It is 11.11.11.
I’m in my 11th month on the World Race in my 11th country of ministry.
And at two points today, it will be 11:11.
SO, to commemorate such an auspicious occasion, my teammate Hannah and I present 11 lists of 11 fun tidbits about our World Race.
THINGS I WILL TAKE FROM THE WORLD RACE
{& things i won’t}
I will… I will not…
1. use any type of public toilet with not qualms —> 1. compete with the family dog for a spot on the lawn where I can relieve myself
2. extend the life of my toiletries —> 2. go 12 days without washing my hair to do so
3. use less water —> 3. measure my showers in buckets or rain drops
4. try new foods willingly —> 4. ear ants, snake, internal organs, or rice
5. be honest and vulnerable with people —> 5. make small talk about the frequency, duration, or composition of my waste
6. go camping —> 6. have to fear wild pigs raiding my tent for food
7. value personal space —> 7. miss cramming the equivalent of the student body of an elementary school or entire population of a small country into one vehicle
8. pause awkwardly in conversation —> 8. however, need (or have) and interpreter
9. live simply —> 9. pack up my “house” in 10 minutes flat
10. miss the prices in Asia —> 10. having to divide everything by the conversion rate of the day (and country)
11. reuse my towels —> 11. reuse my underwear
MOST COMMONLY FOUND ON A WORLD RACER
AT ANY GIVEN TIME
1. toilet paper
2. hand cleaner
3. a headphone splitter
4. a camera
5. emergency food seasoning
6. a rain jacket
7. ear plugs/ eye mask
8. airplane socks
9. multiple currencies
10. a headlamp
11. baby wipes
WORLD RACE’isms
1. “Don’t speak that over me!”
2. “I rebuke that!” or “I receive that” 3. “I like all those words”
4. “hey, let me see your personal snacks”
5. “This is not real life” 6. “I blacked out”
7.”Wait, what’d you hear”
8. “Today was a fairytale” 9. “Be intentional”
10. Measuring time in countries, not months (I haven’t done that since Malaysia!)
11. Let’s be the people that do the stuff!”
Inevitably, someone on your squad will…
1. get a tattoo
2. get lost
3. ride a moped
4. get dreads
5. use the airline barf bag
6. learn the guitar
7. fall in love
8. pee their pants in public
9. do something extreme (bungy jump, raft the Nile, etc.)
10. lose something valuable
THINGS GAINED
1. New music
2. Hundreds of movies
3. Sweet tan lines from Rainbows or Chacos
4. Incredible community
5. Foreign currencies
6. Improved language and charades skills
7. Facebook friends with names you can’t pronounce
8. nieces and nephews (Alicia got two!)
9. Confidence in public speaking
10. Inside jokes no one will understand
11. A muffin top
THINGS LOST
1.Manners
2. Good posture
3. Social skills
4. Hygiene
5. Headphones
6. Luggage
7. Pride
8. Privacy
9. Entitlement
10. Pens
11. Hair
Never Had I Ever…
1. Heard my testimony in three different languages at one service
2. Hitch-hiked in the back of a pick-up truck
3. Walked 45 minutes to get groceries
4. Used a squatty potty
5. Showered from a bucket
6. Decapitated a chicken
7. Got my drinking water from a trash can
8. Eaten rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner
9. Gone through an entire jar of Peanut Butter in 3 days flat
10. Soaked my clothes in water periodically throughout the night in order to be comfortable enough to sleep
11. Signed autographs
[Things I Missed]
1. my incredible family and friends
2. Refrigerated cookie dough
3. Flavored coffee creamer
4. washing machines
5. paper towels
6. Harris Teeter
7. traffic laws
8. Pandora
9. customer service
10. Unlimited chips & salsa from El Rodeo
11. clean water
{GO-TO VERSES}
1. Psalm 37:4
2. Psalm 68:19
3. Colossians 2:10
4. Lamentations 3:22:23
5. Philippians 1:27
6. Romans 12:1-2 (the Message)
7. 2 Chronicles 16:9
8. Romans 6:4
9. Proverbs 27:19
10. 1 Corinthians 9:12b
11. 2 Corinthians 4:16
[Favorite Snacks]
1. tamarind
2. cadbury decadant trio chocolate bar
3. banana chips
4. white chocolate/milk chocolate spread
5. stovetop popcorn
6. 25-cent ice cream cones
7. whole baguettes
8. Good Day butter cookies
9. instant coffee
10. Coke light
11. coconut tea biscuits
[[Most Memorable]]
Thailand- riding in the back of a pickup truck & bucket BBQs
Cambodia- fitting 12 world racers on a tuk tuk
Australia- wallaby hunting with Julie, driving through rivers & homemade engine snorkels
Malaysia- getting off the bus at 4am “near 7-11” and “pray louder”, testimony night at the land
India- precious precious Jireh, poori, farewell song
Nepal- seeing Mount Everest, creative hygiene, “tea pot”
South Africa- the view of Coffee Bay, meeting Danielle Freiermuth and Sarah Boers
Mozambique- leading crusades in the Bush, nights around the campfire, shooting stars
Swaziland- riot lockdown and Deep Fry Party (you can fry peanut butter…who knew!?)
Ukraine- “see you lady!”, catering a wedding, my first opera
Moldova- laughing until we cry with our students during rounds of telephone pictionary, nights around the dinner table, lunch at Radu’s house
THE DEEPEST EXPRESSION OF MY HEART…
ขอบคุณ
ar kun
Thanks, mate
நன்றி
ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು
शुक्रिया
enkosi
obrigado
siyabonga
спасибі
mulţumesc
THANK YOU!
