As I reach the end of my Race, I am flooded with images of this past year…all the faces of those I’ve encountered, unique memories with my team and squad, all of the various travel methods and days, the weird foods, strange customs, the bouts of laughter, moments of complete awareness of God’s presence, times of discomfort, ways I’ve grown and so many adventures. I have met hundreds of people in the course of these past 11 months and learned to connect with them, and with God, in new ways.
Trying to sum up these year in a single blog post, with and the many different stories of what I’ve seen and experienced, seems impossible and also a disservice. I definitely can’t wait to share more of my personal stories with you all individually. For now though, I thought it would be cool to look back at each month of my Race…through the eyes of my teammates during that time.
Here is a collection of links to various posts from my teammates during each month of the Race, along with lots of pics highlighting special memories from each place. I could have easily posted hundreds of photos, so limiting it to a “few” per month was tough! So, I apologize for how many photos are packed into this one.
Some of the posts below talk specifically about the ministry, some about various struggles and lessons learned that month and some discuss specific people and their stories. Each resonates with me in different ways since I shared many of these experiences with them. I’ve picked a few from each month with months 1-4 coming from the Sculptor’s Seven girls, months 5-7 from team Ascension and months 8-11 from the Green Light Squid Farmers. I hope this offers you some new insight and perspective into our time on the World Race.
Month 1 – Costa Rica
Casie gives a snapshot of our team, and the people that comprise it:
http://casiefrink.theworldrace.org/post/doing-life-together-meet-my-team
In this post, Rachel (Witt) talks about learning to love and pray for the men engaged in sex tourism/prostitution:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/dont-read-this-yet-im-still-editing
Another post from Rachel, in which she learns more about being content in all situations, including shoveling tons of dirt:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/do-all-things-without-grumbling-and-complaining
Stephanie talks about her struggles with control, and how this was all brought to her attention through some of the uncleanliness of our living space:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/this-life-is-a-beautiful-mess
Stephanie shares one of her encounters during a bar ministry night:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/church-pew-or-bar-stool1
Peachey’s take on one of the bar nights and the anger she felt:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/i-cannot-unsee-this
My first team, Sculptor’s Seven
Feeding a monkey for the first time
A really cool storm front we got to watch come in
The property where we stayed and worked at – this place is very dear to our hearts
Most of our month involved shoveling dirt and rocks
We moved literal tons of this dirt for days on end
Not only were the beaches beautiful, but I learned to surf for the very first time!
Month 2 – Nicaragua
Brooke gives a good summary of the different weeks in Nicaragua:
http://brookerichardson.theworldrace.org/post/freckko2
Peachey talks about her experience on the notorious island and what it showed her about entitlement:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/my-attitude-was-gnat-okay
Peachey discusses the men out at REAP and getting robbed:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/men-of-reap1
Short thoughts on the men of REAP, including a picture:
http://abithompson.theworldrace.org/post/we-will-reap
Rachel (Witt) talks about her experience with a woman named Barbara at the nursing home:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/the-house-of-ancient
Rachel’s take on the island:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/i-am-gnat-comfortable
Rachel explains the fear she felt immediately following the robbery she was a victim of:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/am-i-willing-to-die-for-god
This one is very special to me 🙂 Stephanie shares the experience she and I had with a man named Wilbur and how God used him to teach us more about generosity and stepping into action:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/love-is-the-evidence
Stephanie recaps a vulnerability night that our squad had during debrief and the freedom she experienced in “coming clean”:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/my-dark-secrets-exposed
Another island one (see a trend here?), this time from Below’s perspective:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/beauty-in-the-broken
Casie provides a really good summary of the month with pictures:
http://casiefrink.theworldrace.org/post/time-moves-fast
We spent the month in Granada, which housed some beautiful buildings
Me with Ruth, a very strong willed woman who grabbed my heart
Ah, the island! We worked HARD and crashed hard. Here we are during our lunch break just sleeping on top of cement bags. Ha!
