Dear Month 1 Self,
First and foremost, you NEED to step your blog game up. Seriously. One blog in 11 months is not acceptable now that you have officially launched.
Now, on to your race. IT HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! As you write this you are on the first leg of your journey to your first country, Macedonia. You still have a lot of traveling to do in the next three days, and this is only the beginning of the many travel days you will endure over the next year. Enjoy them. Remember, there are few places you enjoy more than airports. Flying is one of your favorite things to do. Riding on a bus, now, you may have to learn to love that. But remember there is a lot to savor in the hours of driving through a foreign country, especially the landscape (remember driving through Tuscany when going from Rome to Florence?). These days are a part of your adventure, and as the old adage says, “half the fun is getting there.”
As you begin this journey with the Lord, and with 54 other World Racers, I want to make two lists. A list of things to remember and be conscious of. And a list of goals, both spiritual and personal, to achieve over the next year. You do better with lists, and when you announce it to other people you are more likely to follow through (you know yourself well), so I pray you are able to check everything off these lists in the next 11 months.
So first, things to remember:
1. BE INTENTIONAL. With everything you do- walking the streets of the city, talking to people in coffee shops, spending time with your team- do everything intentionally and with a purpose. DON’T go into autopilot. You will regret it immensely. (Thank you, Auntie Cathy)
2. IT IS GOING TO HURT. You signed up with the desire to be broken. To be transformed into the woman God created you to be. That process isn’t going to be painless. On the contrary, you may experience the most pain you’ve ever felt in your life. When you feel this, don’t get scared. This pain is SO GOOD. Own the hurt and the pain and you WILL become the woman of God you desire to be.
3. IT IS GOING TO BE HARD. You will be exhausted. You will work for 12 hours in the hot African sun and then sleep on the hard ground. You will eat rice and beans for the millionth time. You will be surrounded by people all the time. You will break down because all you want is a day on your couch to veg out to Netflix and eat a giant bowl of fresh strawberries by yourself. This is NORMAL. Push through it.
4. THIS ISN’T A VACATION. You aren’t a tourist. Yes, you will see some pretty awesome places but you are there for the people. Remember this when you are in some tiny village in a remote jungle and you can’t make it to see the beautiful beaches of Thailand or Malaysia.
5. YOU ARE CHANGING PEOPLE. There will be days when you feel like you didn’t do your best job. When you couldn’t reach a certain person for whatever reason, and you failed. You are still bringing Jesus to these people all over the world. They are still being changed, even if not immediately. You are impacting their future just by your presence. You ARE making a difference.
Second, my spiritual goals:
1. READ THE ENTIRE BIBLE. From Genesis to Revelations. Understand the stories and how they intertwine. You are starting your One Year Bible Plan today, I really hope you stick with it.
2. HAVE DATES WITH JESUS EVERY DAY. I know you pray. However, you have yet to build a personal, conversational relationship with God. Remember that session on building intimacy with the Lord you attended at Training Camp. Carve out time each day to just TALK to Jesus. It will be awkward at first, yes, but it will become so natural over time that you will be having conversations throughout the entire day!
3. BE CONFIDENT IN MY SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE. This is a tough goal to measure, but still very important. One of your weaknesses is you are afraid of having real conversations about Jesus and the bible because you don’t want to look stupid. You’ve attended Catholic school for 16 years but you still don’t completely trust everything you have retained to be true. My goal for you is to build the confidence to trust what you know and share it with others. If you can have a conversation about theology over the next year and NOT be worried about looking like an idiot, you have succeeded.
4. ATTEND MASS IN EVERY COUNTRY. I understand this may not be physically possible in some of the places we are living. However, you should make every effort to find a Catholic Church when you can, even if it is only once that month. Your teammates seem very supportive about joining you and learning more about our Catholic Traditions, so there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to go. Of course, if it is physically UNSAFE in the area you are living that is different. And don’t worry about the language barrier, that is the beauty of the Catholic Church; no matter what language they speak it is still the same Liturgy. Remember how you felt at Training Camp – the Holy Eucharist is crucial to feeling truly intimate with the Lord. Something is missing if you don’t receive it. Plus, wouldn’t it be so cool to say you attended mass and received Communion in 11 different countries?
And my personal goals:
1. RUN A HALF MARATHON. Yes, run. For those of you who know me well, you are probably laughing. I am NOT a runner. However, I want to learn. Running takes discipline and dedication, two things I could work on over the next year. And also, from what I’ve read running is one of the best ways to explore the areas we are in. It can also be very prayerful. So, I want to run. And a half-marathon is a very measurable goal.
2. BE ADVENTUROUS. Yes, you are on this journey to bring those around the world to Jesus. However, God doesn’t want you to be blind to His beautiful creation around you! He WANTS you to travel throughout your countries and see what He made. After all, He created it for US. On your free days, don’t sit around and be lazy. EXPLORE! See the country you are living in! And do things you could never do in America. I even have my own mini-list of bucket list items to check off: a. Go paragliding in Romania b. Go on a safari in Africa c. Go swimming in the Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls d. Bungee-jump into the Falls e. Ride an elephant f. See Machu Picchu g. Visit the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and I’m sure the list will get bigger…
3. BUILD MY FLEXIBILITY. More specifically, be able to touch my toes, do a left split, and straddle split. I would also love to be able to do some cool inversions (headstands, split handstands) so just all over strength and flexibility.
4. KICK MY SUGAR ADDICTION. Again, for those of you who know me well know I LOVE sugar and carbs, Pancakes, muffins, cookies, candy…it is very hard for me NOT to eat it. From what I understand, your sweet American favorites like Oreos and Snickers bars will be readily available most places you live. Use that discipline you are working on to resist the temptation. Focus on the delicious fresh fruits and veggies at the market. I’m guessing it will be SO EASY to eat healthily in most countries. Don’t take that for granted.
You are embarking on a GREAT adventure. However, I understand it can be easy to get lost in the days and ministry and forget your purpose and goals. You may lose sight occasionally. In those times, re-read this. Remember what is important and how you hope to grow. More than anything, being conscious of your actions will bring about the transformation you desire.
It is going to be hard. You are going to break. At the end of the these 11 months though it will be the BEST hard, painful year you have ever experienced. You will be a different girl than the one that got on that plane at Logan Airport on June 27, 2015. And THAT will be the true measure of your succeed on the World Race.
Be intentional. Be open. Be changed.
For more updates throughout the year and pictures of my adventure make sure to “like” my Facebook page, Around the World, With Love: Danielle’s World Race, and “follow” my Instagram account, @atw_withlove!
