Feliz Navidad! - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Hey beautiful family, friends, and whoever happens to stumble upon this blog! Just wanted to take a minute to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Last year, I celebrated Christmas in Zambia; memories of a riot at the grocery store, shopping at the market for secret santa gifts, cooking steaks on a frying pan, eating with our headlamps, and going to a 6 hour church service flood my mind.

I absolutely loved the teammates I was with last year, but I was still in a time of mourning the loss of simple things, such as celebrating the holidays with family and friends. This year, the Lord has transitioned my heart into such a different place. A deep place of thankfulness for the blessings I have: the family and friends back home + the many people in the nations that were once strangers to me + the amount of favor and provision the Lord has spilled into my life. It’s incredible to think that I’m in the nations telling people about the very reason that we celebrate Christmas. What a ridiculous opportunity!

This year, Christmas Eve at the beach, a cande-lit dinner of amazingness, Christmas carols, a tissue paper tree, singing Silent Night with candles, taking time to voice our blessings, a Christmas t-shirt contest (the creepiest Santa Clause shirts I’ve possibly ever seen), story time with Twas’ the Night Before Christmas, and watching It’s a Wonderful Life will be memories embedded in my thoughts of Christmas in Nicaragua.

We had a Christmas Eve toast last night, in which Nate said this: Here’s to the places I never thought I’d go and the people I never knew I’d meet. [No one toasted after that because he set the bar WAY too high].

so, here’s my toast:

Here’s to an unexpected change in plans

Here’s to never knowing what’s next and being content in that

Here’s to embracing love, even when it hurts

Here’s to walking in honor, even when my feet stumble

Here’s to being in the nations and befriending the friendless

Here’s to Jesus, who knew long before I did that my life would turn into such a crazy adventure

Here’s to paving the path for others

Here’s to living a life of faith

Here’s to a journey that will never be easy, but always worth it

Here’s to hope.

Merry Christmas!