It is impossible to sum up our year into one video, but for family and friends this week Lauren and I composed this little ditty as a small glimpse into lives of the World Racers.
As you watch, please pray for all the families, children, contacts and forever friends we have made all over the world. Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness to watch over all these wonderful people.
It has been a whirlwind week since I arrived in the States last Wednesday. I have said more goodbyes and hellos than imaginable and can't express the emotion that goes along with it. It is strange to have the lowest of lows clash with the highest of highs all in the matter of hours.
I have been trying all week to figure out how to tell you what re-entry is really like, but words won't do it justice.
Mama Carol, Me, and Selena (you have my heart) Day at Final Debrief
Some of the crew at Debrief
Cristie and I out to dinner
The Awaken Team pic at Debrief
The goodbyes were some of the hardest I have ever said, but we all agreed it is simply "See ya later" for now. I miss these wonderful people more than I can express and can't wait to see them again.
A few hours later the exciting HELLOS began! I have amazing friends and family who all love me so much and worked so hard to make my homecoming special.
HUGE Airport welcome!
We managed to hit a Derby party, homecoming party, 3 church services and tons of FOOD all within the first two days of coming home, so it is safe to say I am LOVED by so many awesome people. We had another homecoming party last night to thank some of the BEST supporters I could ask for and it was so good to see everyone.
I dreamed of coming home many nights on the Race and nothing I dreamed could ever compare to the amazing welcome I received. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. I love you all!
I have lived Psalm 121:7-8 this year and the Lord is so good.
"The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
Coming into the Race I really didn't know Jane. I couldn't remember anything about her from training; except that she was Chinese, or Japanese, or one of those Asian countries. ☺ Everyone said I would love her, but heck, we said that about everyone.
I had no idea the amazing sister the Lord was about to gift me with. This girl has changed my life. I have laughed more, cried more, prayed more and loved more with her than anyone on the race.
Jane speaks TRUTH, and I mean TRUTH. And she speaks it in love. I have never been so blessed by one person in one year than Jane. She has seen me fired up, broken down, ticked off, and everything in between and yet she continues to love me. We have probably spent more time rooming together than anyone else and we are still speaking; that is love. She is my constant roomie and I love her.
The Lord has done a HUGE work in her life. He was physically healed her, emotionally healed her, and put her on a path to absolutely change the world. And she will do it.
Jane loves trees, Korean food, her family, her friends and the Lord. She is obedient to His calling always and walks in such a way that people want to follow her. She is also freaking hilarious. I have never laughed so hard as I do with Jane. Sean, Jane, and I always have had an amazing repoire and spent a lot of time bonding in China. The three of us spent 2 weeks cooped up in a hotel room in China and we are better because of it. She can downright play cards, and doesn't like to lose, and can make amazing eggsalad in a hot pot. Does it get any better than that? The three of us are forever changed from that time together and will always be kindered spirits. We have been each other's sanity and had monthly ‘dates" to talk about life. She lets me verbally process all the junk in my head and has held up my arms just like Joshua did for Moses. I am really not sure I would have made it through the year without her.
Jane has believed in me and loved me when I didn't believe in myself and I am forever grateful.
Jane, you are the best! Thank you for being my sanity, my partner in crime, my accountability and my encouragement. Thank you for your transparency, your honesty, your ‘kick in the butt" and your love. This is just the beginning my friend, and I can't wait to see what is next for you. I promise to be in CO this year and can't wait to pick you up on our crazy roadtrip. The Lord has a HUGE calling on your life and you WILL walk in obedience and truth. I love you!!
Final Debrief has come and gone. We have had more than our share of tears, laughs and fun and we are prepped on what to expect Stateside.
Personally--I expect Fountain Coke, Olive Garden and a fabulous hot shower!! :)
I land THURSDAY at NOON in Lexington, KY and will stay in KY through the weekend to see friends, the Derby and a fabulous party. I would love to see everyone in Lexington this weekend, so call me and we will have lots and lots of Starbucks and Graeters! My phone number will be my old number and will be working on Thursday.
