You Know You’re A World Racer When…
– Changing your t-shirt after three
days of no showers means you’re “clean”
– The phrase, “Don’t let the
bed bugs bite” takes on a whole new meaning
– It’s acceptable to come up with
new, never attempted culinary creations, such as tuna, beans and pho sauce
mixed together. Maybe even cornflakes and beans?
– You’ll walk for 45 minutes just
to find internet to use for 30 minutes.
– Peanut butter is a part of your
daily diet and is put on almost EVERYTHING.
– You go through withdrawals and start hyperventilating
when you don’t have peanut butter
– McDonald’s makes you feel at home
– You’ve forgotten that seatbelts
exist and don’t realize it until you hop into a van that has them
– You haggle for everything…
– Toilet paper and baby wipes are a
necessary item found in your backpack or purse
– Cramming 8 people onto a tuk tuk
is normal
– the numerous amounts of trips up
the stairs counts as your daily exercise
– Finding stuff in the free pile at
debrief is like hitting the jackpot
– You take things out of the free
pile to send home for presents to your family
– You’re not surprised when you
find holes in your clothes. A needle and
thread are always a quick fix.
– You crave things you never even
ate at home, such as red meat and soda.
– You don’t get rid of shirts with
armpit stains because you don’t have the option
– There is no such thing as a
normal “flow”
– The amount of PB&Js you’ve
eaten is immeasurable.
– Cholula is carried in your purse
(Okay, maybe that’s just me…)
– You are so desperate for internet
that you plan a covert operation to walk into an Apple store so one person can
use the internet on an iPad display, while the other two racers distract the
workers by asking irrelevant and ridiculous questions. Just like ninjas…
– You ask for a kitchen tour at KFC
for entertainment purposes
– You find every reason to barter
for ice cream at McDonald’s even after they’ve already said no
– You look for the cheapest item on
the menu in order to be able to afford food within the daily budget
– Warm water from a normal shower
head is like winning a million dollars
– It’s like a live game of Frogger
every time you have to cross the road
– Your tent and clothes are still
wet when it’s time for bed from floating four inches deep in water from African
terrential dounpour and you don’t care.
– “I need to process,” “high
preference,” “high honor,” “Let’s have team time,” “good word,” “Can you lice
check me?” “Will you teach me to play guitar?” “AMURRRICA.” Are common terms used on the Race.
– You pray for long layovers at
airports (It’s like visiting a resort!)
– You have to consciously think of
how many days it’s been since you showered
– You see left over cookies on a
table at a restaurant and you walk over, grab them and eat them with no shame.
– You have to conastantly sleep
under mosquito nets
– You ask someone to check you for
lice on a daily basis.
– There’s no such thing as clean
feet
– “Off day” is a loose term
– You get excited when the coaches
come for debrief because you know you’re going to get something from America
– You get every male on your squad
confused with Tarzan because they are so scruffy
– The food you are planning to eat
when you get home is a daily topic of conversation
– You see the American flag and you
cry. (Cough, Caitlyn, cough)
– Trying to find stick deoderant is
like going on a treasure hunt with no luck
– Crystal light becomes a necessary
additive to mask the taste of bad water
– Your name is mistaken for many others
(Ellen, E-din, Helen, Ann)
– You fall asleep to The Office to
block out noise
– Talking about bodily functions is
normal
– You hang out at an airport on
your day off for free wifi
– The power going out doesn’t even faze
you
– Dipping and swirling your clothes
around in a bucket of water a couple of times is “doing your laundry”
– You take sugar packets to make
sure you have something to spice up your food later on
– 15 hour bus rides no longer
surprise you (50 hour ones to Kenya do though! AGH!)
– You freak out when you see cheese
or bacon
– You use carabineers as a form of
brass knuckles to protect yourself while lying in a bed of a sketchy African
hotel
– You pray for milk at every
tea/coffee time
– You’ve received so many stares
that you begin to think you might be a caged zoo animal
– They tell you “no” at restaurants
when you try to ask if you can change something with the item you ordered. (i.e. “Can I have a salad instead of french
fries?”)
– 2 minute Skype conversations with
people back home mean the world to you
– You use Tiger Balm to try to
escape the smell of burning trash in Asian countries
– You don’t get worried when your
stomach is upset
– Tommy Lepke’s beard is long enough to braid
and bead
– Every sense you have has been challenged
(Sight, touch, smell, taste)
– Days can feel like months and
months can feel like days. Time is a
crazy thing on the Race…
Okay, let’s be serious for a second…
You Know You’re A World Racer When…
–
You overcome challenges you have never been able to face before
–
The way you choose to follow Christ changes drastically
–
You have brothers and sisters in Christ that love you enough to call you
into greatness
–
Your perception of what a Godly man and woman looks like is completely
morphed
–
You feel like you can never love people enough
–
Your heart begins to break in ways you’ve never imagined before
–
Your eyes are opened to the real pain of the world
–
You question daily what more you can give up to others and to the Lord
–
Your personal definition of what it means to sacrifice becomes challenged and
you begin to question if it doesn’t cost you anything to let go of it, is it
really a sacrifice at all?
–
You gain a stronger appreciation for the life you’ve been given.
–
You wish you could take every kid you meet home with you
–
Being an American takes on a whole new meaning. Learning to see it as a blessing instead of
feeling guilty of the opportunity you have is definitely a challenge at times.
–
You realize that the power of prayer is more meaningful than anything we
can do in our own strength
–
You learn that you have NO other choice, but to learn to rely on His
strength alone
–
You learn that instead of clinging to them tightly, to release fears,
anxieties, promises God has given, etc. to Him Every. Single. Day.
–
Your faith becomes stronger than it’s ever been before! You realize that most of the time, faith is
all we have!
–
You realize how much you love and cherish the people back home. (I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FAM & FRIENDS!!!)
–
You choose to do things you would have never done before because you know
you will learn something from it. (PREACHING! Ahh!)
–
Ministry becomes a mindset and a lifestyle, not just “When I’m at the
orphanage” or “When we are preaching at the church”. It’s in everything we do and with every
person we meet.
–
You desire to get to know people at a deeper level – you want to know their
story, not just about their day.
–
You grow to be bold in ways you never thought possible
–
You face extremes of never wanting to leave the race to missing home like
crazy. It’s confusing!
–
You have 55 more people to call family and share life with
–
You start to realize that the Race isn’t just about the present, but God is
using it to prepare you for the future**
–
The list of what God has taught you is never ending
–
There is no question that you will never be the same…
– This list could go on forever and ever!
Blog about Africa coming soon!!!! 🙂
**Thanks again to all of my supporters!**
