16 Things We Miss After 6 Months Away

1. Our dog Bentley. We just miss the little guy, enough said.
    
2. Reliable and efficient restaurant service. I cannot tell you the number of times that I’ve ordered something and the restaurant has suddenly run out of what I want or they just don’t have it anymore. I miss going to Chipotle and they always have guacamole, and they are always open during the hours that are posted on the door. On the World Race, if you are brought the wrong food order, you usually cannot communicate yourself to explain, so you just suck it up.
    
3. Clean showers and bathroom floors. One word: slime. In hot and humid climates with 18 women using one bathroom, it’s bound to get slimy real quick.
    
4. Being able to sleep together in the same bed every night. So far out of 7 months of living conditions, we have had our own room/bed 4 of those months, which leaves 3 months where we have slept separately.
    
5. Not having to coordinate a day off with 4-11 other people. When it comes to days off of ministry, each person has their own idea of what fun is and it’s difficult to get everyone to agree on one plan.
    
6. Cool weather! Not cold weather, since the last time we skyped home to our parents they said it was 1 degree outside. So yes it’s a blessing to be able to skip the bad winter weather at home, but hot weather creates its own challenges on the race. No A/C and having to walk everywhere can make the heat pretty tough.
    
7. Speaking of walking everywhere…having our own car. We either walk or take a form of public transportation everywhere we go. And we are always stuffed onto buses and vans with many other people. At the end of last month when we got away and stayed in a hotel for a few nights, we rented a scooter and drove all over Phuket, Thailand. IT WAS AMAZING!!! Who would have known how much joy there is in being able to have the freedom to go where you want, when you want.
    
8. Watching the Packers beat the Vikings in playoff football! (That’s Chelsey’s opinion, not Luke’s) These days, we have to hear about the games when we get internet and we both wish we could watch a full game.
    
9. Being home for the holidays.  Our Thanksgiving consisted of the two of us, nine other World Racers, and 7 Transnistrians who had no idea what Thanksgiving is. We had 4 small stove burners, no oven, and limited funds. On Christmas Day, we met with our squad at a dam in Thailand. We ate shish kebabs, grilled fish, fried rice, and sweet potatoes. It was a great meal, but it didn’t exactly match up to a family dinner in the USA. The key ingredient that was missing was the family.
    
10. Wal-Mart. I know it sounds terrible and some of you might even be offended right now. Never underestimate the value of being able to go to ONE store and get ALL the items that you could possibly need there at one time.
     
11. My bed. I’ve slept in a tent, a hard floor, a deflating air pad, a sketchy mattress or two, bunk beds, a futon with springs exposed, a bus, a plane, a train, a van, a hammock, an airport floor, train station floor, and few quality mattressed beds. Consistency in where we sleep is something we definitely miss.
     
12. Free toilets. First of all, just finding a bathroom in some countries is a job in itself. The real quest is finding one that you don’t have to pay to use. America has something going with free toilets. Every gas station, restaurant, shopping mall, or coffee shop has a bathroom and they’re all free! Poop freely! It’s a beautiful thing, people!
     
13. Pickle Wraps. You know, those baby dills wrapped in beef with cream cheese?! Yep, I miss ‘em!
     
14. Clothing options. God has definitely freed us from the chains of possessions, but it does get a little repetitive wearing the same 5 shirts over and over.
     
15. Free drinking water. Restaurants never give free water glasses overseas. We always have to purchase bottled water on the race. Most of the time it comes down to the fact that the tap water is not safe, and man what a blessing it is to have clean water to drink in the States!
     
16. Last but not least…Family. We’ll break it down for you.
    1. Lloyd – You always lighten the mood and you have a joke for every situation. We miss spending time with you in the garden, too. You always look forward to spending time with us and we know that we are loved.
    2. Marion – We miss how generous of a person you are, and how you look out for us and others before yourself. We miss being able to call you up and invite you over on Sundays to watch football and hang out.
    3. Tom – Every time we come over, you always bust out the pizzas, meat, and cheese and you have shown us what true hospitality looks like. Sitting in the porch and having you listen and talk with us about everything going on in our lives is something we miss a lot.
    4. Chris – We miss your hugs. We’ve missed spending time talking and laughing on the boat and in the car when we go places. You are a gifted listener when we need to share what’s on our hearts.
    5. Amanda – We miss your craziness. We miss the unexpected comments and sounds that come out of your mouth. We really miss the 4 months that you lived with us and we got to be together every day. Who knows, maybe we will get to do that again. (Late night Jericho marathons)
    6. Mitchell – We miss spending quality time with you. We miss the late night visits you make to our place, and Black Friday wasn’t the same without you this year 😉 We’ve missed being a part of a lot of life changes for you, like moving out, getting a new job, new car, etc.

The truth is that the World Race is not home, and there are many things that we miss.

It's not easy. It is NOT easy, but God has been faithful to us. He is our provider, our comforter, and His plan is always better than ours.

We stand on the promises of His word….