Everyone in Ohio--I will be there the first of the week for an indefinite time period, can't wait to catch up with all of you. :)
Jules! Wow, she is amazing. I just love her in every way and love watching the Lord work in her. She has truly become a beautiful person this year, inside and out. If you ask her, she will tell you that she wasn't sure we were going to be friends this year--but the Lord had better plans! I can't imagine life without her and we are already planning our next adventures.
Julie is our team introvert (amongst 6 other loud extroverts!), and we constantly tease her that she is always disappearing. Early in the race we discovered that she was always mysteriously "missing" when we were looking for her and to this day she will deny it--but we love her for it. Jules just has a charm about her that I can't really put my finger on, but you know it as soon as you meet her. Plus, she is drop dead gorgeous!! She has had more random friends this year than all of us combined and we don't blink an eye anymore when one of her new friends turns up at dinner with us. She has a light within her that people are attracted to and has the purest heart of anyone I have met.
She is always trying to get me to eat some strange soy nuts, or take viatmins, or eat healthy, but is also always up for ice cream! She was a constant running buddy all year and always ready to tackle the healthy lifestyle with me. Safe to say we both fell off and on that wagon about a million times and have all but given up at this point!
I am not sure what happens about 9PM every night, but something shifts in Jules and she magically becomes so giggly. There are so many nights we have stayed up late laughing with "rum tooth cindy" and "Cindy Lou Hoo" (our favorite nicknames); I am so going to miss our late night laugh sessions and discussions. Jules has a secret obsession with the Peninsula Hotel chain and has a life goal to have High Tea in every Peninsula in the World. There are only 6 and she has been to 3, so she is well on her way! Jules, I promise next time I will go with you!
Behind her timid smile and beautiful eyes is an incredible woman of God. I have seen her take hold of the anointing the Lord has put on her life and go for it this year. She has become an amazing prayer warrior and I have loved seeing her come alive in her giftings. The Lord has truly given her a heart of compassion and I have NO doubt that she will heals thousands of people with her tears of compassion. Julie has been such a friend and more to me this year. She has loved me through some unloveable moments and was always quick to remind me that I was a cherished daughter of the King. She speaks life, truth and LOVE in everything that she does and I love her to pieces.
Jules: I love you and can't wait for our summer travels. You are going to go home and light up America girl! Thank you for being you. Thank you for being so patient, so loving and so stinking funny. Thank you for being different than me and yet still encouraging me to be me. This year would have been so different without your sweet spirit amongst us. Much love!
I would not have made it through the year without this amazing man of God, and the Lord knew that. Funny, how he continues to take care of me without me ever realizing it; over and over again.
March 2007 was the first time Sean and I ever talked and I was sitting on the beach on family vacation and freaking out about having to buy a tent. NEVER in my life had I ever had a need for a tent or backpack and I was truly shuddering at the thought of living in one for a year. Enter Sean. All I knew was that he was some sort of camping wizard or mountain man, or something like that. He talked me off the ledge from the beginning and laughed to himself at how completely clueless I was. He instructed me to buy the biggest sleeping mat I could find (praise GOD!) and my back has thanked him all year. I may have toted the biggest sleeping bag and mat of anyone all year, but I was for sure comfortable! I can't begin to imagine what he thought of me in Mar 2007, but I know that I pretty much figured he was going to make fire, carry heavy bags and kill bugs. I laugh now. Sure, he did all those things, but only after insisting I learned them myself first and I am forever grateful.
I was initially the team Leader for Team Awaken and from the very beginning Sean and I developed a really easy relationship of co-leading. I was completely unsure of myself and he was a great sounding board and friend. The team quickly gave us the "mom and dad" nicknames that have unfortunately stuck all year, but there is definitely some truth in it. We have very much led together and leaned on each other a lot. When I became the squad leader in South Africa it was a unanimous decision to have Sean step into the role of leader for Awaken. He is a natural leader and easy to follow. There is no way either of us could have predicted the ebb and flow of this year nor how much we would count on each other as we went along.
We have shared MORE than our share of laughs and cries. Poor Sean always managed to show up on the scene just about the time I needed a nervous breakdown. He has sat through many verbal processing sessions and always points me in the direction of truth and grace. We have shared talk-time on the couches of Bangkok, beaches of Philippines, sidewalks of Nicaragua, and everywhere in-between. Not only has he provided emotional support, but has an uncanny ability to make me laugh hysterically. We always seem to be on the same wavelength and can't count the number of times we have taken the words out of each other's mouths. He is a FIERCE competitor in cards and there was this one time in China where I smoked him on a train in rummy, but other than that I am usually the loser. I am still NOT a good loser, but he is working on it.
