As each month came to a close I would make my team sit down and put together an alphabet of things that happened that month – things that reminded us of the country/culture, things that made us laugh, things that impacted us, people who loved us…as I sat down to type these up today I am so thankful. Reading each month’s alphabet took me back to the dirt roads of Uganda or the torrential flooding in Nicaragua. It brought a smile to my face and unfortunately, most of this probably won’t make much sense unless you spent the month with me…so here’s my tribute to my teams, Burning Joy/TLC, Prodigious, and En Fuego! I hope these bring a smile to your face, make you laugh out loud, and remember.
Love you all more than I can put into words.
CAMBODIA – Month 1
Assley
Bucket shower/benye
Coke
Dara
Eggplant
Frankie
Go
Hammock
Ice
Jesus
Ker plop
Lizard
Moto
Nevermind
Owen
Piap
Quack
Reitsmy
Sticks
Ticks/Tuk tuk/Tukai
Uhhh…
Vixen
Water
Xenophilia
Yeah, sure sure
Zits
THAILAND – Month 2
All squad month
Boost Up
Coffee shakes
Dokmai
Elephant
Flynn Rider
Gone Girl synopsis
High kick/hanger
It’s the Gospel!
Jintana
Kao soi
Lighthouse
Midnight soccer
Night market
Off brand everything
Pad thai
Quiet hours
Release
She’s worth more
Tattoo
Unintentional
Vulnerable
Waterfall
Xenophilia
You do you
Zion
VIETNAM – Month 3
Aunt Jan
Broken rice
Candy
Dat
English Club
Frozen
Go Vap
Hunger Games/Hello!!
Ice cream/iced coffee
Jordan
Karaoke
Lotteria
Mr. Mahn
Notre Dame
Ooop (Ohm)
Pumpkin Pie
Quail eggs
Rose (front desk lady)
Stark Tower
Thanksgiving
University
Van
War Remnants Museum
X-ray
Yo!
Zoo picnic (8 hours)
UGANDA – Month 4
Ameena
Betty
Chiapati
Donuts/deal breaker
Everything skit
Fried everything
Grease cookies
How was your night?/Hungry
Idiot/It’s Uganda
Justified/Jew
Kill me (Abel – Cain is trying to)
Laundry (Andrew, our delicates)
Mukama Yebazibwe/Muzungu
Negro (Asia!)
Outhouse (toxic fumes)
Power/Putcha hands up!
Quantum Physics (Musa)
Ronnie/Rayna
Sorry sorry/Simba
Trash mountain/alley/That’s good
Uncle John
Visas (sewer hole/lost shoe)
Well (ali coluzzi)
Xenophilia
Yoo hoo!
Zealous
RWANDA – Month 5
Ashlong
Bourbon Coffee
Captain/chips
Dancing car
Evangelism
Frederick
Genocide Memorial
Hotel Rwanda
Innocent
John Pierre
Kites
Lorrie/LOTR
Meat tea/water
Nala mutzi
Oh my God
Pool party/Preach!/personality
Quality soap operas
Resurrected (Asia’s baptism)
Single #prayerrequestforyou
Tea/TLC
Usher abs
Venancia
Where is your banana?
X-rated music videos
Yesashimway
Zero team changes
ETHIOPIA – Month 6
(Photo belongs to Martha Kennedy!)
Addis Ababa/Abite
Baba/Burn
Chocolate sandwich/camping
Donkey Dodge/Dr. Ralph
Earrings (gift from kitchen ladies)/Ebenezer
Flies (disgusting creatures)/Fasting/Flip cup
Gadisa
HOPEthiopia
I love you so so much (Sintu)
Jepsum (primer)
K-I-S-S-I-N-G/Kitchen ladies
Lentil sorting
Murder in the dark
Nice, good?/No scrubs
Opening up (Asia’s testimony)
Painting/popcorn addiction/Penis
Quiet time abundance
Rocks
Star gazing, tripping, tipping/Sintu
TOGA party
Underground well/under the blanket
Varnish/Valentine’s Day
Worship nights/Wenchi Crater Lake
Xenophilia
Yoga
Zebra (cause this is Africa)/Zit (Scott)
MONTENEGRO – Month 7
Adventure
Biejla mafia cafe
Croatia/Cookie mountain
Dr. Sandra ditched us
Eri/Euro
Films/freedom/ferry
Gigi/Grandma’s house
Hill
I say!