The view from the island we were working on for a few days….this is where I got my bacterial infection from :/
Stephanie, Wilbur and I. Check out the backstory on him in one of the blog links above.
Time to go volcano boarding!
One of our work sites, where we met the men of REAP
One of the sites we were clearing out…..where some of the girls on my team were robbed
Month 3 – Honduras
Casie takes you through a day in the life of our month 3:
http://casiefrink.theworldrace.org/post/honduras-a-day-in-the-life
Peachey shares things within the month she was thankful for (in honor of Thanksgiving) despite a hard month:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/give-thanks1
Peachey shares how the kids at the orphanage lied about having a Zumba class to get us over there, and the relationships formed:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/fake-zumba
Peachey shares what she learned from watching the kids at our school:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/children
Rachel (Witt) trying to figure out the purpose behind some of our chaotic days teaching at Santa Clara:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/what-is-my-purpose-here
Rachel shares some of our experiences with the girls at the orphanage next door:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/the-orphanage-next-door
What the kids at Santa Clara taught Stephanie:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/miss
Stephanie being pushed out of her comfort zones:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/characterized-by-comfort
What discipling the children at school showed Below about God’s love:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/discipline-with-love
Another important lesson learned from Abi’s frustrations with some of the students:
http://abithompson.theworldrace.org/post/they-call-me-miss
Our team all dressed up in our uniforms for the first day of school
Hanging with the school kids for Thanksgiving
The mural that I helped create for the library at Santa Clara
This photo perfectly captures some of the chaos that went on in the school rooms
Our very adventure-filled hiking day
Got to walk through a cool cave
A thanksgiving meal with other volunteers
A very special boy, Alberto, who lived next door at the orphanage
Some of the girls at the orphanage putting their Christmas tree up
Orquidea and I. She is a very special woman that I got to work with who is trying to start up her own non-profit organization to assist impoverished women in her hometown
The mural our team left in the volunteer house
Month 4 – Philippines
Stephanie’s honest journey of stepping into more self discipline:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/starving-for-more
Stephanie shares the story of when a boy snuck onto our floor in the middle of the night, and what it taught her about fear:
http://stephaniebelow.theworldrace.org/post/the-man-in-the-bathroom
Rachel describing some of the street boys we got to hang out with as part of our ministry:
http://rachelwitt.theworldrace.org/post/the-lost-boys
Peachey saying goodbye to the Philippines and the people we met:
http://hannahpeachey.theworldrace.org/post/ill-miss-you
A brief story about a boy that captured Casie’s heart, Winston:
http://casiefrink.theworldrace.org/post/the-boy-that-broke-my-heart
The awesome view from our balcony in San Mateo
The property we stayed at, which also served as a local church and retreat camp for the street boys
Some of the street kids playing chess
Playing musical chairs during one of the retreats for the street boys
Hard to believe this little boy lives on the streets. Breaks my heart.
Got my first taste of the insanely huge Asian malls
My first movie while on the Race….and what an awesome one it was!
This was a 5 minute walk from where we stayed at
Our team traveled to Manila for Christmas, mostly so we could get away and also skype with our families back home. Hands down one of the busiest and smoggiest cities I’ve ever been to.
Our Christmas breakfast at the fancy hotel we stayed in for Christmas Eve
Our host family opening all the gifts we bought them for Christmas. Such great people!
One of the kids clubs we were involved in
This is the month where the lice infestation began….and haunted our squad for months. Bring on the saran wrap and mayo.
Month 4 debrief with the whole squad
Rang in the New Year with the squad in Manila
Month 5 – Vietnam
A cool summary of our month in Vietnam by Rachel (Workman):
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/i-got-engaged-in-vietnam
An awesome blog from Grace T. about how God asks us to be obedient in the little things, and what that sometimes looks like on the Race:
http://gracetreloar.theworldrace.org/post/its-the-little-things
Grace T’s hilarious breakdown of our unwelcome house guest:
http://gracetreloar.theworldrace.org/post/bat-crazy
A beautiful blog by LB on God’s desire for relationship over service:
http://laurenbond.theworldrace.org/post/serving-god-vs-serving-god
Grace Chase’s thoughts on the true meaning behind her name:
http://gracechase.theworldrace.org/post/the-meaning-of-grace
Ho Chi Minh city (aka Saigon), where we began and ended our month
The month of the mopeds! Scary times indeed.
