We’ve arrived in Peru, and month from today I will be HOME! For those of you who in the Denver/Boulder area, I’ll be having a homecoming party at my parents’ house on August 25th. I’ll share photos, stories, and tastes of the yummy food from the countries I visited, as well as LOTS of hugs. For those of you who are farther away, I also plan on streaming this presentation live and eventually post the video on this blog. Please send me any questions you’d like me to answer!
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in a touristy restaurant listening to too-loud-Peruvian-music, eating “desayuno americano”, spending a slow morning reading in Genesis and taking advantage of the restaurant’s wifi to chat with my people back home. This morning we fought the crowds here in Aguas Calientes for coveted tickets to Machu Picchu, and we’ll be seeing that beautiful site tomorrow before heading to work with our last ministry host in Cusco. I’m with a group of people I love a lot, in a gorgeous little town with people from all over the world. Today, I am so thankful that God gave me this particular life.
Yesterday my squad made our final border crossing into Peru. It’s been washing over me in waves that this is my last _______________. It’s the last time I’ll facilitate a border crossing as a logistics coordinator, the last time I’ll be stepping into a new culture and explaining this crazy journey, the last time I’ll meet my team’s new ministry host, the last time I’ll have to get used to a new currency conversion… the list goes on. It’s all very surreal, and it’s been bringing up all sorts of memories from the last 10 months, wonderful and hard alike. It’s made me think about what the world race has been for me, and that leads me to think about what it hasn’t been, too.
The world race has been eye opening.
The world race hasn’t been satisfying.
The world race has been delightful.
The world race hasn’t been easy.
The world race did drastically change me.
The world race didn’t drastically change the world.
The world race HAS been a very unique opportunity, but…
The world race ISN’T going to be the best year of my life.
I have received a lot of comments from people throughout the year encouraging me to make the most of my time “because it will be the best year of my life.” I understand that what I’ve been able to do the last year is extremely special, and that many people either can’t/won’t ever do it. I’ve been able to fully and intentionally give my life over to the Lord in a way that I will have to fight harder for moving forward. I have met some incredible friends from countless countries that I will have as brothers and sisters forever. I have had some weekend trips that make me sound like an interview from the discovery channel. This year God asked me to come away with him, and saying yes has been WILD and GREAT, but I know that this year isn’t the best of my life. If I thought that were true, I would just skip out on my plane home, continue to travel to a different country every month, and never return.
Shortly before I left for the race, a dear friend of mine told me…
“Have an amazing time on this incredible adventure that is about to become your normal life.”
Today talking to another dear friend about my transition home, she told me…
“I’m so excited for you, finishing up this BIG thing strong and getting ready for other BIG things!”
These are the kinds of encouragements that I appreciate most. They simultaneously bring appreciation of this exciting thing called the world race, without overvaluing it in a way that makes the rest of life seem less valuable. The truth is, the World Race at its best is not just an outstanding year of adventure and serving God’s people, but an incredible opportunity to broaden my horizons moving forward. If I have allowed this year to be anything less than a spring-board into what’s next, then it has been a waste. If I haven’t allowed the perspective I’ve gained about the world this year to convict me to live my life differently, I’m devaluing the truth in the stories of hundreds of my dearest friends. If I haven’t let this opportunity to do something big lead me to the realization that I can do things that are even bigger, then I am seriously limiting the Lord of my life.
As I begin to mentally process transitioning home, I am SO thankful that I won’t just be fitting neatly back into my old life, fondly looking back on this amazing year. I’m looking forward to the process of using not only my experiences from the last 11 months, but the way that God has orchestrated my whole life, to follow where He calls me. I refuse to let this year be some lofty and isolated experience. Instead, I expect it to be a continuation of the incredible trajectory I’ve seen the Lord place on my life. It’s unreal to watch it unfold, and I intend to keep being actively a part of an adventure even greater than what I experienced this year.
My theme verse this year has been Habakkuk 1:5. I don’t intend to be finished being astonished just because I’m finished with the World Race, and I don’t expect that the Lord will stop surprising me with unimaginable experiences either. The World Race is not the best year of my life.
Habacuc 1:5
- “¡Miren a las naciones!
- ¡Contémplenlas y quédense asombrados!
- ?Estoy por hacer en estos días cosas tan sorprendentes?
- que no las creerán aunque alguien se las explique.”
