Dear Future Racer:
Here are a few insights that may come in handy. I know that every race is different and there are probably tons of these out there, but here’s one more! If you don’t want a list of what to bring then scroll to the bottom and look at the advice.
ELECTRONICS
1. When it comes to computers, please know that so far on my Race, we have had access to WIFI. We might only get to go for internet a couple times a month, but most of the time, we were able to get onto WIFI. So if you are wondering about bringing a Macbook Air or an IPad, they will work for the most part. The only downside to the Air is that there is no DVD/CD drive.
2. Bring an external hard drive. You will fill everything up so fast! And if you are a video person, you may fill up your computer, all you memory cards plus a external hard drive or two.
3. A speaker for your computer is also a great idea. You can use this for music if you have no musicians in your group and also for team times where you watch a movie or listen to sermons together. (One person on your team can buy one for everyone, but there are a lot of team changes, so just keep that in mind.)
4. A headphone splitter and two or three sets or headphones are also good. The splitter helps if you and a friend or several friends want to watch a movie together and not use the speaker. The extra headphones are good because things break and get lost and other people may need to borrow some.
5. A power strip is also a wise investment. There have been so many times when we would have been in a world of hurt is we didn’t have the one my teammate brought. (Again, one person can have this, but the more the merrier and with team changes, you just never know.)
6. For the more hygienic amongst you, a cheap $6 electric tooth brush has been amazing. I don’t use it all the time, but I do use it at nights several times a week, and it has made all the difference. (Just remember to take the battery out after every use so that it doesn’t get switched on in your bag and runs out of juice. Also, you will only need one regular toothbrush because you can find these everywhere.)
7. A Kindle has been my best friend on the Race. I just brought the regular one with no special features, but using my headlamp at night, I’ve been able to read a lot of books before I go to sleep. Those who have fancier Kindles have loved them too because they don’t need a headlamp and can play games on them as well. But it really helps to cut down on the weight of regular books.
8. I camera and video camera are definitely a must.
9. I suggest you buy large memory cards and at least one large flash drive. TRUST ME! You will use these and fill them up. Even if you are just copying music or movies or sharing pictures or videos, it helps to have large capacity memory devices because it just transfers faster.
10. Believe it or not, I brought my Iphone! It has served as my alarm clock, watch, camera at times, IPod, holds all the addresses I need from home, has all sorts or notes on it that are easier to grab on travel days than pulling out my computer and looking for stuff, it has pictures from home and old texts for when I feel homesick, and games to play when I am bored. Also, it comes in handy when we need a calculator or if I don’t have my computer on me and we end up somewhere with WIFI, I can get on with it.
None Electronics
1. Baby wipes and hand sanitizer are our best friends. We use these all the time. Luckily, you can find these in most countries, but you will definitely use them. We don’t get to bathe very often so baby wipes help.
2. Anti-diarrhea meds and anti-nausea meds. These feelings are pretty much a constant on the Race, so stock up.
3. Allergy pills and Benadryl. If you have allergies at all, bring both. There are days I am fine and there are days that regular allergy pills won’t cut it and Benadryl is a must! Plus, you never know when someone on your team will have a bad reaction to something and having Benadryl handy is good.
4. MULTIVITAMINS! These are a must and you need to discipline yourself to take them. We don’t get much nutrition on the Race. That is a fact you need to accept right now. You will eat more carbs than you ever dreamed and less protein than you would like. Veggies are a luxury. Fruit is common, but mainly watermelon and bananas. So to stay fairly healthy or at least feeling better, please take a good multivitamin.
5. Stick deodorant. No where else has much of it, so unless you are a fan of roll on, I’d bring several. Also, Dental Floss. You will need it. Meat in other countries is tough and gets in your teeth as well as fruit sometimes.
6. Ok, my mom found these amazing soap sheets in the camping section of Wal-mart. THEY ARE AMAZING! I wish I would have brought more. They just don’t use as much soap around the world as we do. I haven’t use them all the time, but in Africa, I have used them more. Especially in the villages and with the squatty potties. You get water, but no soap, and water and sanitizer only go so far. I need soap! They are light and little, so I would get at least two and stick them in your day pack.
7. A headlamp or two are great and extra batteries. You will use them often and if one gets lost or stops working, you have a spare.
8. A night mask and earplugs. You will need them. You are living in community, trust me, you will need them at some point.
9. A pillow case for your travel pillow is really nice and helps to keep you pillow clean.
10. I brought a set of twin sheets with me and I am so glad I did. I use them at night and use my sleeping bag as a blanket. Here’s what I do, I have a thick duffle bag as my airporter. I place that on the ground first to 1-keep my sleeping pad from getting so dirty and 2-it helps to insulate and keeps the cold from the ground at bay. Then I put down my sleeping pad. If it is fairly warm, then I put my sleeping bag down for more cushion and then my fitted sheet to cover my pad and bag. If I don’t have to pack up my stuff every day, I use safety pins to attach my sheet together so it doesn’t come off when I move around. If it is cold I use my sleeping bag as a blanket and my sheet as a sheet. That way if I get too warm, I can trough off my bag. If it’s really cold, I snuggle in my back and put my sheet on the outside to help. It’s been great. I just roll and stuff them in the bottom of my big pack with my bag. The sheets help to keep the noise down when turning over too.
11. Make sure your stuff is ultra light. Your tent, and sleeping stuff need to be light. My tent is wonderful, but not ultra light, nor is my duffle airporter. They add about 7-9 pounds to my pack and that’s a lot! Trust me, keep your pack as light a possible.
12. I brought this little $1 tackle box thing that I got as a gag gift at Christmas. It has been so helpful in keeping my jewelry and hair ties and bobby pins separate and from getting lost. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and is worth what little does take up.
