1. Old school contemporary Christian music is super comforting.
2. Put your air mattress in your daypack.
3. You can absolutely wear socks with Chacos.
4. Instant coffee will grow on you. #desperatetimes
5. Wash between your toes.
6. Zip-off pants are not that useful. And they look weird.
7. Sleep is not an optional activity.
8. Thieves essential oil for the win.
9. Peanut butter is a comfort food.
10. Plastic sporks from REI break when you stick them in a jar of peanut butter. All 4 of them.
11. Shoes are not a necessity, even in the mall.
12. Showers can be taken using those office water jug conversation spots.
13. Turbulence is inevitable. You are not going down.
14. Keep all the movies and music. You never when you need some N*SYNC or Aladdin.
15. Chai and cookies make the best breakfast.
16. Take toilet paper with you to the bathroom.
17. Baby wipes are not just for babies.
18. Airporters that convert to pack covers are gifts from the Lord.
19. Ask God. He answers.
20. International flights are the best places to catch up on new movies.
21. Cold showers are still showers.
22. Crocs are worth the fashion sacrifice.
23. Popcorn does not need to be made in microwave.
24. The world is very small.
25. The world is HUGE.
26. In an African church the people will continue to sing until someone gets up to speak. Get up and speak.
27. Snack sauce is not ketchup.
28. Hashtags for everything. #hashtagsforeverything
29. Go ahead and name your parasite. He will be there for a bit.
30. Coffee does not come in sizes larger than a tall. It’s the worst.
31. Give your seat in the front to the one who gets car sick.
32. God’s creativity is insane.
33. Pop your personal bubble. It no longer exists.
34. Chaco tans are something to show off.
35. Your church is humongous.
36. It’s okay to not be okay.
37. Leadership is not about a title.
38. Wifi is not a need.
39. Expectations. Probably shouldn’t have any.
40. Sharing is a great thing, but not with germs. Don’t share those.
41. Wash your Nalgene regularly.
42. Journaling is therapeutic.
43. Duct tape is as multi-purpose as people say it is. Pick a pretty color.
44. If you don’t want to play guitar for worship, pretend like you don’t know what a guitar is.
45. Hammocks are super cool.
46. Get the bug spray that the host has.
47. Wear sunscreen.
48. Home is beautiful.
49. Adventure has lots of definitions.
50. Introverts are not always the quiet ones.
51. Extroverts need alone time.
52. Bring all of the ziploc bags when you travel.
53. Get those frequent flyer miles.
54. Bring all of the children’s ministry curriculum.
55. Play soccer regardless of your confidence or ability.
56. Get creative with ingredients when cooking.
57. Training camp DOES prepare you. It could happen.
58. Wash your dishes well. Soap. Hot water. Make it happen.
59. If you get second helpings, you will look like you got second helpings.
60. Your hair will not look like your Facebook pictures.
61. Pack some extra World Race shirts and trade for a friend’s.
62. Shipping stuff home is expensive.
63. Noise canceling headphones are a must.
64. Team changes will happen. Go with it.
65. Not all of the dogs have rabies or fleas.
67. Don’t snuggle with the dogs that do have rabies or fleas.
68. Some bunk beds break. Check the support.
69. Headbands hide the hair that you haven’t washed in 10 days.
70. Your Meyers-Briggs results don’t define you.
71. Living in a hut is actually really fun.
72. The word “hospital” is pretty loosely used around the world.
73. Good pens are important. Keep track of them.
74. The squatty potty is totally usable. Embrace it.
75. Work out. Traveling does not mean that you will lose weight.
76. Wash laundry whenever you can.
77. Birthdays are wonderful abroad. Make a big deal out of them.
78. God has a perfect plan.
79. All-girl teams are great places for accountability – and giggle fits.
80. Peanut butter and jelly can be eaten for weeks in a row.
81. 4 months FLIES by.
82. 1GB of data will probably give you time to upload 5 minutes of a video. Make it a good video.
83. Speak boldly.
84. Feedback is a great thing. It’s intimidating at first, but push through.
85. Your hosts need encouragement. God has you there for a reason.
86. Life goes on in America even when you aren’t there. Who knew?
87. Serve always. Carry the water jug, wash the dish, kill the spider.
88. South Africa does not use the Africa power adaptor. Buy one there.
89. Lifeproof cases. No other option.
90. Keep up with a newsletter. It makes communicating to lots of people easy.
91. God knows what going home is going to look like, so stop worrying about it!
92. Get to know your squad leaders. They go home too soon.
93. Take advantage of debrief time. Rest, write, process, read.
94. The big camera is worth it.
95. Some monkeys are not nice.
96. Spiritual warfare is a very real thing.
97. The Bible is alive. Dig in and talk about it.
98. Listen to peoples’ stories.
99. Tell your story.
100. Life is so good.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
THANK YOU to all who jumped on board in the past few weeks! I am only about $500 short of our most recent deadline (technically April 1st). To join the adventure click on the “support” tab to the left.
