After traveling for 334 days and seeing soo many things that pictures will never be able to show, I went through all the pictures I took and those of my teammates and have chosen my top 5 from each month (and a couple from other country events). A picture is worth a thousand words? Well here is a video worth 58,000 words for ya!
But if I had to choose one picture from each month,
they would be as follows:
Ecuador: These ‘Jungle Boys’ mean the world to me. Here I am, Month 1 of The World Race living the ‘World Race’ experience—whatever that truly means. I immediately fell in love with these boys and enjoyed every moment I had with them. Whether it was jumping off bridges into rivers, dancing around in monsoons or playing monkey in the middle in the highway at night these boys made my time in Ecuador worth it. Ecuador for many months was my favorite country on the race – only to later be beat out by another group of boys.
Peru: Peru was a tough month for me. On the Race, it was my 4th time going to Peru. I was already in love with the country, culture and people but was a little disappointed by my time in Trujillo. During travel days to Bolivia we had a bus layover in Lima for, well, about an entire day. And because of this I got to spend the day with mi hermanito (my brother) Martin. Martin is my adopted brother and best friend and it was a blessing to see him while in Peru. It was good to just have someone (almost like being at home) to talk to and be encouraged by.
Bolivia: Going into Bolivia, we thought we were going to be working with orphanages. Well we were, just more of the financial or developmental side, which in simple terms meant- no children. During our manual labor time in the mountains all of a sudden, hundreds of kids just showed up at the construction site. Well, what do we do? Take a break and entertain them of course. Out came the jump rope and the gringos (white people) acted like little kids for awhile. This was definitely one of the most memorable times in Bolivia.
Albania: This has to be one of the most epic jumping pictures of all time. (No bias since I’m in the picture). For me, Albania was a time to enjoy fall and apples. It was a time to get acquainted with my new team that I would be traveling the world with for the next 8 months. It was a time to feel at home with nightly home cooked meals and be on a University campus daily. It was a time to begin a coffee addiction that would last forever (well at least through the next 8 months).
Romania: Family Force 6 was in our 2nd month together living up to the reputation of being awkward. We always needed more opportunities to be awkward. Once Thanksgiving approached, it was the perfect time for an awkward family photo—and so that is exactly what we did (it didn’t even take too much effort). Thanksgiving was a time for community (with 20 world racers together), great food (thanks to our amazing cooks), and skyping home both football and family.
South Africa: This girl, Jemma, stole my heart and I still think about her ALL the time. On our first day at soccer camp at the townships, she ran to me and pretty much never left my side. I was always intrigued as to why she was one of the only white kids at soccer, but soon it didn’t matter. I looked forward to soccer every day—not to play soccer but to see her. We would sit and talk, play dress up, or go exploring. Our last Sunday there, we took her to church with us, she sat on my lap the entire time- I don’t really know what the sermon was about – I spent the entire time praying for her knowing it would be my last time to see her. When we dropped her off at her house after church, I couldn’t hold in the tears, she didn’t understand why I was crying and no explaining would help her to understand, so I gave her the biggest hug of all time and told her, “You are beautiful.”
Mozambique: Sunsets here were absolutely beautiful: the epitome of African sunsets. Every night we would fight for the opportunity to be able to sit on the water tower and watch the sun set over the horizon. Though most of these times, I spent playing volleyball until it was too dark to see the ball. The boys of Kedesh are the ones that stole my heart and took over the number 1 spot on this trip. I cried so hard leaving this place (which was weird for a boy’s home with limited emotion) but there would be so much I was going to miss about this place. Now whenever anyone asks me what was my favorite place or where do I want to go back to? My first response is always: Mozmabique.
Swaziland: This place took me awhile to fall in love with. I was still suffering heartbreak from Mozambique when it was time to invest my time and energy in another children’s home in Swaziland. Soon enough my heart began to change and of course—I had fallen in love with a kid (or two) from El Shaddai. Bongiwe was precious. We would work on different school work in the afternoons during tutoring. She would be by guide around when it was time to get firewood. All my free time was definitely spent with her. Again when it was time to leave. I cried. But so did she which ultimately made me cry even more.
Thailand: This was my all girl’s month which was the best! That pretty much sums it up right? These women are amazing and it was a blessing to live life and share ministry with them for a month. Whether it was fun times or tough times, these girls were there for me. Random dance parties at 11 pm, tattoos, nose piercings, shopping, fish spa therapy, dog piles – you name it, we probably did it. The time in Thailand went by way too fast for my liking. Now we have RR4L (Relentless Rescue for Life) reunions at every chance we can get.
Cambodia: After our time of living the month in the middle of rice paddies (which does have a special place in my heart), there was a surprise beach vacation. A time to relax and rejuvenate before moving onto month 11. The beach time was great. I went snorkeling for the first time (kind of scary though) and ate lunch on a beautiful island in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, had a ‘Lost’ adventure and then swam in open ocean. It was a great time to relax and enjoy my family (while I still have them around).
Malaysia: I had been looking forward to ministry in a city for the entire Race. When do I get it? The last month. Though Kuala Lumpur is probably the best city to be in. On one free day we visited the best attraction in Asia—Sunway Lagoon where we enjoyed a zoo, a theme park and a water park surrounded by city and jungle. On another free day we were able to visit the Petronas towers which are some of the tallest in the world. I love cities and skyscrapers and so this was perfect for me. There were plenty of malls to go to and things to see. (The towers were my favorite part though).
