I’m in my 7th month on the World Race now, and I’ve been reflecting recently on the things I’ve learned so far and the ways I’ve changed. While each Racer’s journey is different, there are some things that are pretty universally defining about this trip for its participants. With the help of my team, Abundant Joy, I present to you the Good, the Bad, and the Worth It truths about the World Race.
Good:
- traveling to new and exciting places
- trying strange foods I’d never get in America
- outdoor adventures
- hands on practice in a new language
- children. Lots of precious children.
- coffee. Lots of good coffee.
- (almost) everything is cheaper than in the States
- meeting new, interesting people everyday
- feeding a wild monkey from my hand
- always having someone to talk, shop, work out, watch movies, cook, dance, and do everything else with
- learning to cook over a fire, or with really strange utensils and appliances, or without any utensils or appliances.
Eating llama from a street vendor in Bolivia
Bad:
- bed bugs. Seriously, bad.
- the cost of peanut butter, when I can find it
- sweat. I’ve never sweat like this in the States, I promise.
- long, duke-it-out talks/fights with teammates
- NO ALONE TIME. Ever. Like, ever.
- homesickness
- learning things about myself that I don’t like
- foreign plumbing. It’s just so much more complicated (when it works).
- foreign doctors–trying to explain what’s wrong in a language I only have a loose grasp of is difficult. Also, being prescribed medicines that I only recognize because I gave them out to dogs at the vet I worked at back home makes me a little uneasy.
- super long bus rides. 42 hours in a bus is as fun as it sounds.
- spiders. They don’t grow like that back home.
- packing and unpacking every few weeks.
Also, sometimes in other countries you have to buy your own injections and take them to your doctor.
Worth it:
- falling asleep after a long day of good work
- loving and being loved by the team I’ve fought for
- meeting God in new and intimate ways
- seeing clearly how small I am and how big God is
- gaining new skills from all the different types of work we get to do
- seeing and participating in every side of ministry–the fun parts, the tedious parts, the draining parts, and the really challenging parts
- having a family of 40+ people who really know and love me
- watching God change people’s lives, and getting to be a part of that
- worship/jam sessions with squadmates and locals
- learning to love and serve others better because I’ve been hard places physically, spiritually and emotionally with them
- seeing that everything, especially the bad, hard parts of this journey, are shaping me into a new and better person
- learning so many new things from such an odd assortment of roommates
- having my world view totally reshaped
- community–the good and the bad parts are all worth it
I’m putting together a 2-part blog now answering all of your questions about my experience on the Race so far. You’ve all been asking great questions, so keep them coming! I love reading them, and I’m excited to answer all of them!
Also, thanks SO much to everyone who has donated to keep me on the Race! The deadline to be fully-funded has passed, and I did not quite meet it. I’m allowed to stay and continue the Race, but I now need to be completely funded by next month’s debrief, in 6 weeks. I’m currently just $650 away from there! Please pray and consider giving to my support account to help me reach my goal by then. Thanks again!
