A few days ago I asked on social media for people to submit questions they had about my race. I never thought I’d get such good questions! For those of you who asked, here are your answers!
How did you find out about the race?
I heard about the race because a friend of mine had previously done the race and posted something on Facebook about it. Then, I did research on the World Race website to find out more about it.
Here are some resources if you would like to know more about the race!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiYUDhkLpTw
And how did you know that it was the way to go?
When I found out about the race, I was in my last semester of college and asking God what was next. There were a lot of things that I tried to pursue that just weren’t working out. I tried to go back to places where I had previously done ministry or worked and never felt peace about them. I knew God had something planned for me so I just kept trying to find something that lined up with the desires he had put in my heart. When the possibility of the race came along I knew it was something I would be interested in. I did research to make sure that I agreed with the beliefs of the organization. I sought the advice of others and I prayed a lot! I trusted if I applied for the race and started the process to go that God would stop it if it wasn’t in His plan. Everything after that point confirmed that God wanted me on the race!
Are you going to possibly follow up in any of those countries as a missionary?
I have had SO MANY great ministry experiences on the race and I would be blessed to be able to go back and serve with them. As of now, I don’t feel called to pursue any long-term work in any of the countries I have been to. But, I am open to the possibility. There are a few countries in particular that stole my heart on the race: South Africa, Swaziland, Vietnam, and the Philippines. I could see myself doing short-term or long-term work there sometime in my future.
How did you cope with homesickness?
This is a hard one. I never felt homesick when everything was going great and when I was running around all over the place because I was so busy. I was homesick when ministry was slow, when I was sick, or when something was going on at home that I was emotionally invested in. During those times, it is really important to find a balance between having a connection to home and pushing yourself to be completely present where you are.
Before I left, I made sure the people I wanted to talk to were equipped with a way I could contact them. This is most important for the people who are not tech savvy. I made sure Skype, Face Time, Viber, etc was working for them before I was on the other side of the world. Then, when I was homesick I would contact them for some comfort. I also had to realize that I was on the other side of the world for a reason. God asked me to leave home so that I could further depend on him. So, I also pushed myself to me more involved where I was when those feelings hit. I hung out with my team or friends I had made and I spent time just talking to God.
I don’t think I ever perfected how to deal with homesickness. I just had to constantly remind myself of what I was confident of, I am right where God wants me to be.
What was the hardest park of working on a team?
There are 3 main things that have been hard about working and living with a team, but through each of them I also learned many lessons.
1. What’s mine is mine and what’s mine is my team’s.
The community I live in on the race is not like anything I have ever experienced before. We live together and depend on each other daily. When I started the race it was easy to grab my sharpie and start labeling my things with my initials. But overtime I realized that wasn’t how God wanted me to live in this community. He wanted me to be open handed with everything, because the only reason I have anything is because of Him.
2. Alone time is rare.
On the race we have a rule where we always have to be with at least one other person. For safety purposes, this is obviously great. For our sanity, sometimes it’s not. I read blogs before the race started about not having alone time except in the bathroom. I thought that there was no way that was true. But seriously, that is the only time I’m completely alone. I’m an extrovert, so for me this hasn’t been as hard as it has for others. But it has also given me a fear of going home because I know the “aloneness” awaits me. So friends, don’t be alarmed if I constantly show up to hang out with you. 🙂
3. Personality differences are very noticeable.
Everyone knows people have different personalities, but it is front and center when living and working on a team. At first, it was hard to make decisions and live well together. But after 11 months, you learn things about each person and it gets easier. I know that I shoot straight with Kiersten and that I give Christa a little while before I talk to her in the morning. Just takes effort to get to know your teammates!
How do you recommend leaving home well?
Set up some form of communication with your family, close friends, and supporters. Whether that is a blog or a monthly email, just make sure you are consistent in communicating. I was not always the best at this. I found a quick email update worked best for me. Also, make sure you don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t promise your best friend you will talk to him or her every Friday, because most likely you won’t. Wi-Fi is the most unreliable thing when traveling; so don’t leave others waiting on the other side for you.
Have people who are committed to praying for you when you are gone. It makes the biggest difference knowing you can shoot a quick message to someone and they will pray for whatever it is. And people want to do this for you, so give them the privilege. Most importantly, soak up every minute with the people you are close to! It is easy to get busy when you are getting ready to leave for an extended amount of time. The people sitting next to you are just as important as the people you are excited about meeting when you step off the plane in another country.
If you were restarting this whole journey again, what are the top 4 things you would tell yourself?
1. God is good all the time. All the time God is good. No matter what the circumstance is, He is there and He is acting on your behalf.
2. Being in leadership does not mean you have to have it together all the time. Vulnerability in your weakness is a good thing.
3. You will never get this season of your life back. Don’t take advantage of it, you will regret being apathetic, and soak it all up.
4. Staying connected back home is not a bad thing.
What’s the best advice you can give racers who are in the middle of their race with the end still so far off?
I would tell them all of the things that are mentioned in the answer to the previous question. I went through a really dry season during the middle of my race and instead of choosing to be all in everyday to fight against it, I gave into apathy and contentment. Neither one of those things glorify God. In the middle of the race it is easy to look back and see how much you have already done. The work you have accomplished, the lessons learned, the good and bad times, and it is easy to think that it is enough. That you have done enough, learned enough, and experienced enough. That is a lie. You are not finished and you still won’t be finished when you get to the end of the race. We won’t ever do enough in our walk with the Lord to be finished.
Yes, the middle of race is hard, but you can persevere with grace. Put effort into team time and feedback. HAVE SOME FUN! Try something new.
Have any more questions? Email me at [email protected]!
For those of you who want to ask me in person, I’ll be in Texas in 2 weeks!
