Signing up for the World Race, I knew it would be an extreme decision. Like one I had never made before in my life. Reading blogs of current racers only made me more excited to get on the field. To see the adventures they had, how they experienced the Lord in new ways and what types of ministry they were able to partner with had me super ready to travel the world.
During my first month in Ecuador, I had to do reality checks quite often. Here I am on the first month of an 11 month trip around the world in the jungle of Ecuador. How absolutely crazy does that sound? You don’t have to tell me. I know. It was pretty much unfathomable. I’m not gonna lie. What I was doing didn’t really sink in for the longest time.
(Eating off of a budget)
Then over the months things began to fall into a groove. Travel to a new country (whatever that may look like), arrive at a new ministry site and get acquainted with a new culture. Then stay for a month, do some ministry, and begin to feel settled and then it is time to pack up and leave. Not really settling in any way, but always on the move. I guess that is why we live out of a pack for 11 months.
(Working hard at digging a trench. Nick was too busy to pose)
Now on Month 5 of the Race in Romania, it is a little easier to take a step back and see what the Race actually is. Sometimes we can get so caught up in a routine and then that is the only perspective we see. It was last week during ‘home church’ where there were 20 World Racers sitting in the living room of our home worshipping and listening to a sermon and while looking around at the people I now consider my family, it hit me:
“WE TRULY ARE INSANE!!”
We left jobs, family, school, churches and lives in order to travel for these 11 months. We came on this trip knowing it would be difficult. Knowing we would be challenged. Knowing we would experience things we had never experienced before. Maybe not knowing/understanding all that we were giving up, but also hoping for what we would gain.
(Family Force 6 on Thanksgiving)
So here we are, sitting on a dairy farm in Oradea, Romania. If you were to ask me a year ago what I would be doing in a year, I honestly probably couldn’t tell you. I was pretty sure I would be going on the race, but to be exact and know I would be in Eastern Europe serving the Lord would have been nowhere on my radar. It really sounded too insane. But yet, here I am, living the life the Lord has called me to.
(Oh just hanging out on the farm)
Yeah I am living my life, which seems pretty normal to me now, but in
reality it is pretty insane but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
