In seven hours, we will be heading to the Bucharest Airport for our final travel day on the World Race. It will probably be the last time I sleep on my air mattress for a while. It will hopefully be the last time my sleep will be less than restful. And sadly, it will definitely be the last time I sleep in the same place as my fellow Y-Squadders before we end the World Race.
In many ways, reaching the end of these past eleven months is bitter sweet. Yes, I am looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed, in my own room, with nothing to wake me up but the yummy smell of my Dad’s cooking. I am looking forward to independence, to deciding when and where to go (or not go) without having to consider six other opinions. I am looking forward to being able to take walks (or jogs) in the New Mexican mountain air and not have to worry about being back by a certain time. I am looking forward to choosing my own meals and going back to being a vegetarian again. And I am most definitely looking forward to sleep. A LOT of it.
But I know that it will take some time to adjust to not looking over my shoulder every moment of the day to check that six other people are with me. It will take some time to not have to ask for permission to go off to be by myself. It will be weird to not hear three other girls breathing (and sleep talking) on the mattresses next to mine. I’m sure I will miss the laughter, the morning worship sessions, the late night discussions, and the overall sense of camaraderie that this grand adventure has nurtured in us. I’m sure I will miss the opportunity to see new places, experience new cultures, and learn new languages along the way, even though I admit my wanderlust streak is still present in my DNA.
To reflect on eleven months is going to be a journey in and of itself, but for all of it, the good AND the bad, I am thankful. Thank You, Lord, for your faithfulness. Thank You for not leaving me the same. Thank You for Your incredible love. And Thank You for getting me to the end of this race and ready for the next part of my journey. I know that this is not really "The End," but merely a change in scenery from one part of this journey to the next. I am still not fully sure what is ahead, but I know and believe it will be good, because God's plans are ALWAYS good.
I am sure I will be posting a few more blogs here and there as I reflect on the World Race journey, so I hope and pray you will continue to come back and read my ramblings! Thank you for being a faithful reader, for your love, prayers, and support! You are each a blessing in my life. Thank you.
In many ways, reaching the end of these past eleven months is bitter sweet. Yes, I am looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed, in my own room, with nothing to wake me up but the yummy smell of my Dad’s cooking. I am looking forward to independence, to deciding when and where to go (or not go) without having to consider six other opinions. I am looking forward to being able to take walks (or jogs) in the New Mexican mountain air and not have to worry about being back by a certain time. I am looking forward to choosing my own meals and going back to being a vegetarian again. And I am most definitely looking forward to sleep. A LOT of it.
But I know that it will take some time to adjust to not looking over my shoulder every moment of the day to check that six other people are with me. It will take some time to not have to ask for permission to go off to be by myself. It will be weird to not hear three other girls breathing (and sleep talking) on the mattresses next to mine. I’m sure I will miss the laughter, the morning worship sessions, the late night discussions, and the overall sense of camaraderie that this grand adventure has nurtured in us. I’m sure I will miss the opportunity to see new places, experience new cultures, and learn new languages along the way, even though I admit my wanderlust streak is still present in my DNA.
To reflect on eleven months is going to be a journey in and of itself, but for all of it, the good AND the bad, I am thankful. Thank You, Lord, for your faithfulness. Thank You for not leaving me the same. Thank You for Your incredible love. And Thank You for getting me to the end of this race and ready for the next part of my journey. I know that this is not really "The End," but merely a change in scenery from one part of this journey to the next. I am still not fully sure what is ahead, but I know and believe it will be good, because God's plans are ALWAYS good.
I am sure I will be posting a few more blogs here and there as I reflect on the World Race journey, so I hope and pray you will continue to come back and read my ramblings! Thank you for being a faithful reader, for your love, prayers, and support! You are each a blessing in my life. Thank you.
To close, I hope you will enjoy these pictures from our final debrief in Bucharest, Romania.
Team BLAZE: My first team on the World Race (May 2011 – October 2011): Drew Phelps, Sarah Ball, Andrea Garcia, Sabrina Utz, yours truly, Kayla Dawnn House, and Scott Cangemi
Team CLP (Child-Like Prophets): November 2011 – June 2012: Joshua Robinson, Jaime Rhodes, yours truly, Megan Czerwinski, Tom Hoffman, Sabrina Utz, and Stephen Sloan
Y-Squad: Thank you for the memories! 🙂
