I leave in exactly 4 days. That is an exciting, yet overwhelming thought. I am excited to be in the Philippines. I am excited to meet the children we will be hanging out with and learn more about the ministry (www.growourworld.com) we will be serving with. I am excited to step into warm weather and experience all of the wild adventures that will take place these next 11 months.
However. Packing is hard. I had hoped to be fully packed a few days ago so that I could fully dedicate my time to rest and being with friends and family before I left. But. Packing is hard. Packing your house (tent), your bed (sleeping bag, pad, liner, and pillow), your clothes, your toiletries, your shoes, and other random gadgets is not an easy task when your space is limited and you are going to be carrying it on your (not-so-great) back & shoulders. However, simple reminders — ‘everything will be ok’ — keep me sane and small breaks are my favorite – even if they sometimes turn into adventures.
11 Most Frequently Asked Questions & The Best Answers I Can Give:
1) Will I be able to communicate while I’m gone?
Yes! There are several ways I will be able to keep you all updated–Instagram, Email Replies, Facebook, iMessage, Viber texting, WhatsApp texting, FaceTime, Skype, Blog Posts, Snapchat, and I am sure there are more. I will be communicating when internet is available. But I also want to be very present in ministry, so I will not be available 24/7 even if I have internet all of the time. Please feel free to send me emails, messages, etc. I will reply when I can and I can assure you they will be very much appreciated. Lastly, I will not have an address to mail things to.
2) Am I ready?
Sure! I don’t think a person can ever truly be ready for the World Race, or really anything. But something that I have learned a lot recently is: God qualifies the called.
3) Am I nervous?
Nope. I have had so much peace from the start. God has taken away fear and replaced it with hope, joy, and excitement.
4) Am I fully funded?
No! As you can see above I need a couple hundred dollars to reach my fundraising goal. To donate please click support me. All donations are tax deductible and there are no processing fees for online donations. There are other ways to donate, please contact me to do this.
5) What countries am I going to?
Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Bulgaria, Moldova, & Romania. This route is temporary and could potentially change.
6) When will I return?
Not sure yet. We won’t know that date until closer to the end of the trip.
7) How long will I be in each country?
Roughly a month (due to travel time).
8) Which country am I most excited to go to?
All of them. Seriously. Every single one of them.
9) Why do I need a tent?
Each month will be completely different. Some months we could be sleeping on bunk beds, others we could be sleeping on the floor (on our sleeping pads). Some months we could all be staying in one big room and tents would serve as bug nets and “privacy” ‘rooms.’ And yes, some months we will be camping outside in our tents for the months. What an adventure 🙂
10) What will I be doing each month?
Each month will be completely different. The ministry work we will be doing will look different, sometimes even day-to-day. We could be working with kids, elderly, people in hospitals, people in prison, trafficking survivors, teaching, helping build micro-farms, building houses, sports camps, pub ministry, holding babies all day, etc. The community need is where the focus will be.
11) What will I do when I get home?
I am not sure yet. And I am completely ok with that. One day I will get my masters and licensing as a therapist. But when that will be…I don’t know and it’s all good.
—One last thing!
Bracelets!!! Yesterday marked January 1st. If you purchased bracelets, now’s the time to watch for updates about what color to wear each month. Since month 1 is the Philippines, the first bracelet to wear is royal blue. If you have no clue what I am talking about click here.
With Love,
Shelby
