We have officially arrived in Tocopilla, Chile! However, our first 72 hours as World Racers were incredibly difficult.
The journey to a new country has been such an incredible adventure. It is as if the Lord has given us new eyes to see the beauty of His creation. There is so much room to fall in love with God and His work when being exposed to an entirely new perspective on life. We had a 20 hour bus ride through the entire country of Chile to prove it! However, even in the midst of great excitement and beauty, reality hit me in full strength swings. Our lives had drastically changed in a matter of hours. We fell asleep in the United States and woke up in Chile. We stepped off the plane to new food, people, weather, currency, elevations, and language. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement.
We had not slept for near 36 hours and as we prepared to sleep on the bus (our second night in a row sleeping on some form of transportation), everything hit me like a freight train. This is my new reality: the unknowns, the struggle to navigate an unfamiliar culture, swollen ankles from days of travel, lack of food because we don’t know how to ask for it, and being sick and not having access to medication that will quickly fix the upset stomach.
I struggled through sobs as my teammates fell asleep on the bus in our first night in Chile because it felt like my world was no longer safe. I missed home, my family, my friends, my bed, my pillow, my shower, my wash machine and even my language. 24 hours hadn’t even passed, and I already felt the urge to go home with the entire race ahead of me. So, how could I do this for 11 months, if I already felt like quitting on day one?!
As I woke up the following morning still on the bus in the middle of the desert with nothing in sight, I saw a bolder on the side of the road that read “Jesus es la vida.” In the midst of all of my emotional and physical hurt, in the midst of my own spiritual battle, in my very small “world” that changed in a matter of hours from familiar and comfortable to uncomfortable and at times scary, God is the one thing that has not changed and will not change. “Jesus is the life,” and Jesus is my life; therefore, I shall not fear.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