My absolute favorite moments on the Race were two weeks we spent cooped up in a hotel in China. Jane, Sean and I shared a living space and there was never a dull moment. Sean is the big brother we never had and we picked on each other and laughed constantly. It should be illegal to have that much fun.
Sean, thank God this is just another beginning and definitely not the end. Thank you for everything--I really don't have the words (sound familiar?) but, thank you for laughing, crying, praying, supporting and taking care of me all year. I really am not sure I would have made it. The Lord has put a HUGE calling on your life and I am proud to stand by you as walk in it. Your faith, courage, boldness and passion inspire me.
Oh, jenny Brown! We had a rough start that has given way to a beautiful friendship. Jenny and I are probably two of the most independent, opposite people on the Race and the Lord knew it. He knew we would need each other's strength and knew that we would laugh and cry together.
Jenny is pretty much a walking jukebox and is never without a song. She has truly provided the song track for our year and it is beautiful. The Lord has gifted her with an amazing voice and she continues to use it to praise Him. It has been a gift to all of us this year. Music is her lifeline and one of our worst (and now funniest) moments on the Race is when I accidently erased her entire IPOD. (I PROMISE it was an accident). She is to this day still recovering music. Oops! Not so funny then, but we can laugh now. Sort of. ☺
Brown (as we call her) is one of the strongest women I know. She has walked through hurt, pain, and a history with grace and triumph. The Lord is doing a huge work in her life and she has been subjected to a lot of brokenness and stripping this year and will be victorious! She has a fierce loyaly to her "girls" back home and can hardly wait to get her arms around her precious nieces. Her Momma came to visit us at Christmas and it was such a blessing to have a Mom around for a few days.
Brown can be ummm…sassy, shall we say? And we all love it. She will always say what the rest of us are thinking and are too afraid to say and I am so grateful for her boldness. We had a "moment" in the Philippines and it was so easy to receive from her because it is spoken in truth and love. And she is always humble enough to apologize and speak her heart with a hug too.
This girl is going to rock the world and she lives what she believes. It has been my pleasure to walk this road with her this year.
Brown, you are amazing, but you know that! I am proud to call you a sister. Thanks for always telling me how it is and never holding back—it is refreshing. Keep on being sassy, smart, and exactly who God made you to be. I love you!
"…he who began a good work in you will continue it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
Cristie is one of my favorite people of all time. I have never met someone so easy to be around, so happy, and so in love with Jesus.
Cristie is one of the youngest people with us, but she is one of the most spiritually mature people too. The depth of her love and knowledge of God continue to astound me. Cristie didn't have problems remembering her priorities when the rest of us were distracted, tired and hungry. Cristie is one of those people I could always count on to pray and I knew when she said she would that she would be faithful to do it.
There were times throughout the year when I was not with the team and Cristie continued to encourage me through emails and notes. So many times I felt alone and on a leadership island and Cristie continued to reach out of me in incredible ways. She truly loved me in ways I can't even describe. She ALWAYS had a kind word and I can guarantee she has never uttered an unkind word about anyone.
She has a passion and fire for Jesus that is unmatched and has taught me so much about worship. I will never forget a night in South Africa when the Lord told Cristie to dance and she was obedient. There were probably 80 racers and debriefers and she had the obedience to dance in front of all of them—I have never witnessed devotion and worship like that. I have never seen anyone chase the heart of Jesus like she does, and it is beautiful. She has one of the purest hearts of anyone I have met and is so much fun to be around.
One of my favorite memories on the Race is the night in Cambodia when Cristie and I ran through the halls of the hotel ringing doorbells on everyone's doors. Cambodia debrief was really stressful for me and Cristie had the pleasure of rooming with me and as our stress relief we raced up and down the hall about 9PM and rang door bells on all the hotel rooms. It was exactly the kind of laugh I needed and so much fun.