13. Yes, I brought makeup and I use it all the time. I’m the only one who uses it almost daily, but I put it on because we are dirty and smelly and it helps me feel a little better. I brought all Mary Kay and I am on month 8 and there is no doubt it will last the entire trip and then some. I also have the Timewise day cream with SPF 15 and the night cream. They are amazing and are helping my skin stay healthy even though I am not. Sadly, I am starting to run out of those. I keep it all in my pink Mary Kay bag in my day pack.
14. I bought a new Bible for the trip. It’s been a blessing and a curse. I love rereading the bible without any notes from previous years. It has helped me to see new stuff and search harder for things. It’s a curse when someone just asks you out of no where to preach or “give a word” to a crowd. Some have brought study bibles and though they are heavy, they come in handy for team bible studies and devotions.
15. All my cloths are in stuff sacks. I got the cheap ones at Wal-mart and they are working well and are holding up quite nicely. They help to keep my pack organized and though it’s a pain to dig out all your cloths and then repack them, it is worth it in the end.
16. Movies and Music! This you will have to use your discretion with. I brought no movies on my computer. I was going crazy after a couple of months, so I started getting them from people. Sometimes there is just nothing to do at night or on your days off, and this helps to pass the time. But you have to make sure you are not watching too many or retreating to those instead of interacting with your team. So do what you think. Music is a must. You need it for travel days, for ministry, and for dance parties as a team! Again, you can copy some of your friends, but you have to weigh how you feel about that as well.
17. Either a quick drying towel or a sarong. I brought two sarongs and I am glad I did. They take a little getting used to as a towel, but they can serve as a skirt or dress in a pinch and as a wrap if it’s a bit chilly or as extra sheets if it’s too cold for just my one sheet, but too hot for my sleeping bag. You can also use them to strap babies on your back if you need to.
18. Cards. We sometimes play games and these are handy. Someone brought catch phrase and it’s a squad favorite!
19. $1 Old Navy flip-flops. They are my shower shoes and running around the house shoes. They are light and easy to pack and if they tear up, no big deal. So far, they are doing great. (I also brought a pair of black crocks, chocos, and merrels. All have been needed and worn a lot at different times. I am sooooo thankful for my crocks, but don’t leave them in the sun or they shrink. I switched my shoes out quite a bit the first few months and never got any blisters! PS – Tom’s fall apart on the Race and start looking terrible, so I’m not sure I would bring them.)
20. Ziplock baggies. They come in handy for everything. The big ones can be used for dirty cloths. The smaller ones for keeping electronics and cords separated. You will use them more than you think.
ADVICE
1. Learn all the kids songs you can. Also add some kids music on your computer. You will have to sing with kids in almost every country you go to. Sometimes you will have to use your computer and speaker and sing along with your music while doing dances and hand motions. So get creative and ask the people who work with the children in your church for ideas.
2. Prepare at least 3 or 4 stories/sermons that you can teach children. Talk to the children’s ministry people in your church and get ideas, but you will have to be able to share the gospel with children and are expected to have stories everywhere you go. Be creative and work with your team to act out the stories. Talk to your team before the Race and do prep before hand.
3. Find and download some skits to learn to do on the Race. Make sure you have some that are funny for the kids and some that are serious and can be used in church or for outdoor evangelism. You will need to find some that are for men and women and see if there are any out there for just women in case you are on an all girls team. Because we don’t speak most of the languages, the skits are a powerful tool. Download them to your computer so you can show your team and teach it to them. YWAM has some good ones on YouTube. Be sure to download the songs to your ITunes as well. This is when a speaker comes in really handy.
4. Write out your testimony. Do this prior to the Race. It helps to center you and gives you time to think about it. You will more than likely have an interpreter, and it helps them if you have it written out. You can do several different drafts emphasizing different points that you can use in different settings.
5. Write out at least 2 or 3 different sermons other than you testimonies. Again, it helps to do some of this before the Race, but also know that God can change your sermons whenever He likes, but until you get into the swing of things, it’s good to have some on hand.
6. Look up some fun games to play with kids and some fun, cheap crafts you can do. You never know when you are going to be asked to do a fun day or a day camp or a Sunday School class. Having these in your back pocket is good.
7. We have been asked to teach school at times. No prep, no lesson plans, no idea what they know and what they don’t. So it might be helpful for you to have 2 or 3 actual school lessons in the back of your mind. One science, one geography, and one social studies lesson would be good.
8. Be prepared for change. Accept it now that you will not be on the same team for the entire Race. You will get close to people and then you will probably switch teams and start all over. Also, your destinations will change. You never really know what you are doing from day to day and you have to give up needing to have a plan. You have to let go of control. If you don’t, you will drive your teams and your leaders crazy always asking questions they cannot answer.
9. You need to accept that very little will be done the way you want it to be done. You will not get what you want. You will be uncomfortable. People will be annoying. It will happen. It just will and you need to make peace with that. You need to understand that you are just as ignorant and annoying as everyone else on your team. Prayer is a must on the Race. You will learn patience.
10. Finally, you need courage. This trip is hard. You will be asked to do things you never thought you would do. You will have to preach and teach and sing and act and love and live while everyone is watching. With God’s help you can do all these things, but you have to have the courage to step out of your comfort zones and try. It really doesn’t matter how well you sing or act or preach or teach. All will get better the more you do them. You don’t want to waste your time on this trip being shy and bashful. You can. No one will force you to do anything, but you will miss out on so much. Why even come if you are not going to put everything out there. Trust God, He won’t let you fall.
Lots of Love and Prayers as you make your decisions!
Misty