Rolling out with our Asian crew
Chilling at the coffee shop, Syrup, where we helped students with their English every day
One of my favorite adventure days on the Race, hiking up 3 different mountains with these crazies
Looking out over Nha Trang, where we stayed this month
When in Asia, you try a fish pedicure. Can’t say I would ever do it again, but my feet were ridiculously smooth afterward.
Celebrating Grace Chase’s birthday with our sweet host, Nga, and her boyfriend
We took this guiness record-breaking cable car over to Vinpearl, a really fun amusement park on an island in Vietnam
A long awaited for day of fun during a fairly tiring ministry month
Month 6 – Cambodia
LB’s thoughts on missing home and how God helped her keep perspective through it all:
http://laurenbond.theworldrace.org/post/take-a-load-off
A really cool post and perspective on America and Grace Chase’s new insight after the Race:
http://gracechase.theworldrace.org/post/women-politics-and-thankfulness
Grace T put out 2 good blogs on her thoughts of the 6-month mark of the Race, which so many of us resonated with:
http://gracetreloar.theworldrace.org/post/six-months-to-live
http://gracetreloar.theworldrace.org/post/heres-to-god1
Nice summary of our month by Rachel (Workman):
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/cambodia
Rachel talks about an awesome guy we met and his incredible story:
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/thats-my-god-too
Rachel’s honest thoughts about not being where she wanted to be at the “halfway” mark:
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/halfway-finished-and-disappointed
This is how we got around all month, on a tuk tuk
This is where we taught school in the mornings, out of a local pastor’s house
This is Chance, the pastor who teaches English to children from his home
Some of our kids
Jin Jang, a very special boy that stole my heart
This is one of the evening classes that AT and I taught together
We had a very event-filled day for Rachel’s birthday, homemade birthday visors included
Angkor Wat – an amazingly beautiful sight filled with history
Grace T, AT and I taking it all in
AT and I pretending to be Lara Croft at the “Tomb Raider” temple, Ta Prohm
So, we did not know you were not allowed to climb the ruins. Seconds after this shot, we got chased down by security. Oops.
Month 7 – Malaysia
Rachel (Workman) gives you a look into the first few days of our ATL (Ask the Lord) month:
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/warriors-puzzle-pieces-and-bus-stops
An end of the month summary of some of our adventures in Kuantan by Rachel:
http://rachelworkman.theworldrace.org/post/adventures-in-malaysia
AT sharing how God has used her love of skateboarding on the Race:
http://adriennetarrence.theworldrace.org/post/skate-ministry
Grace Chase’s cool story of how God led her, and ultimately us, to Nasir, a man that would come to mean a lot to our team:
http://gracechase.theworldrace.org/post/picture-this.
As a follow up to this, she then shares how Nasir helped her connect with the Father’s love in a very tangible way:
http://gracechase.theworldrace.org/post/the-fathers-love
The nursing home ladies we spent time with each week
Some of the skater guys we befriended, thanks to AT
The skate tournament that AT put on with some help from a local skate shop. This was such a special moment for our team as we celebrated how God was using her passions to connect people.
One of the many awesome meals Nasir (sitting at the far right) unexpectedly treated us girls to during the month. What a special month and equally special man!
Another delicious meal, this time consisting of Indian food (one of my favorites now)
And another, this one served to us by tourism students at a local college
Last food pic, I promise. I just need you to understand what a wonderful month of feasting this was, and all when we were on one of our lowest food budgets too! God blessed us in so many cool ways like this all throughout our time in Kuantan.
