But also; I’M ONLY HALFWAY??? Cause it sure feels like I’ve been gone 6 years not 6 months.
It’s very bittersweet.
I miss my family and my friends so much. I miss my independence and my privacy. And Chick-fil-A, I miss that a whole lot.
On my Race I’ve experienced things that have broken my heart, and things that have lifted my spirits. I’ve been so frustrated at times I’ve literally screamed into my pillow, and there have been nights I’ve cried myself to sleep. But, I’ve also smiled and laughed more than I have in a long time. I’ve certainly felt sorrow, but Race life has shown me that the joy that comes in the morning is very real. My Race has reignited passion that had dwindled during my college years, and I’ve regained my friendship with Jesus.
I could go on and on with what I’ve learned and experienced these past 6 months.
So, to reflect back here is a quick recap of what each of my past 6 months have looked like; my ministry, my team, my hosts, and big life events that I’ve celebrated.
Month 1: Serbia
My team was Beloved; Sav, Nicole, Ali, Bailey, and Cam. Our hosts were sweet, sweet Karl and Julie and their daughter Kelli. They warmly welcomed us into their home with open arms. We worked at a Christian camp doing what I would call respite care, so our hosts could have some much deserved time off. We cooked and served meals, cleaned the dishes, cleaned the restrooms, cut down branches and hauled them to the fire pit, and stained the camp buildings. In between this hands-on ministry we had opportunities to spend time with the campers and share our stories with them.
Month 2: Romania
ALL SQUAD, Well kind off. This was our all squad month, where all 44 of us lived in one house. This presented problems like: when anyone turned on the sink or flushed the toilet the light in the stove would turn off, and when you’re cooking for 15 people at a time amy have two groups still waiting to cook it’s a little frustrating. But, my team (who had celebrated Claire joining us) were in another city and we commuted back and forth the whole month. Ministry for us was working with several missionary families who had joined up to plant a church. We experienced the bare bones of a church plant as well as dipped our toes in the world of street evangelism.
Month 3: Bulgaria
Our hosts were a young American couple with 4 beautiful blonde babies; Naomi 7, Phoebe 6, Zoey 4 and Malachi 2. Bulgaria held a lot of different ministry opportunities; outreach events, teaching English, babysitting, and cooking classes. I loved my time in Bulgaria and it remains my favorite month on my Race so far. I celebrated my 23rd birthday and my baptism (on the same day) in Varna, Bulgaria at the Black Sea.
Month 4: Macedonia
We worked and lived in a church and spent our time preaching and teaching. We rotated between our team giving everyone opportunities to share their testimonies, and messages. Between that, we advertised for an apologetics events that was a huge success. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Macedonia, and I was really proud of my teammates and myself, it was delicious! After Macedonia we celebrated both a continent and team change.
Month 5: Zambia
My new team is Hallelujah; Gracie, McCrea, Emily, Molly, Clare, and Vivian. We worked with Youth With A Mission and enjoyed living with our hosts at the base. Ministry was a mix of painting, gardening, VBS, orphan care, preaching, and street evangelism. We evangelized with several different pastors and experienced traditional African church services. We celebrated Christmas in Zambia, and did the very best we could to bring some Christmas cheer to Livingstone, Zambia.
Month 6: Botswana
We were matched up with another team, Covenant, so there was a total of 15 of us living together. We were located deep in the bush which was a challenging, but humbling experience. We evangelized in the mornings, but this evangelism focused on relationships. So, we spent the entire month with Oni, a sweet young Mom who runs a small shop near our ministry base. We built a solid friendship with her and she gladly opened up to us and received with an open heart and mind what we each had to share. We spent our afternoons in children’s ministry, which gave me an opportunity to lead, with the majority of my ministry experience being with kids.
Month 7: Namibia
Well, our set up sheet says: kids, schooling, HIV/AIDS, church plant, deaf community, and Chinese Church. So, there’s a solid chance we’ll be doing street evangelism and working at a soup kitchen because we hold everything very loosely here on the World Race. So, stay tuned for updates!
Peace and Blessins’
Elizabeth
