Two weeks from today I will be flying home. After 11 months of being a nomad and traveling around the world, I will finally be back in the States. To say that I can’t quite wrap my mind around this fact is an understatement. I can’t comprehend home. I can’t comprehend a normal life. I can’t comprehend sleeping in a big comfy bed with big comfy blankets in a room ALL BY MYSELF!!! I can’t comprehend that I won’t have to hand wash my clothes or take a cold bucket shower. I don’t even remember what my hairdryer looks like. But as great as it will be to be back home with all of these amazing luxuries, surrounded by family and friends that I haven’t seen in a year, I know that as soon as I am home, I’m going to wish I was right back here. In a room packed with bunk beds and six other people. A life with no privacy where I have a wardrobe consisting of four t-shirts. To days where I have time to read books and spend time with the Lord because I don’t have things like Wi-Fi and television to fill up my day. This year was amazing. Life changing. I learned so much about who God is and who I am and what life has to offer. Even though I grew up in the Church, I came on the World Race to discover who God is and to have a more intimate relationship with Him. And I was not disappointed! This year met my expectations….but did it meet yours?
With only two weeks left on the Race, I’ve already gotten messages from people back home who are excited to catch up with me when I get back. People who have loved me, supported me and prayed for me while I’ve been gone. But as I am talking to more and more people, I’m beginning to see a trend. Some of you had your own expectations of what this past year was supposed to look like. Now don’t get me wrong, I feel so loved that so many people are curious and excited about my experiences this year. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who care about me. But I just want to go ahead and warn you, the year I had and the year you think I had couldn’t be more different.
Yes, I did backpack around the world so of course I have a few good stories to share. Like the time I delivered babies in The Philippines or the time I roasted marshmallows over a volcano in Guatemala. Like the time I scrubbed in on my teammate’s surgery when she had an appendectomy in Honduras and the time I got chased by a cow in Costa Rica. But I just want to prepare you – when you ask about my favorite moments on the Race, these won’t be the stories I share. Instead, I’ll share about how in Costa Rica, our contact left our first week and I had literally nothing to do the whole month except to sit at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and my Bible for hours each day. I’ll tell you about the prophetic words of identity that were spoken over me in a kitchen in Antigua, Guatemala. I’ll tell you about how I learned that I could hear the Lord’s voice and have amazing conversations with Him each day. I’ll tell you about how the Lord finally helped me to understand what grace really is, and how I was able to share the amazing story of grace and forgiveness with a young man in Botswana who felt like he had used up all of his second chances. I’ll tell you about the spiritual chains that the Lord broke in Malaysia and the amazing things that He’s done in my heart over the past 11 months. Most importantly, I’ll tell you about how God made the transition from being my boss to my Father.
Unlike other Racers, I don’t have a lot of super adventurous stories to tell. I didn’t get mugged or jump out of an airplane. I didn’t get Spinal Meningitis or eat a tarantula. I didn’t get attacked by a guy with a machete or need brain surgery. Instead, I played in Bananagrams tournaments and learned a lot of new card games. I stayed up until 2:00am taking my teammate’s African braids out of her hair and played a game with my teammates where we put our headphones in and tried to see if we could tell what the other one was saying when our music was turned all the way up. These might not be the kind of stories you were expecting, but that’s okay. Because this was my life this year. A lot of small little beautiful moments with strangers who became family who walked with me through the most important journey of my life. A journey where the Lord changed me. Where He showed me that He is a good Father who loves me and that He offers this beautiful gift called grace. A journey where the Lord showed me what gifts I have and what areas I can grow in. I now know the Lord in such a way that I never have before. He is my intimate Father with whom I can share everything. And even though I don’t have it all figured out, I know that the Lord has equipped me to handle whatever comes next in life. This year was amazing and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. This year met my expectations.