The super friendly college class we got to be a part of
We took some of the students out to the movies one night. It was my first month on the Race where I had access to a movie theatre and I loved every minute of it 🙂
My team (Ascension) completely surprised me by throwing me an early bachelorette party at a resort for a night. I’ll never forget that!
This is this resort we stayed at for my surprise party
We got to tour this beautiful mosque in Kuantan
We did not have the proper attire to enter the mosque, so got to wear these Jedi-like robes, and had a little fun with it
Visited the Batu caves while in Kuala Lumpur (on our way out of Malaysia)
Got to go to the top of one of the Petronas Towers and look out over all of KL
The Petronas Towers were definitely a sight to behold
Month 8 – Thailand
What Anna learned from being sick:
http://annawilliams.theworldrace.org/post/being-sick
Some of Drew’s response to walking street in Pattaya:
http://drewdahlsten.theworldrace.org/post/love-sucks
Cool summary post, including video, from Joe:
http://joebarnes.theworldrace.org/post/month-8-thailand
Our month started off in Pattaya, on Walking Street. This was an extremely tough night for most of our squad as you could literally see and feel the darkness of that place, and the sex tourism and trafficking present.
My team spent out month in Mae Sot, which is right near the Thai/Burma border. This team perfectly displays the craziness that is my team. Ha!
The other team we were partnered with for the month gearing up for Songkran, an annual water festival in which water fights break out across the country for days on end. You literally can not walk outside without getting soaked. What a blast!
The land right beside Outpour Movement’s new property, where we were the first to break the ground, digging holes for fence posts
It was cool to pray over places strewn with temples and idols, believing God is going to use these places once dedicated to other gods for His purposes moving forward
No man’s land, as they call it. It is a strip of land lying between the Thai/Burma border where people live in extreme poverty, with no real citizenship anywhere and thus, no real assistance
We got to go into Burma one day to talk with the women and children in a brick-making village about the Bible, and play games with the kids
Songkran continued on in Burma with the kids
Famous Ray’s property, where the youth programs were held. The building to the right is Famous Rays restaurant, where we ate many a time. The profits from here go back into Outpour Movement and they also hire out locals and teach them skills.
Playing games with the youth before Bible study
Photo “booth” we set up for the volleyball tournament
This is how we got around town all month
Some of the kids we did sports ministry with
Outdoor markets are always interesting, but there was a special selection at the ones in Mae Sot, including baby turtles and eels
One of our favorite restaurants in Mae Sot, Borderline
Month 9 – Zimbabwe
What Anna learned through all of our various times of waiting in Zimbabwe:
http://annawilliams.theworldrace.org/post/theres-beauty-in-the-wait
A post from Drew about learning to let go:
http://drewdahlsten.theworldrace.org/post/freedom-mine-and-theirs
A cool post from Joe on different taxi drivers we met throughout the month, and a glimpse into their stories:
http://joebarnes.theworldrace.org/post/riding-in-cars-with-zimbabweans
Good summary post, including video, from Joe:
http://joebarnes.theworldrace.org/post/month-9-zimbabwe
The team with our host family for the month. Such sweet people that welcomed us into their home with open arms.
The orphanage that some of us volunteered at throughout the week
African kids LOVE braiding and playing in our hair. It’s a painful process getting all of the tangles out afterward though.
The young women we taught life skills and math to at the orphanage
One of the many different schools we spoke at during our time with Scripture Union. This was a primary school, but a large majority of them were high schools. We did everything from sharing sermons and testimonies to playing games and singing songs. Some were as small as 5 and some as large as 500! No day was the same this month.
The girls from our two teams that month, along with our hosts
Spent a day at Matopos
You can’t really tell from this angle, but this was a STEEP climb!
This is how we got to “work” every morning, all crammed into the back of a truck. This is far better than the taxi system though, especially with a group of 7.
