles, those differences are what have kept us close over the years.
After a year of language school in Costa Rica, our family of four flew south to the narrow but surprisingly large country of Chile trapped between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, isolating it from the rest of South America as it runs along its western border to the continent’s southernmost tip (populated in the winter primarily by penguins from the nearby frozen landmass of Antarctica). The Chilean culture proved to be as unique as the shape of the country itself. Luckily, my brother and I had seen the folly of our ways in Costa Rica and decided all good things must come to an end. Gone were the days of dressing up as super heroes with our “whitey tighties” outside our costumes, fighting imaginary foes. That move to Chile ushered in a new era of crime-fighting that occurred in, at most, “whitey tighties” (an era that seems to have no end in sight for the foreseeable future). My brother developed an aversion to clothes altogether (you’ll have to take my word for it), as if he had not eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and fulfilling God’s original intent for the human state of mind and being with regards to modesty. Either that or it was an attempt to increase his aerodynamics and range of karate moves. Nevertheless, he became a force to be reckoned with and certainly not one to wrestle with.
From there, the White family moved to the Dark Continent where I would spend over half of my life. Eleven years split between Kenya and Tanzania offered amazing sights I will never forget, but also ones I will never be able to un-see, which would ultimately alter the trajectory of my life. Growing up in Nairobi a few miles from the diseased city center, a square mile of corrugated roof and sewage that formed a valley called Kibera Slum where a million of the country’s poorest congregated, revealed to me at an early age how insufficient the healthcare system was in developing nations.
It became apparent to me in my pre-adolescent years that it was not a medical emergency, but the color of your skin and the number of Shillings you had that determined whether you would be seen by a physician. Extended time spent in a third-world country calluses you to the many crimes against humanity and corruption of morals, but this was a sin I could not forgive. My insatiable desire to rectify this issue has driven me to pursue a career in medicine with the hopes of one day providing medical care in the manner it was originally intended: to those who need it most regardless of their income or socioeconomic status.
Entering my final semester of college, I felt the Lord leading me to take time off (commonly referred to as a “gap year” in the pre-med community, regardless of the actual number of years one decides to take off) between my undergraduate studies and medical school. This news was, as it usually is with the Lord, bittersweet to say the least. Bitter in the sense that I am very eager to begin my medical education and time off is more time between now and when I can begin addressing the health disparity in East Africa. Sweet in the sense that my rigorous studies in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins (an undeserved blessing I attribute wholly and completely to the Lord) have made this young adult feel not-so-young and who would most likely benefit from a brief academic intercession. Having learned, like Jonah, over the years that running away from the Lord’s will is the quickest way to a spiritual spanking (and the fact that I still bear the welts of past pow pows), I decided to save myself the punishment and take a couple years off before entering medical school. Unsure of what exactly I was to do with all of this free-time (something of a foreign concept to me these days), I began asking the Lord, “Make clear to me how I should spend this luxurious time off… And if it’s all the same to You, I’d like to be a part of what You’re doing overseas and see with my own eyes the current state of healthcare in developing nations.” Shortly thereafter God made the World Race the front-runner in the list of Gap Year options I had compiled and upon prayerful consideration with close friends and family, I decided this was indeed the direction I felt God leading me.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)
At first, I am somewhat ashamed to say that I doubted this was really God’s will for the next eleven months of my life on account of the financial funds necessary to even participate. However, as I expressed these concerns with the Lord and my family, it became abundantly clear that this was an opportunity to fully rely on God in a way I have never had to: an experience as exciting as it is nerve-racking. Most who know me well would describe me as a “lone wolf”, perfectly content in doing things on my own. But at this stage of my life, having to rely so heavily on the support of family, friends and the body of Christ is one of the most challenging areas of weakness the Lord has ever brought to my attention. Those who know me well also know that areas of weakness do not sit well with me and I am excited to not only overcome this weakness, but make this an area of strength in my life in the years to come. If you are still reading this monologue, know that I consider you family. This site will be the home of the many pictures and videos, stories and events, ups and downs, laughs and tears that I will most certainly experience on this journey; certain to be the most physically challenging adventure I have had the honor of being a part of. And though I may be the one travelling, I intend to bring each and every person reading this along for the ride.
– Dan W
