BLOG SERIES The other day our team was looking back at all of our old photos from the Race. We have almost a year of memories - filled with laughter, hard work, weariness, breakthroughs, growth, and failure. Our teammate asked us to look at different ministry experiences that impacted us that we don't want to forget. There were so many, that I narrowed it down to three - one from each continent we went to! This fi...

IRON SHARPENS IRON Feedback was a new concept that was introduced to me on the race. When we were first told about feedback, I thought it was telling people what they’re good at and what they’re bad at. But that’s only one layer of it. We are encouraged by our leaders to consistently give our teammates feedback, and my teams have made it a daily practice.   Before the race even started, I convinced myself th...

I can’t believe our time in Asia is over. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar were the countries I was most looking forward to on this route and they did not disappoint. They each ended up being wildly different than my expectations, but yielded so much growth. A huge part of Asia that gave me a different perspective is the region’s main religion - Buddhism. The more I got to know people and ask them about the...

Building blocks, community, and vulnerability. The team I am currently on - Team Sozo - has been labeled "the fun team." We are all adventurous and loud and like to laugh. From the very start of our time together, we have been warned. A lot of times the "fun team" ends up being the team that isn't very fun to be on. So we were challenged to move out of our comfort zones, talk about hard things, and fight for each ...

MY TEAM!    I am thrilled to introduce you to my lovely teammates! This month our city had the cutest buildings and colorful doors, so we each picked our favorite and had a photoshoot! I hope you get to know them a little better...     Charla - our fearless Team Leader  Hometown: Milford, Delaware  Age: 29 years old Profession: Kindergarten Teacher  Fun Fact: She was a wedding photogr...

Fah // sky   My team is staying in a city called Fang - located in northern Thailand. We are living on a high school campus and assisting teachers in English classes. This high school looks more like a college campus than a high school. Everything is open-air, even the classroom buildings. Air-conditioning is not a thing here. The entire campus is surrounded by a big gate, and there is a guard that is stationed...

A Christmas to remember.   Christmas looked a little different this year. My team of 6 goofballs is located in the Kampot Province of Cambodia. We are staying in the humble town of Paum Toch. Cambodia has been one of my favorite months, but also hands down the toughest living conditions so far.   If there was one word that I would use to describe this month it would be simplicity. I love the song Simplici...

The cockroach under the cup In the hotel we were staying at in Vietnam last month, my team was split up into three rooms. One room dealt with mice, one room was visited by bed bugs, and my room…yep, cockroaches. I thought the cockroaches back in the states were big, but the ones in Vietnam are an entirely different breed.   One night, my roommate Charla saw a cockroach crawling under my bed so she took a cup...

Last month my team spent our time working in a conference center cooking and cleaning all day, every day. Our host was a woman named Emi and she is the sweetest lady! Her life revolves around two jobs – motherhood and all-things-housewife. She is an incredible mother to her two children who have moved out of the house. A few times each year she adopts a World Race team as her own children, and we got the privi...

This month we are staying in a small town (pop. 600) called Dobromirka. When you separate dobro mir ka, it means good peace of mind. So you can understand my confusion when my mind was not at peace. Physically, this place is great. The grass is green and there are beautiful trees and the ministry we are working with is doing big things for Jesus…but spiritually, I feel darkness.   Specifically, there is this da...