Several of the Scripture Union guys we worked with every day
Got to love an impromptu violin lesson with strangers
The poor unsuspecting goat right before Zack killed it for our Braai (aka BBQ)
Adelaide (the woman we lived with) and her mother-in-law preparing the goat
Devout (left), Adelaide’s husband, cooking the goat
Month 10 – Zambia
Anna gives you a glimpse into what daily life was like for us in Zambia through pictures:
http://annawilliams.theworldrace.org/post/a-day-in-the-life-zambia2
Some cool moments captured by Anna in Zambia:
http://annawilliams.theworldrace.org/post/let-it-be-me
Drew talks about an unexpected and really cool opportunity God gave us one day walking home from school:
http://drewdahlsten.theworldrace.org/post/the-man-in-the-wheelchair
Amy learning the power of her words:
http://amyspicer.theworldrace.org/post/alright-god-i-see-you
Ironically enough, Drew also talks about choosing words of life over death, and how we can shift our own moods in the midst of uncomfortable circumstances:
http://drewdahlsten.theworldrace.org/post/your-words-create-your-world
The spray coming off of Victoria Falls
Pictures don’t even come close to representing the true beauty of these falls.
Acting silly during one of our team times
Rama, a very sweet local painter who lived near us. He invited us into his home regularly and made some custom paintings for the team.
The school/daycare we taught at every morning
One of the sweetest boys in my class, Samuel, and the school caterer who helped us out with teaching
One of the funniest kids ever, Ackson, moments before he peed all over Joe
This was one of the buses we took around. You literally had to wait as long as it took to completely fill the bus before moving on, which could sometimes be well over an hour. You can also see how resourceful the women are in Africa. They use their chitenges (fabric often used for skirts) to carry everything from food to children. We are still amazed by how much they can carry on their heads.
Part of the property that we lived on
Watching a sunset at a local park on Drew’s birthday
During one of our bus rides
These last pictures are really from Botswana (Chobe National Park), but we did this during our Zambia month, so I’ve included them here
The hippos were one of my favorites to watch
One of MANY elephants we saw at the park
Oddly enough, warthogs are also one of my favorites
I was shocked how close we got to these buffalo, even on a boat
Month 11 – Malawi
Month 11 is still underway, so blog posts are still being processed. As such, I’ll just leave you with a few pictures from the month.
I started the Race in a tent, so it is only fitting that I end it in one
I spend most of my free time on this dock. Beautiful!
Still can’t believe we got to live here for our final month
The sunrises are unbelievable here!
The sunsets are not too bad either
Our team (with Ashley, one of our squad leaders, in the middle) having a fun day out
Taking some of the local kids to school on our way to a project (Photo credit: David White)
One of the girls that goes to nursery school. I used this tool she has to grind moringa leaves into a powder, for the kid’s porridge (photo credit: David White)
Some of the property here at Butterfly Space (photo credit: David White)
One of the many different produce markets set up around the country
I can’t say I will miss the open-air compost toilets here
This is the front of the nursery school where I worked almost every day this month. We completely overhauled the back of the property, created steps, made the fence you see here, etc.
I helped carry those fence boards and paint them
The back of the nursery property that we worked on. We leveled the dirt, built steps, dug up trees, built a trench and built this wall. Lots of physical work, but it felt great to see it completed and watch the kids play in their new playground.
The HIV support group I got to work with each week. They were a wonderful group of women filled with joy and courage.
So, there you have it, the closest thing to a year-long summary I can muster. I know the entry itself is extremely long to go through with all the pictures, but I hoped it would give you a little taste of some of my experiences. All of these moments, relationships and memories were made possible by those of you who supported me this year, financially and otherwise.
I will never be able to thank you enough for allowing me the opportunity to take the biggest leap of faith God has called me to thus far. It has not been easy, but I don’t regret it for a second. I leave this Race with a deeper appreciation for so many things, not the least of which is God. He simply asks us to have faith, to trust Him enough to obey and from my experience, He always blesses obedience. That lesson alone will forever shape my future.
Thank you for taking this journey with me!
