The World Race isn’t always intense soul shaping moments. Sometimes (usually) we World Racers spend our time like the rest of you out there: wishing we were doing something more fun or interesting. I gotta tell you that I’ve never been more bored in my life than the 3 months I spent in Africa. Sure, we had fun, we did ministry (when we had it available to us), we got to know each other, we exercised, we held bible studies, we did team time, we read good books by Donald Miller & other phenomenal authors, we stared at the sky & dreamed away our days, we looked to the moon & wished we were back home. Those are all normal things to do when bored…but….we’re on the World Race. Come on. We’re bound to get into some “interesting” shenanigans.
So, what did I, Vashti Wills, do when boredom struck? Hmm…let me tell you. However! You must keep in mind that I spent the majority of my Africa experience behind walls (it wasn’t “safe” enough to leave the house without a chaperone in Zimbabwe, in Zambia we were in a neighborhood & the closest “entertainment” was a “mall”, in Malawi….it was flooding & raining 24/7 & we were actually in questionably safe places so I had to stay near my people). Basically what I’m saying is- get ready to silently judge me & to laugh.
What I did when I was bored:
1.) tested my pain tolerance on my legs by plucking out leg hair one by one with my tweezers (this was a really boring day)
2.) climb trees, time myself for speed, & imagine myself as Jane in Tarzan. “me, Tarzan, You, Jane.” What a hunk.
3.) weave necklaces out of grass…with my toes
4.) play with host children…for over 4 hours straight
5.) hide from host children until bedtime
6.) learn how to cook over 10 different meals & snacks using the same 3 ingredients (oatmeal, apples, corn puffs)
7.) workout until I cry (takes about an hour) & then stare at myself in the mirror waiting for my six pack to appear (spoiler alert- wishing doesn’t speed up the process).
8.) hold staring contests with the street animals & lose 8/10 times. (Cats are the best- don’t even think about challenging them).
9.) climb the host’s walls to steal a glimpse of the outside world & pretend to be an outlaw by ducking down whenever outsiders spot me.
10.) familiarize myself with over 27 species of yard insects & rename them. My personal favorite- good ol’ lotsalegs (centipede)
11.) build little houses using sticks, grass, rocks, & other yard materials
12.) build stick dolls & debate how old I am with teammates.
13.) run in a circle
14.) journal about how I feel my life-force draining out of me. And then cry about it.
15.) eat nonstop
16.) count in my head how many people I’ve met in my life
17.) lay in the grass & allow ants to discover me- just so I can smack them off & start again
18.) memorize every feature of my body & be unsatisfied with the results
19.) rid my face of all acne several times a day
20.) watch Once Upon A Time. Captain Hook is the bomb diggity btw
21.) Go on a Mosquito hunt with my Roomate (Caroline Ritchey) (you use candles & catch them in the flame- it’s actually quite exhilarating)
22.) read until my eyeballs stop functioning.
23.) arts & crafts using a screwdriver & a rock (made my Zambian dread charm this way- punched a hole in a thick coin #proud)
24.) watch the family chickens eat maggots off of the trash can & ponder which came first; the chicken or the egg? (It’s the chicken btw- the chick couldn’t hatch out of the egg without the warmth of a chicken sitting on it)
25.) try my hand at sketching
26.) give up on being an artist
27.) write poetry about my sleeping pad, tent, & toiletry bag.
28.) put a weave in My teammate Caroline’s hair
29.) practice walking in a perfectly straight line (you know, for my resume)
30.) procrastinate on making bracelets…by staring at the bag in my lap & not doing anything
31.) think. About EVERYTHING.
32.) pity myself.
33.) eat my weight in carrots
34.) dig a hole in the yard with a twig
35.) attempt telekinesis. Give up on having superpowers.
36.) accept my own mortality
37.) have emotional breakdowns
38.) stare at a wall
39.) pray about EVERYONE I’ve ever met
40.) talk about learning to knit but never do it.
41.) watch Indian Soap Operas with my host mom (Married Again, & Saloni)
42.) talk to strangers about the weather
43.) practice accents: Russian, French, Spanish, African, Indian, Old Person (“back in my day!…”), general foreigner, Cowboy, Surfer Dude, Hick/Red Neck, Italian Chef, Obama, Bill Cosby, Jamaican & General Asian. My teammate Mary does a pretty good Polish man.
44.) unpack & repack my traveling packs/downsizing
45.) go through every memory I have from start to finish
46.) Question my own existence
47.) eat some more oatmeal
48.) shoot the breeze with the same 6 people I’ve spent every day with for the past 3 months.
49.) beg God to explain to me my purpose
50.) walk to the ice cream parlor for a chocolate dipped cone.
51.) think about writing a book about my experiences on the World Race.
52.) play the thankful game with myself until I’m truly thankful for my toenails.
Eventually, after 3 months of feeling like I had NOTHING to do, I learned how to live in the present. Because if the only thing you’re looking forward to is the moment you’re in, life is pretty great!
You can practice being thankful for everything you have. You can come to terms with the fact that happiness is fleeting & a lot of the time it just takes choosing to be joyful rather than giving into pessimism.
You can use what you have with you & who you’re surrounded by to be perfectly content. In Africa, among many other things, I learned how to be content with nothing but the clothes on my back.
When you are removed from everyone you love & everything that defines you & then put in Africa with limited ministry & practically nothing to do, you learn a lot about yourself.
You learn that a relationship with God is the only thing that lasts. You learn that the fruit of the spirit is the currency of life. You learn that love is perhaps the most powerful force on earth (aside from its counterpart, hatred). You learn that life is short, yours will end some day, & that you might as well make the most of what you’ve got.
Ironically, when I lost what I had defined as my “life” back home, I learned how to truly live.
The best way to do it is hand in hand with Jesus. Praying without ceasing. Loving those around you. Making the most of every opportunity.
You don’t have to be in Africa to learn this though- you can learn it today! Right now! Right where you are! You can rewrite your life any second of any day. All it takes is a change of heart. Look at your priorities- what matters to you? If Jesus is at the top of your list, I promise, breakthrough is coming your way.
Why put it off? Truly, there is no time like the present. All we have is today. We aren’t promised tomorrow. As the tattoo on my squad mate would say, “go” try something new today. Get out there & learn to live.
Until next time,
~ Vashti W.
Fundraising Update: AH!! I’m so close! I only need another $799 to become fully funded!! Please, if you’re able to donate, you can do it online through my blog by clicking the “support me” link & following the directions. Thank you everyone so much for supporting me in this adventure. From the good times to the bad times & every boring moment in between, you all have been there for me with encouragement & prayer & I cannot express how much that means to me.
Please keep me & my squad in your prayers as we learn to push into God with EVERYTHING we have here in Asia. This upcoming month is month 9 & that means Thailand, Debrief, Parent Vision Trip (PVT), & a buttload of anxiety over the end of the race quickly approaching. Thank you!
Month 9: Thailand
Month 10: Cambodia
Month 11: Vietnam
