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3 days, 3 layovers (LA, Tokyo, & Malaysia) & a 12 hour time difference from home later…I arrive in Asia…
Month 5: Thailand
-Wait we are in ASIA…already…where did the time go, seriously! Please slow down…
-New team…meet Team Hàlas (Amanda, Alexis, Kaila, Kyle, Zach, and Jan Carlo) co-Ed now, I’m in for a change but excited to see the ways that being on a team with men will grow me more as a person.
-THAI PANTS!!!!!!!!! I finally get to revamp my wardrobe. These colors and styles are so fun. I can even wear them as a onesie, no way! its like 3 outfits in 1…every world race girls dream!
-So THIS is what a Tuk-Tuk looks like. Wow! A crowded bus selfie has nothing on this Tuk-Tuk selfie. This is sooo cool. I love this form of transportation. I feel so world-racey!
-Roti, nom nom nom! My new favorite snack!
-Why are all these cars headed straight my way AND…where is the DRIVER?!? Oh yeaaaa…they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right.
-This is very difficult, I cannot read a thing. The sign is red so I assume that means STOP. At least I can get that correct.
-Being in Asia opened up the world of teaching. English teaching that is. This month we taught English and put on English camps…”sweet sugar, salty salt, bitter coffee, sour vinegar” say that all day for a week straight…that was my life for a week as I was in charge of the “taste testing” category at English camps.
– Worship was an integral part of our month in Rathaburi, between guitar & harmonica playing…I was so pumped to worship there all day, everyday.
– The Holy Spirit was so evident in our team and together Team Hàlas truly embodied our name which means we are ” the salt of the earth.”
-My youngest brother, Joe graduated high school this month and my heart was heavy for days knowing once again I had to miss out on yet ANOTHER milestone in my families lives.
-By day 3 bucket showers became no big deal…killing tons of ants that swarmed my sleeping area became a bedtime ritual, and I would love to say I quickly got over the no A/C part, BUT that would be a lie…it was HOT 24/7 and I honestly never really got used to that…I just learned to not complain about it anymore.
– Altogether Thailand took some getting used to, but by week 3 I fell in love with the country & ministry once more & it become one of my hardest goodbyes yet.
Month 6: Laos
-Unsung heroes month: a time of relying completely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction in our month as my team & I did not have a set ministry to work with, but instead searched for potential world race contacts for future world racers who minister in Laos
– Anticipated the unknown of each day, not having any agenda or set plan.
– When a simple walk down a dirt road turned into attending my first catholic mass on the race with a “reception” for nuns and seminarians immediately after, complete with chugging beers and popping champagne bottles…then an original production of “I don’t wanna be a chicken, I don’t wanna be a duck”, performed by my team and I to top it off. It was an epic day to say the least.
– Rented motos (scooters) for the weekend and took them to a waterfall…IN THE RAIN, only to discover the slipperiest back roads I have ever encountered with about 10% of tread left on our tires…luckily we only fell a couples times & I quickly got over the fact that I would be covered in mud the rest of the day…lets just say I was happy to check “moto driving” off my bucket list, but I doubt you’ll see me sporting one of those in America.
– When casting lots (a game we play often on our team) turned into my teammate Zach, serenading a newly wed couple as they took their wedding pictures…then becoming a part of their pictures altogether.
– Changing hostels quite a few times before finally finding one we could call “home” for a couple weeks.
– Missed out on yet ANOTHER Roger Dworaczyk family milestone: my brother Jakob got married to his beautiful girlfriend Jackelyn & once again I couldn’t be there in person, but with the wonderful invention of Skype I was able to watch their special moment from afar as they vowed to love one another in both good times & bad. I am so happy for them both.
– Living life in a new country and a closed country at that, meaning I could not mention what I was doing (sharing the love of Jesus Christ) or why I was even there (as a Christian missionary)…yet somehow I was expected to find other hidden missionaries who trusted me enough to tell me about their undercover mission work.
– In order for this month to be “successful” I knew God would have to show up in BIG and MIGHTY ways, because in my own limited earthly strength I just could not complete the task before me…but in Gods amazing strength I was able to see Him in a way that proved His Holy Spirit was truly living inside my team & I.
– After following His guidance, we met many incredible individuals who were doing great things to further the kingdom. I knew every encounter with a Christian was a “God moment” & my faith grew tremendously during this month.