Jesus film/Janelle
Kamenari/Kotor
Lepatane Ferry/Lovchen
Mark
Neighbor friends
Oreo Milka
Popcorn/Polar plunge
Quarantine (Balto)
Rally/Roda
Strategic/Sharing/Salty/Sandrelas
Teachings
Upstairs bonding time
Velvet
Wine
Xxtra bacon/xoxo, TLC
Year of jubilee!
Zapper
ALBANIA – Month 8
Apples/Aaron
Bela/Byrek/biscuits for breakfast
Church of God/Croco crackers
Delivered Cinnabon
English Club
Farts
Gary and Sandy/Gardening
House visits
Ice cream/It’s a gift/Insanity (not Hop)
Jurgen
Kunas/Kitty
Laert
Market lady/Melina (byrek lady)
Natan e mirre
Old Town mochachino
Piercings/Prodigious
Quirks
Risks/Roma church
Stephen Center/Suflaque
TEG/The Longest Ride/Tabea
University students
Volleyball…NOT
Walking to the shower
Xenophilia
Yes month
Zara
HONDURAS – Month 9
Aben
Baleadas
Caliente/Chikungunya/Carolina
Dog collision
El Porvenir
Faith/Frostys
Gracie’s gringos/Gilberto
Haille/hitch hiking
Iglesia de Nazareno
Judging science fair
Katie Allen
La Ceiba
Melissa and Sergio/Mango
Never been kissed
Osman
Papi Lee/Puente
Queso en mi sandwich
Rides at the carnival/River/Rooftop worship
Settlers of Catan/Sunburn/Scorpion
Tegucigalpa/Treats from America
Urraco dirt road/Ulraco
VW bus at the beach
Wendys/What are the odds?
Xenophilia
Yellow bus/”Yell land cruiser”
Zed
NICARAGUA – Month 10
Ariel
Buenas/Baseball and bowling
Chickengonorrhea
DRUGS! (Peri deals lol)
Egg
Frozen
Gallo Pinto
Help me! Help me!/Hola!/Hilltop ministry
Insanity – 7 sharp!
Jurassic World
Kerri!!
La Joya/Love, Rosie
Masaya/Madden/#MarryourMen/Maggots
Nerts/NICKaragua
Odds (beard, blue hair, red hair, etc)
Peri/”Put your hands up!”/Pinata/Popcorn
Quidditch (HP marathon)
Rosita/Rock hard abs!
Surprise party/SSSkkk….OL!
Tang/truck rides
Umbrella (first feeding)
Volcano boarding
Welcome party!
Xenophilia
Yo necesito un taquito!
Zone (flooding WILL happen)
COSTA RICA – Month 11
Angels- mamachino lady and friends – van ride
Beer at 7:05 am/Bodega/Bible slam
Couch game/cookie dough
Delay in San Jose – Anita and padres
Eh? (rhetorical)
Floridians
Getting eaten alive (noseeums)
Harry Potter
Independence Day!
JUSTIFIED
Katy Perry’s ROAR
Leaf cutter ants – ant highway/Leon
Mauricio – Gangnam style/Mud soccer
Nick and Lynda’s engagement/Normal scale
Orlando
Pool laughter after hours
Quest in the jungle rainforest
Ramen/Rio
Sadie/screwing/suspension bridge
Turtle beetle
Uncomfortable vs comfortable
Vanessa’s twin – Emmie
Weenus/Worship with teens
Xenophilia
Yelling informercial/yelling in general
Zach’s prayer with group
