I like lists. This is not a shock to anyone who knows me/has read my blogs from Kenya. And so, in honor of our trip home tonight (yikes), I’ve started publicizing some lists. There might be more in the works.
By the numbers
11: Countries on the original route
14: Countries I’ve actually been to this year
8: Countries from the original route we had ministry in
12: Teammates I’ve had (6 on Petra, 5 on Sofia, added one on Kikundi)
7: Maximum number of months spent with a teammate (congrats Julia, Joe, and Dez)
36: Places I slept (not counting overnight flights/buses/trains)
11: Months that were expected to be warm
7: Months that were actually warm
12: Days I’ve actually used my tent
2: Months with bucket showers
0: Months without mattresses
6: Months I expected to use a mosquito net
2: Months I actually used a mosquito net
3: Times I have vomited this year
3: Times I got tested for malaria in March
2: Times the malaria tests were positive
1: Times the positive malaria tests were also accompanied by typhoid and an upper respiratory infection
Favorite race moments
Whitewater rafting the Nile
New Year’s Eve in Nairobi
Hiking through the Negev Desert
Thanksgiving in Turkey
Christmas in Israel
My birthday in Jerusalem
Hanukkah in Jerusalem
USA-Algeria in Hua Hin in Mike and Denise’s room
USA-England in Phnom Penh in Mike and Denise’s room
Watching legs grow in Coleraine
Healing Brian’s vision
Healing an H Squad girl’s broken ankle in Viile Tecii
Trading songs with Compassion International kids in Soroti
Witnessing God’s amazing provision in Croatia and eastern Turkey
Pool day with the Phuket ladies
Playing football against the J Squad girls in Nairobi (and winning)
Dancing with the VBS kids in Coleraine (and listening to their adorable accents)
Helping Patrick plant a church in Eldoret
Coming back to Eldoret to see that same church
Eating my weight in dessert at Java House in Nairobi
Dancing at a Turkish engagement party in Diyarbakir
Surfing in Coleraine
Meeting and praying for a Khmer Rouge survivor in Phnom Penh
Practicing prophecy in Nairobi at debrief
Teaching a communication seminar in Ho Chi Minh City
Playing Connect Four with bar girls in Phuket
Playing Party Quirks in Bulgaria the night before team changes
Swimming in Viile Tecii
Showering in a river in Eldoret
Riding motorbikes everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City
Ultimate frisbee on the beach in Hua Hin
Squad banquet and dance party on our last night
Favorite teammate moments (that I can remember)
Tim: hearing your story and your heart walking by the railroad tracks in Pozega.
Joel: the moments after our post-“Human Trafficking” debrief in Romania.
Jennifer: hitchhiking in a gypsy cart in Viile Tecii to get internet only to discover that it was closed.
Danielle: meeting Gopher Girl in Pula, and healing Renee’s ankle in Viile Tecii.
Martha: crying with you when we saw Papi out the window of the bus when we left Viile Tecii.
Lauren: going on your mini quest in Viile Tecii to find that boy. And when you ripped your pants in Coleraine.
Grant: our date on my birthday in Jerusalem.
Joe: the makeshift boda boda ride to buy groceries in Soroti, and playing with Jeremy in Eldoret.
April: shopping for Grant’s birthday present in Jerusalem, and decorating for Valentine’s Day in Soroti.
Dez: singing with the Compassion kids in Soroti.
Julia: every time you’ve prayed for me. Also, everything about Eldoret, specifically with Jeremy.
Andrea: sharing my heart with you in our room in Vietnam, and you accepting it with the love of a big sister.
That’s all I can come up with for now. We’re getting ready to check out of our hotel in Hua Hin. We head to Bangkok at 5:30, and then my flight takes off at 1:55 am. See you on your side of the ocean.
