Through various social outlets, I’ve been blessed to come into contact with MANY World Race alumni! I’ve been able to hear some awe-inspiring testimonies, glean some awesome advice, and take a gander at the plethora of designs that Chacos sandals come in.

The NUMBER 1 piece of advice that every alumni has given me thus far is this: Ditch all of your expectations for the race. Every Single One. Ditch them. Do it now.

The truth is though, I have but ONE expectation for my World Race adventure- to be blindsided by the Unexpected.

I expect to witness unexpected miracles.

I expect for God to stretch me to unexpected lengths, and for Him to teach me unexpected lessons.

I expect to unexpectedly fall in love with the various peoples and communities. I expect to unexpectedly leave parts of my heart in numerous countries.

I expect to go on unexpected detours with my team, that lead to unexpected adventures.

I expect to have unexpected smells emitted from un-showered body, and I expect to unexpectedly be OK with it.

I expect for the Holy Spirit to work through my squad in unexpected ways.

I expect for God to completely break me down, unexpectedly. And I expect for Him to unexpectedly build me back up, better than ever.

Most of all, I expect to unexpectedly come back to the U.S. a completely different person. I expect to have an unexpected amount of gratefulness towards God for that.