For you faithful blog followers over the course of this journey…
Top 11 in 11 from this year.
My life is ridiculous.
Enjoy!
#1 craziest drivers, hands down
Manila, Philippines
Top 2 craziest travel days
Beijing – Cape Town (52 hrs of planes, trains and automobiles including 18 hrs on a bus)
Tegucigalpa – Volcan, Panama and the Canal! (3 days on a bus – 50 hrs – and an 8 hr drive through the night both ways to the canal)
(honorable mention: Budapest – Guatemala City…no T.V. on our transatlantic flight; 32 hrs with 9 hr NYC layover)
Top 3 Worst Bathrooms
Chinese train
Serbian park
Moz when the water went out
(honorable mention: toilets when the water went out in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia)
Top 4 New Foods
Lumpia, lugow – Philippines
Street food veggie pita – China
Kebabs/Gyros – Serbia
Yangana – Mozambique
Top 5 Ministries:
Threads of Hope – Philippines
Eagles Wings – China
Beacon of Hope Africa – Moz
Casa Jackson – Guatemala
Casa de Luz/OM – Panama
Top 6 WR Celebrations:
Birthday/Thanksgiving in SA
Christmas Eve (and Mark Law Day – Dec. 23) in Moz
Halloween in China
Chrin's Honduran Birthday
Kat Davis' bday in Budapest
4th of July at the Panama Canal
Top 7 ridiculous modes of transportation (we took over 35 this year!):
Filipino trike
Walk-a-lator (inclined moving sidewalk in Asia)
Catamaran
Bakkie ("bucky" – pick up truck in Africa)
Kombi (Swazi public transport)
Romanian train…ick.
Tica Bus (FREEZING in Central America)
8 of us fit on this litte trike!
Top 8 Weird things that are now normal:
Toilet paper never gets flushed and squattie potties are acceptable toilets.
Livestock has more freedom than I do on any given day.
Bodily functions are an acceptable topic of discussion, any time.
If you want to feel like a celebrity, just ride public transport. It's guaranteed that every local will stare at you for the duration of the ride.
It's normal to never, ever, ever be alone…not in the bathroom, not in your bed or tent, never ever ever.
Charades is useful for both evening entertainment and ordering food at restaraunts where no one speaks English.
If you've forgotten what currency you're using, just hold out your hand and let the vendor take the coins they need.
Everything you own fits in a 40 lbs pack and you constantly feel like you have way too much stuff.
Bonus: Third world lice are no joke but they sure do make for some great team bonding.
Top 9 Cities:
Antigua, Guatemala
Beijing, China
Brasov, Romania
Budapest, Hungary
Cape Town, South Africa
Panama City, Panama
Prague, Czech Republic
Puerto Galera, Philippines
Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria
Cape Town, South Africa
Top 10 lessons learned:
1. Intense community is messy, beautiful and worth it.
2. God STILL speaks and life happens.
3. I am a Daughter and He calls me His beloved.
4. He will ALWAYS show up faithful. Jesus is ALWAYS ENOUGH.
5. Speaking boldly and confidently is a part of who I am. I carry authority because of who Jesus is in me
6. Laughter fixes a whole lot of stuff.
7. Giants in the promised land are meant to inspire.
8. It's a beautiful sacrifice to live for the kingdom. To gain some stuff you've gotta let go of some stuff that was never yours to hold. Take hold, rather, of that for which Christ took hold of you.
9. Who told me I was naked? Useless? Weak? Unwanted? A liar, not my Father – the One whose voice dictates my steps.
10. The Kingdom is here. The kingdom is NOW. The kingdom is within us.
11 Words of Life from 11 months:
1. Intimacy
2. Boldness and Release
3. Pursue.
4. Family
5. Shout
6. Believe and Surrender
7. Awakening
8. Bloom
9. Game On
10.He is Enough
11. REJOICE! Celebrate!
#11in11. #boom.
