We wear the same clothes every day for a year.
They get very worn – stained, smelly (PU! armpits), holes, discolored –
— what about the owner of the clothes? —
Dirt is under our nails (literally & figuratively).
We have seen & experienced things that we cannot put to words.
Our feet have walked miles around the world.
(see my other blog post on FEET. http://emilydashner.theworldrace.org/post/feet )
Our hands are comforters, providers/preparers of food, dishwashers, washing machines, window washers, floor scrubbers, …
Our arms are strong from loving children…
…they give love, comfort, stop fights at times, give hugs.
Sight.
Our eyes have seen —
-beauty (in children, in nature, in faces, in places)
-drastic differences from riches to poverty
We have experienced healing in others, in ourselves.
Our backs feel aches & pains.
– it carries children
– it carries all of our possessions (in our big packs).
We have kicked Satan’s a** through:
– prayer
– interceding for the world, the Nations, our squad, our team, ourselves,
– balcony prayers
– going to God 1st
– choosing God
– choosing each other
– rooting for each other
Voice.
We have…
– prayed
– spoke in front of churches
– shared our hearts
– had people translate
– shared our stories
– spoken truth over our teammates and friends
– taught English
– had made conversation with taxi, uber, grab drivers
Our hair have grown..
(or has changed because of freedom in Jesus! why hello, buzz-buzz.)
Our skin have darkened.
(say hi, to 7+ hours of corn shucking, LOL)
Hear.
Our ears have heard…
– laughter
– honks of traffic
– cries
– bumps in the road
– praises
– hellos & good-byes
– cat calls
– prayers
– calls to prayer
– languages we do not understand
Smell.
We have smelled…
– delicious foods
– our next door neighbor
– fish markets
– coffee
Touch.
– giving comfort
– scratching backs, back rubs
– holding hands with a child
– holding hands with your best friend & teammate
– hugs
Taste.
We’ve tasted…
– spice
– delicious foods of the world
– the best cup of coffee made by Tanja from Serbia
– the best macchiatos in the world (shoutout to Kosovo)
– even bugs
– street food
– food prepared by hosts, teammates, friends
We have experienced spiritual warfare.
We have experienced darkness.
We always see that light always overcomes darkness.
Our faces show experience – a story.
– Story of old – story of new –
Story of transformation.
What’s your story?
“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be will be established before you.”
-Psalm 102:25-28-
During Month 7 of the 11 months on the World Race in Namibia, Africa…
worn clothes…was the realization when looking at one of my favorite t-shirts being truly worn.
All of this just scratches the surface of what the Lord has shown me through this analogy of sorts and it overwhelms me in the best kind of way.
Just take a look at my trusty Birkenstocks that I wore practically every day for 11 months around the world.
If only my Birks could talk.
Thank you, thank YOU, THANK YOU all for being apart of my journey. I wouldn’t have made it without you.
Much Love from Good Ol’ Wisconsin,
Emily
P.S. If you would like to get together and talk about the World Race, life, Jesus, and anything in-between, please connect with me! –>> [email protected]
