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So many alumni racers warn that you that at some point the World Race will start to feel like “just another day”. I have yet to feel that. The intensity has yet to turn down since the day I decided to apply for this life changing journey. There have been quite a few days where I wished for quiet, where I wished to enact my introvert tendencies, where I just wanted to be “normal”.
But I’m quickly reminded that there are 2 kinds of normal. There is normal in the world and normal with Jesus.
Normal with Jesus is ministry in the morning by Redeeming Culture to Bring Kingdom and going to the movies twice in one afternoon later that day.
He has filled His world full of pleasures. There are things for humans to do all day long without His minding in the least – sleeping, washing, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working.
-The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
As a group of 15, we decided to go to the movies. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to see a movie, but the theater was in a mall so at worst case scenario I would walk around the mall.
We got there, and I saw the mall through God’s eyes. As I looked around it broke my heart to see a mall exactly like a mall in the US knowing that not far from this location there are people living in the slums with barely any food to eat and makeshift homes to live in as they work desperately hard to survive. But this is a fleeting thought in my mind as God centers my thoughts back on the fun that He has planned for me this afternoon.
I ended up deciding to watch a movie with the group so I buy my movie ticket, which converts to $6. I am elated at how cheap the price is, but the best part comes into my peripheral view… POPCORN!!!!!!! If you can’t tell, I LOVE POPCORN! It is by far my favorite snack and I really didn’t expect to get it while on the Race. (I have spent many a days having popcorn and a smoothie for dinner.) The smile on my face grew so much that it hurt as I wait to line to buy my concession treat. I get to the front and realize they have Cheesy Popcorn and I think my eyes light with stars as they do for cartoon characters. I taste it and get a surprise… Even though the sign says Cheesy, the popcorn actually tastes like sour cream and onion. I continue to chew with my face crunched in, but it evolves to another smile as I decide “I love this flavor!” We watch “Inferno” and to be honest the movie really didn’t matter to me. I was more interested in the popcorn, but I enjoyed the movie, nevertheless.
The movie ends and I spend the next couple hours getting some one-on-one time with one of my teammates, Conner. We have a great time walking around the mall and then walking around the Saturday night market, talking all the while. We head back to the hostel and I imagine that I will climb into my bed and rest when I get to my room. I stop to say hi to Ebony and Lise and tell them I’m off to bed.
I walk into my dorm room and Ashlyn and Abby say “Hey Ro, do you want to go back to the movies with us to see Dr. Strange?” That happened to be the movie we originally planned to see earlier that day, but we missed the show time since we suck at reading military time. I surprise them as I immediately say “YES!” I love their excited reaction as they realize that they don’t have to convince me to participate in the shenanigans that are about to happen.
“When are we going?”
“Now! The movie starts in 40 minutes and we still have to get transportation to get there.”
“Oh, cool!”
It ends up being 5 of us who choose to participate in this escapade. We gather by the street and hail down a Sungtow (a little red bus) that takes back to the mall. The driver drops us off at the mall and we realize that the darkness within the mall means that it is closed. We start circle the massive building to find the cinema entrance, panicking as we realize that the movie is starting in like 5 minutes. We go back in forth from walking to running as we look for an entrance to use. The Thai mall police must have been watching us on the security monitor saying “stupid Americans” because one soon materializes in front of us.
I’m not going to lie, I thought we were in trouble as this Thai cop starts to lead us to a lower level employee/merchant entrance on the side of the building. We quickly, yet cautiously, enter the doorway and follow him through the hallway. We finally release the breath we are holding as they smile and lead us to a service elevator while telling us “Floor 4 for the cinema”.
We giggle on elevator at the way God provides and yet makes fun of our shenanigans by using the cop to lead us.
We get our tickets, and of course our popcorn, and see the movie. I seriously enjoyed every second as we laugh at the Thai previews, pass back and forth this huge bucket of popcorn, and enjoy the antics of Dr. Strange. Elated we head out of the movie.
“So how are we going to get home? It’s 12:30 am and the mall is closed.”
We follow the Asians through the mall since we know no other way to proceed. We get on the elevator and get off where they do. The caveat is that they drove to the theater.
Ashlyn says “what are the odds it takes us forever to get out of this parking lot?” 15 minutes later we finally find our way out of the parking lot. I guess the odds were 1 to 1.
Laughing as we finally make our way out the labyrinth also known as the parking lot, we make our way to the street and notice there no Sungtows in sight. I suggest that we head to median so that we can see in both directions. As I start to do that I see a Sungtow coming. I don’t wait for a break in traffic because that’s just not how it works in Asia; I jet out into the street and onto the median waving my hand like a mad women trying to respect the Asian culture of being quiet rather than a loud American, but the driver doesn’t notice me.
We are all laughing, but I am sure that everyone in the group is slightly panicked as we start to realize that getting home will probably be an adventure in and of itself.
Then another Sungtow appears… We desperately all stand together waving our hands like crazy people trying to get the driver’s attention, but he does not stop. The next thing I know, half of the group is running full speed down the street!
I don’t wait to figure out why…
I hike up my maxi skirt and book it down the street following the lead of the others. It was like watching a high speed chase as we run around chairs, evade a group of locals, and hop over boxes to get down the street. Soon I realize we are running because the Sungtow has stopped at the red light and we trying to get to him before drives off. Ashlyn is in front of me and as is laughing so hard she slows down.
“I can’t! I almost pissed myself from laughing!”
“Take a deep breath and let’s get it!”
We begin running again and make it to the Sungtow.
This has definitely been one of the funniest highlights of my journey so far. God knew what He was doing the second He put this idea to go to the movies in Abby’s head. He knew that we needed fun. He knew that I was struggling with feeling like it had been so serious lately. He knew that Ashlyn was struggling with being homesick. He knew that the 5 of us needed some fun in our lives.
I’m so glad that we said yes to this life of “normal” through the eyes of Him.