– Overall, it was absolutely amazing to see how God worked, especially with the challenge of doing unsung heroes ministry in a closed country without ever saying I was a Christian missionary, but instead showing with my actions the real reasons why I spend a month of my life in Pakse: to spread the love of Christ to anyone and everyone I met along the way without even mentioning His name. Our sheer presence exemplified Christ in a way our words never could – truly an amazing month!
Month 7: Cambodia
– This was my halfway point in Asia and the feelings of normalcy crept back in once more. I needed a boost, a rekindle of fire within me…because honestly I was becoming worn out. There’s only so much pouring out I can do before I need some pouring into…and that is exactly what God did for me this month. He poured & poured & poured some more and I am blessed for the re-spark that occurred within me.
– Our contact had the biggest heart I have ever encountered. She was a true example of a servant between cooking us delicious Filipino dishes & making sure we were all taken care of, she helped to make this month one of my favorites.
– The sound of mice & gecko’s crawling in, around and above my room became normalcy.
– Remember those THAI pants I bought from Thailand…well….they failed to mention the fact that they BLEED, especially the red ones especially when you soak them overnight in a bucket with half of your other dirty cloths…let’s just say I wasn’t a happy camper to find red stains while hand washing.
– My teammate Kyle became our #1 Tuk-Tuk driver as team Hàlas experienced the luxury of having our own personal Tuk-Tuk. You can about imagine the looks we got as all Americans with an American driver driving down the Cambodian roads. (We only stalled a “few” times in the middle of intersections.)
– Ministry this month was mostly teaching English to a class of beginners. This time though, God confirmed in my time spent here, that teaching is a desire He has put on my heart for a reason…so when my initial hellos to my students were met with an unfamiliar “Hi teachaaa Kristen” my Heart melted and I just knew right away I will be hearing more of that in my future.
– I grew to cherish my time spent with the students & contacts and it was difficult to tell them goodbye… as all my goodbyes on the race are, because there’s always that lingering thought “this could potentially be the last time I will EVER see this amazing group of young adults again.” All the goodbyes do begin to take a toll on me…yet somehow, some way God provides more room to let others inside in the months to come…knowing it’s only going to end in a heart felt goodbye.
Month 8: Malaysia:
– This month was different in every sense of the word…it was known as “MANistry month” where all the men are comprised one team and all the woman of co-Ed teams are put into new teams. I got put on a new team (team Diaphoria: Jessica S, Cortney, Rachel, Amanda A, Kaila, & Julie)
– It was a tough start because for the first time in 8 months I was not on a team with Amanda Finniseth, a woman I have grown to love & adore. She has seen me in all the highs and lows of this past year & walked alongside me, challenging & encouraging me to grow into the woman God created me to be. When the names were called and we realized we would be separated…it felt like another one of those hard goodbyes I always have to give at the end of each month…but this time it was different because it was only a glimpse of how hard it’s going to be when I have to say my final goodbyes to my entire A squad World Race family…it’s going to be my toughest goodbye yet & this was just the beginning.
– Our ministry was located in the middle of the city with malls on every corner. Usually, I would be pumped to see malls around…but this month I wasn’t. I actually prayed to be in the slums, I day-dreamed of seeing dirt roads with Tuk-tuks and barely clothed village kids running around…but instead what I got was a ministry smack dab in the center of worldly possessions and idols I used to idolize myself.
– Ministry itself even felt different as each morning I was expected to “clock in” at 8:00 and “clock out” at 5:00.
– I can remember telling myself during the first week “this isn’t what I signed up for” “it feels like a real job, with 9-5 hours, time sheets, and 30 minute lunch breaks” “the world race isn’t suppose to feel like this.”
– The first week I had a paradoxical moment when I thought to myself…”this is hard, scheduled work hours and trying to get along with a boss that I don’t quite see eye to eye with…YET this is the life almost everyone I know is living back at home AND I think THIS is hard…while at the same time I hear people saying what I’m doing; serving as a missionary all around the world, giving up everything I ever knew, they think THAT’S hard. Reality is it’s all about perspective and comfort and what your used to. After 8 months a scheduled 9-5 job wasn’t what I was “used to”…while it’s most people’s comfort zone, I was completely uncomfortable in that environment and all I wanted was to be back to my “World Race normal”.
