We have finished. Completed the race. We are now back in the land of toilet paper, hot water, and wifi. It feels good to be home. Thank you so much for the support you’ve given us throughout this past year be it financially, spiritually, prayerfully, or physically (those bags were heavy!)
I just wanted to take a moment though and inform you of our reflections, our revelations and awe inspiring epiphanies we had on this journey and maybe even a good story or two that led to something inspirational, or embarrassing, or both.
Rick can go first.
Ok. Thanks. Well, first and foremost, I would call this year the year of The Lost and Found. Your first thought I bet would be to associate that with all the different kinds of people we met in all the different places. We found them and they were lost, going through the motions of life but without purpose and we tried to show them what it’s really like to live for God. Well, yes that happened and it does apply to that, but it also applies to what I discovered for myself about myself on this 11 month trek. There were several aspects of my life, parts of me that define who I was or now rather who I am that I had lost at one time, and now they have been found once again. These parts were lost to me over the course of my young lifetime (it doesn’t take long to lose a part of you) and this year was all about getting them back! I went through a lot of healing, recovery and journey’s of self-discovery. I have, along the edge of my journal, written several words each pertaining to a certain part of me that I had lost sometime during my past. They are:
Chosen: I am a son of God. I was created and chosen for a specific task and purpose that will help keep this world spinning. It’s not a good feeling when you feel like you’ve been left on the sidelines.
Worthy: I spent many a year feeling worthless when I was younger. No job, no one interested in hiring me, no girlfriend/wife, no aspects, no dreams, no desires…the list goes on but I got back my sense of worth. It’s because my worth doesn’t come from the earth, it comes from heaven. If gold is being used for pavement up there, just think of what they actually find valuable!
Fearless: We were all this way once when we were kids. Over time, it eats away at us and forms these timid little blobs that freak when placed in front of whatever we were never able to get over. (bullies, wrong answers on tests, hospitals, dogs, etc.) Well, not anymore. I got my childhood fearlessness back and I intend to keep it.
Baptized: In Honduras I finally made the realization that all those weird traditions and rituals that everybody did were, in fact, not stupid and actually pretty important. So I got baptized. (This is one thing, if you’re considering it, not to take it lightly. Do your research, don’t do it for the sake of calling yourself a Christian, don’t do it because everyone else is, and don’t do it because of peer pressure. This is a deeply personal spiritual awakening and covenant that you’re performing. You can ask me later about my thoughts on covenants.)
Blessed: In the Philippines, Sarah and I were greatly blessed with abundances and of things similar to home. Air Con (A/C for you Americans), our own room, hot water, ice cubes, closets, fans, private bathroom, unlimited tea and coffee, safe to drink tap water, toilet paper, soap, clothes washer, a pool complete with slide and diving platform, so many things. It was a great month that reminded me of how truly blessed I am. I do not live in want.
Husband: With all the excitement and hullabaloo your schedule gets pretty packed and stressful. So much so that you almost forget there’s someone else in your life that needs you too. It was important to take that schedule and carve out a piece it specifically for her and no one else. It was great helping out so many different people but I couldn’t forget that I also held a promise and a lifelong bond with someone else. Don’t let your priorities fall out of place.
So that happened. Each of these words are written along the edge of my journal so that every time I see it, I will never again forget who I am and what I have attained.
And now for the poop story; each racer seems to have one and everyone else is always fascinated to hear it for some reason. I was in Guatemala at the construction site for the house we were building. I’m not sure if it was something I ate or what but I had to go and it wasn’t going to wait until the end of the day. There was no toilet anywhere, the houses in the area didn’t have plumbing and alas, no outhouses either. So what did I do? I found a spot behind a big dump truck (lol get it) and sat down right there in the dirt. It wasn’t until I returned to the construction site that I realized that where I had gone was someone else’s fill dirt for a trench they were working on. Oops. Guess they will have a fun surprise filling that back in!
Sarah learned stuff too. This is what she learned.
I learned what it really means to have a relationship with God and why it’s important; more so than just a surface level friendship but a deep understanding of each other like a sibling or a spouse. You’ve grown up together, you’ve shared moments and experiences that no one else would understand or be able to share. The missionaries that hosted us portrayed that relationship time and time again. It was amazing to see how often and how much they relied on Him for their needs. It wasn’t just something they did; it was a part of who they were.
I also now realize the importance of community. I’m a rather independent woman who likes to do things on her own. If something needs done right, I’ll do it myself. However, God created us to live as one church…as one community. I see now the importance of the ability to share each other’s burdens, to share in the work load for the greater good and to rely on others; especially when I’m not able to go any further.
Lastly, I learned how to choose my own choices instead of letting circumstances dictate them for me. If I didn’t do something, or didn’t do it well, or didn’t do enough, that is my own responsibility. I have a choice and the power to change things. I will no longer allow life to pass me by and let circumstances define me.
I may have also picked up some bad habits, but I’ll be choosing to get rid of them. I really need to stop saving every napkin I get from subway for fear of needing toilet paper later and also need to stop buying items based on wether or not they’ll fit into my pack.
This journey, trek, race, whatever you want to call it was worth it. Yes it was challenging. Some parts were just downright hard (sorry Rynette). But it was all very very worth it.