Crisite supported me this year just by her presence. She truly lives the love of Jesus, even when it is hard. Throughout a whole LOT of crap this year, she always supported, always prayed and always loved.
Cristie, I love you girl! Thank you so much for loving me this year. You are an amazing woman of God and I look up to you so much. Thank you for being transparent, passionate, and lovely. Thank you for being Jesus to me. The Lord has a huge anointing on your life and I can't wait to watch it play out. Love you!
"You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise." Psalm 119:58-58
Life on the World Race is nothing short of crazy and completely random. The Race is sometimes made up of moments like today...
**I pooped in a cup and the clinic told me I have Giardia and an Intestinal Infection. Good times and great bonding with my teammates. I can actually say I ran 3 miles this morning with 2 poop samples in my pocket--who else can say that?? (the clinic didn't open as early as we thought). Not to worry, most of the squad has Giardia and we are all quite proud of our little parasites. I have named mine Gus. Hopefully he will be evicted quite soon. Just a few pills and out he goes.
**I also have fleas. yep, like a furry little dog has fleas. Apparently they are quite common in Guatemala and a few squad mates have them as well.
And.....mom, don't kill me! But, I jumped off a mountain attached to a little piece of nylon. Otherwise known as a PARACHUTE and went PARAGLIDING!!!!
We decided it was one last hurrah as a team and it was stinking amazing!! Safe to say we are having WAY too much fun!
Before the Jump. I was a tad bit excited
In the AIR!!!
Our Parachute and harness
Floating. Loved it!! And lived to tell about it!
**ps--fun little adventures like this are paid for by my personal funds and not ministry money. :)
We have spent the last 10 days doing ministry with one of my favorite contacts of the year. Pastor Antonio and his family blessed us immeasurably and we loved every minute of it. There was just something different about this time; whether because we knew it was the last ministry, because of the beautiful people of Guatemala, or what, I am not sure, but it was amazing.
Pastor Antonio has a KINGDOM heart and has given his entire life to ministry. So often, we are people who give parts of ourselves to God but are afraid to go all in. Pastor Antonio has gone all in and it was our honor to work beside him. He WALKS 2 hours both ways to his church at least 4 times a week and never complains, just simply loves and serves. Find me a Pastor in the States who would do that. Find me someone so committed to the work of the Lord to give his entire life and family for the Gospel. I was humbled and honored to work with him this week and can't wait to go back.
As our gift to Antonio, we put together a video about his ministry and family to share with supporters. I would be honored if you would consider partnering with him. He is a man with a vision from God and nothing will stop him.
Jules! Wow, she is amazing. I just love her in every way and love watching the Lord work in her. She has truly become a beautiful person this year, inside and out. If you ask her, she will tell you that she wasn't sure we were going to be friends this year--but the Lord had better plans! I can't imagine life without her and we are already planning our next adventures. 
I am so going to miss our late night laugh sessions and discussions. Jules has a secret obsession with the Peninsula Hotel chain and has a life goal to have High Tea in every Peninsula in the World. There are only 6 and she has been to 3, so she is well on her way! Jules, I promise next time I will go with you!
March 2007 was the first time Sean and I ever talked and I was sitting on the beach on family vacation and freaking out about having to buy a tent. NEVER in my life had I ever had a need for a tent or backpack and I was truly shuddering at the thought of living in one for a year. Enter Sean. All I knew was that he was some sort of camping wizard or mountain man, or something like that. He talked me off the ledge from the beginning and laughed to himself at how completely clueless I was. He instructed me to buy the biggest sleeping mat I could find (praise GOD!) and my back has thanked him all year. I may have toted the biggest sleeping bag and mat of anyone all year, but I was for sure comfortable! I can't begin to imagine what he thought of me in Mar 2007, but I know that I pretty much figured he was going to make fire, carry heavy bags and kill bugs. I laugh now. Sure, he did all those things, but only after insisting I learned them myself first and I am forever grateful.
Not only has he provided emotional support, but has an uncanny ability to make me laugh hysterically. We always seem to be on the same wavelength and can't count the number of times we have taken the words out of each other's mouths. He is a FIERCE competitor in cards and there was this one time in China where I smoked him on a train in rummy, but other than that I am usually the loser. I am still NOT a good loser, but he is working on it.