-My twin nieces, Adalynn & Isabella were born this month and it hurt not to be there with my brother and sister-in-law during that time, but God showed me that it was yet another sacrifice He wanted me to endure because He had me right where I needed to be. With many prayers from my team and entire squad as well as all the other prayer warriors out there praying for them, 2 healthy baby girls came into this world. I already love them so much and cannot wait to see for the first time my brother and his beautiful family of four.
-I lived in a home for the blind this month and God opened my heart to the elderly, blind people who have been living in St.Nicholas’ Home their entire lives. My relationship with each of them blossomed as I was able to lead weekly sessions and hear their stories from the past.
– My days consisted of many “bump bump, beep beep’s” as the blind could feel us approaching them, they would repeat those words so we would not run into each other.
-I started to thank God for things I so often take for granted, especially my sight, because living with the blind made me appreciate my health and body in ways I had never thought of before.
-I learned a very valuable lesson this month: just because someone has sight does not necessarily mean they have vision and vise versa. The people I met and befriended this month may not have had eyesight, but they could see more clearly and with a greater spiritual vision than most I know with an eyesight of 20/20 and that is a lesson I will carry with me in the years to come.
Month 9: Philippines
This was the month I had waited for since I began the race in January. It was finally PVT (Parent Vision Trip) and the anticipation of seeing my mom for the first time in 9 months stirred up a plethora of emotions within me. I was super excited and nervous at the same time, because I knew I was not the daughter she last saw in America. Instead I was a transformed Kristen with a humble confidence because for the first time in my life I know who I am, & more importantly I am learning who God is and who He says I am. I can now stand firm in the truths God has placed within me.
– The nerves quickly subsided as I wrapped my arms around my Mom and tears started streaming down both our faces. It was a mother-daughter moment I will never forget…my heart was FULL and it was only the beginning of our amazing week together.
– During ministry my mom and I were placed completely out of our comfort zone as we walked into the bars together on our first night. God blew us both away with His divine appointments and the girls He placed on our heart to rescue from bars. They are normal everyday girls caught up in the chains of sex trafficking with no way out, but that’s where We came in…carrying the light of hope and a future to women who have mostly been living in darkness.
– It was so beautiful to rescue these women together with my Mom and watch as my Mom extended her hand and her heart and touched the lives of the girls in a way only a mother could. One girl even said as were talking to her and her sister, “it’s like we are a family.” In that moment I realized the impact we had on them as Jesus used us to show them just how loved they truly are.
-I loved getting to just be with my Mom and show her a glimpse of the life I have been living the past several months. I shared experiences and revelations with her, as well as listened to the ways God has grown her since we last saw each other. It was incredible to see the transformation that occurred within each of us and my family back at home since I started this journey.
– Her trip ended all too soon and I had to say goodbye once more…knowing this time it would be only 3 short months before I saw her again.
– The transition from PVT back into my normal routine of the race was probably my hardest yet because I had no time to process what all happened during that week. It took a good week to get back into the grove of the things, but feelings of home and what my life will look like after the race started to consume me. I had to learn to TRUST in God and His plans for me…focusing only the present moment, not looking too far in advance.
– Our home in the mountains was amazing and so were our contacts. We all lived together in a house and I got to bond with their four children each day when they got off of school.
– Ministry became more of everyday life, talking with the family and helping with things they needed fixed around the house as their home served as a camp for young street boys as well.
– Ministry was also going to our contacts daughter’s kindergarten talent show and helping with her school projects.
-My team and I spent a night on the streets with the young street kids and it was such an eye-opening experience to walk in their shoes for the night and interact with them like they were my little brothers. God broke any chains of judgement I once placed on streets boys and replaced it with complete love for them, His love. It was one of my favorites days and nights on the race and I will continue praying for God to give the street kids an opportunity to just be kids.
-Overall, this month was another great month on the race, yet I knew my time in Asia was coming to a close and Africa would soon be here…which meant only 2 more months on the race. I wasn’t ready for it…wasn’t ready for the transition of another continent and I prayed for God to slow down time…I just wanted more time and God reassured me that this is only the beginning, even though it may feel like my journey is coming to a close, it’s only my World Race season that will end, but my journey…the one with God as my guide, will never end! Africa will bring me new excitement and joys in addition to teaching me new things I have yet to learn about myself, others, and God.
I was sad to leave Asia behind but so thankful for all God did in me and through me the past 5 months on that continent. So I boarded another plane, ready to start my final stretch of the race in a new continent I knew nothing about…AFRICA!!!!!!
(Part 3 of Africa to be continued…)
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