I never thought I would see the day when I ran the risk of getting frostbite from being at the beach for too long.
[Note that the people sitting are geared up in sweatshirts :)].
Or be confused to be celebrating the fourth of July instead of Christmas due to the weather suggesting the latter.
I never expected my coldest months of this past year to be June & July, or to have sweat almost non-stop from December through March, but here's to the World Race and not having expectations!
[Note the tile floor: if you don't have your hood up, sleeping bag & socks on, or a hot drink in hand, then you're probably freezing. The girls pictured are experts at these after our second morning here].
However, it all makes sense when you think about the geography–Jordan would be so proud! I am currently so close to the South Pole that there are penguins here! However, it still seems backwards to have freezing fingers and be envious of everyone's new sweaters and slippers in JULY.
But I should probably get more used to things seeming backwards as I prepare to return to steamy New York in a short 25 days! (Not to mention that the Bible is full of paradoxical truths: strength through weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; gaining through losing, Philippians 3:7-8; being more blessed by giving than receiving, Acts 20:35; the humble will be exalted, Philippians 2:9-9, the last will be first and the first will be last, Matthew 19:30). I don't expect to be well understood by many because of the myriad of unthinkable positions that I've been in the past 11 months, which I've simply acquired by living around the world, as they would be impossible to articulate well in any one person's attention span. (That sentence was probably too long for many of you, and I trimmed it down! :))
I think it may be difficult to relate to others after I return home and not continually bring up stories starting with "When I was on the Race…" or "When I was in (insert country) …," as well as not hold others to the same standard that I now have for myself in regards to how I desire to love, serve and care for people around the world with this new awareness and personal experiences with poverty, human trafficking, illness, witchdoctors and child sacrifice, orphans, and spiritual darkness.
Please pray for me during this transition time. The Lord has truly blessed us with being in South Africa for our last month, as it is the most western country we have been to, but it's still kind of strange (at least in Jay Bay) since we live just inside of the tourist area, but only two blocks away is the township area with homes that remind me of the Philippines and cows that go wherever they please like in Maasai Mara (did I ever mention that a cow there chewed up my skirt that was drying on the clothesline??).
[Homes in the Philippines]
Also, pray for the girls that I will be working with this month. I am proud to be helping coach and disciple girls from the "Philia Cute Girls Soccer Team." Philia is Greek for the friendship type of love and the girls were asked if they wanted to add another adjective; they chose cute. <3 If you know me, you may laugh or wonder why I'm coaching soccer since I swam and played water polo in high school, but lucky for me I participated in a few drills and played my first game in Malaysia, so I'm practically an expert–or at least paired with two (Abby, my squadmate, has played for 19 years! & my teammate, Cheyanne, is pretty stellar as well :)). I am so excited for the discipleship aspect, which includes getting to visit them at their homes, building their self image and confidence at practice, and sharing stories that exemplify who Jesus is. Pray for wisdom, energy and enthusiasm as we lead, that the girls would know Christ more through every minute we spend together–whether we are kicking around the ball, offering encouragement as they do drills, or speaking about Him and His love directly.
