1. Why did you decide to go on the World Race originally? And why are you saying yes to it now?
We were asked these two questions at our last debrief in Cambodia, so these are my answers!
Why did you say yes to the World Race originally? I said yes to serving God for a year of my life, no matter what that looks like, and allowing Him to change me to be more like Him along the way.
Why are you saying yes to the Race now? I am saying yes to the Race now because I feel like my new team is safe and Jesus wants me to know that. He wants us to pursue each other as friends and push one another closer to Him each day.
~If you want to hear more detailed answers to these questions, join me for coffee, smoothies, or a meal with me after the Race so we can talk in person!
2. In what cultural context did you find it easiest, and hardest, to talk about Jesus, and why?
This is a very difficult question for me because each country and culture came with its own difficulties of sharing the Gospel and how to go about that, as well as the many open doors we discovered along the way.
I’m going to say that Cote d’Ivoire was both the easiest and most difficult to share the Gospel in. It was difficult to share the Gospel here because everyone spoke French and we had little to no French training before getting to this country. However, we were taught a few French evangelistic phrases “Jesu ‘tem” (Jesus loves you) and “Ku du tu benesis” (God bless you) and sent out with the church youth group who spoke fluent French and less-than fluent English. So we couldn’t always understand what was going on, and a lot of the conversations they had were not translated to us, but it was surprising how soo many people were eager to hear the Gospel and accepted Christ into their lives once they heard the Good News. We were often asked to pray for them afterwards in English, whether for them to receive Christ into their lives or for some specific prayer request, so we prayed for them in English, and most of the time our prayers were translated back to the person in French, but sometimes they weren’t.
Actually, the first person I ever prayed for to receive Christ I prayed for in English, and it was not translated back into French, even though he only spoke French. I know the teens I was with asked the young man if he wanted to follow Jesus and he said yes, so they told him I would pray for him to receive Christ, but I have to trust that God heard my words and knows where his heart lies because he never heard the prayer in a language he could understand, but he did say, “Amen,” at the end, because that word seems to be the same in every language.
3. What American foods do you miss the most?
In no particular order, Gluten Free Annie’s Mac n Cheese, Sushi, and Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets. That is not the complete list, but these are the foods I miss the most!
Bonus Questions:
4. What is the weirdest thing you have eaten on the World Race?
I ate goat meat in Cote d’Ivoire unintentionally. I thought it was beef and someone told me afterwards that it was actually goat. Yikes! I haven’t tried to eat anything weird like bugs or tarantulas in Cambodia like some of my other squadmates. But I have tried many unusual dishes that our hosts have cooked for us in most countries.
5. What do you miss most about NJ/the U.S.?
I miss being able to see (and hug!) my friends and family in person, I miss not having people gawk at us or take pictures of us most countries we go to, I miss campus ministry at Stockton a lot, consistently good Wifi, consistently having hot showers, and having enough clothes to not have to worry about when it’s colder in a country (cough cough…Myanmar) because most of what I have packed is summer clothes.
6. What don’t you miss about America?
I don’t miss watching TV much. It’s weird when we see a TV on at a ministry host’s house. We usually end up staring at it for a little too long because we’re not used to it, then move on to what we should be doing.
7. Which country has been your favorite so far?
Nepal, hands down.
8. Which country were you most looking forward to before you started the Race?
Thailand! I’m excited to begin Month 7 here!
9. What are the most adventurous things you’ve done on the Race so far?
Street evangelism in Cote d’Ivoire because our host was very protective of us and we still don’t know exactly how dangerous it was in that area; walking across 7 tree-top bridges in Ghana (I’m still afraid of heights, but it’s a small step at conquering that fear); climbing to the top of a Himalayan mountain in Melanche, Nepal (the view was breath-taking!); riding on a tuk-tuk with 17 people in India (that’s still my old team’s record to this day!); going to the main temple and tree temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia; and going to see a small waterfall in Myanmar!
10. If you could spend 24 hours at home in America without the jet lag or travel sickness what would you do?
In no particular order: I would hug all of my friends and family, I would sleep, I would take a long, hot shower, I would upload all of my videos in like 5 secs flat instead of 2.5 hours for a one-min. clip, I would eat all of the foods I have missed, I would take a long walk through my favorite trails in the woods, I would drive to my old college and take a walk around the lake, I would go visit the ocean and just stare at it for at least an hour while sitting on a beach blanket, I would visit friends and ask them to fill me in on EVERYTHING I missed over the past half year, I would go for a drive to a convenience store at an odd hour at night just because I could, and I would just drive somewhere because I actually have a car to drive.
11. If you could give future World Racers one piece of advice, what would it be?
I have been putting together a list of tips I have for future World Racers throughout my experience that I might include in a blog at the end of the 11 months, but for now I will leave you with this.
Treasure the moments you have at home before you leave on the Race and make every moment count. Treasure the moments you have on the Race, comfortable and uncomfortable, joyful and miserable, and laugh in the moments where life is at its most ridiculous. Love your teammates well and allow them to love you well. Look forward to the future, but also live in the now and remember to count your blessings for where you are. Always reflect on how much you’ve grown and how far others around you have come; encourage each other in this growth. Always, always thank God for everything and every moment no matter where you are or what season you’re in. Every good thing comes from God above, and He is worthy of our praise!
I am doing something new for Month 7. This month, I will be fasting from social media besides posting blogs, videos, and newsletters. I will be available by email if there is an emergency, and if you don’t have my email address, you can click the “contact me” button on this page and it will forward your message to my main email.
I am doing this by choice because I have found myself spending too much time on social media talking to people back home or scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. I want to be more intentional with my time this month by spending those moments off social media by being present with those around me and spending more of my time with God. I am excited for this challenge and I look forward to it! The only exception I am going to make is for contacting my immediate family back home about things that need to be taken care of and wishing my dad a Happy Birthday. Thank you for being understanding!
