85 Things I’ve Never Done Before the Race

Hey guys! I am officially FINISHED ministry on the race and am heading into debriefing/going back to America very soon! In the beginning of the race, one of my goals was to do or try something new every day, and that would be a lot to write if I shared with you every single thing but I figured I could share a few from each country. Traveling the world to many different cultures, you experience a lot whether you try to or not. It has been fun to experience many different foods, activities, cultural experiences, etc. Some of these are ministry related, some of these are not. But I wanted to preface that I’m sharing this not to boast, because I have nothing to boast about except Christ. I am thankful to have experienced so many things, but it can be a blessing and a curse. I shared this for those interested in doing the race and looking to see a picture of the day-to-day, and to share with my supporters that there are a lot of incredible people, ministries, and God-moments that your money went to this year. Thank you for supporting me through this year, and thank you for trusting me and believing in me. But it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20) 

So here it is! 🙂

GUATEMALA

1. Consistently put toilet paper in a trash can instead of a toilet.

2. Went to a bilingual church

3. Had street food (and didn’t actually get wrecked!)

4. Partnered with the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and did soccer camps

5. Hiked a volcano (Acetenango – one of the most epic things I have ever experienced)

6. Rode in a tuk-tuk!

7. Witnessed a healing

8. Took an aerial silks class (literally this has been on my bucket list 5EVER)

HONDURAS

9. Saw the caribbean sea

10. Ate a coffee bean straight off a tree

11. Used a handsaw

12. Took a sowing class (completely in spanish lol)

13. Made banana bread on a skillet 

14. Led a Beauty for Ashes teaching

15. Planted a tree

16. Built a chair from scratch – she may not be pretty but she humble and made with heart

17. Went without service or wifi for an entire month

18. Tent camped for an entire month

COSTA RICA

19. Learned how to make Patacones (so good)

20. Tried Pejibaye (peach palm fruit)

21. Found a sand dollar at the beach

22. Mixed cement using a hose and a shovel

23. Rode a horse on the beach

24. Tried cas juice

25. Saw a loro (bird) and it mimicked my laugh!

26. Shared my testimony in front of a church completely in spanish!

27. Attended a K-Pop dance class

NICARAGUA

28. Held a Coati            

29. Became a fully funded missionary by the grace of God!

30. Had a dream fully in Spanish

31. Did ministry at a dump site

32. Served at a youth feeding program

33. Served at a special needs organization and got to partake in equine therapy (A M A Z I N G)

34. Rode in a horse drawn carriage

35. Made cacao paste

36. Did worship in the center of a city square (Granada).

37. Read & completed a full book in Spanish

ALBANIA

38. Came to Europe

39. Experienced a flight that served a full meal (2 of them!!)

40. Went into a mosque

41. Drove a car internationally

42. Tried Byrek (Albanian Pie-like Heaven…best food I tried on the race)

43. Spent Christmas away from my family (I never said that all new experiences were happy)

44. Tried Raki (iykyk)

45. Visited a Castle 

TURKEY

46. Came to Asia

47. Ate pide (it’s like a turkish flat bread pizza thing…so good)

48. Saw a whirling dervish

49. Took a boat down the Bosphorus strait

50. Had a flight that landed before it took off (took off at 9:50, landed at 9:30)

ROMANIA

51. Went to a honey bee farm

52. Unloaded the back of an 18-wheeler (it took over 900 loads between 26 people)

53. Visited a Rroma community and did kids programs for them

54. Took a train solo across the country

55. Tried Papanasi (10/10 recommend)

56. Went snowboarding internationally (shout out to Poiana Mountain for being lit)

57. Visited Dracula’s Castle (Bran Castle)

58. Saw Hotel Transylvania (the movie and the actual hotel)

59. Went canoeing in an underground salt mine

60. Served YWAM Cluj

61. Rode an electric scooter

SOUTH AFRICA

62. Did a full 30 minute yoga routine on a plane (okay seriously though when the travel days get long you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the muscles moving lol)

63. Came to Africa

64. Went south of the equator

65. Ate pap and chakalaka 

66. Pet a lion (ok yeah it was a baby)

67. Pet a penguin

68. Saw an impala

69. Held an impromptu kids program in the middle of the road for 25 kids

70. Tried chicken feet

71. Saw a lemur and a toucan

72. Saw the 3rd largest canyon in the world and did a bungee swing

73. Hiked Lion’s Head (potentially my new favorite hike in the world…or atleast best view)

74. Rode in a cable car

ESWATINI

75. Finished the whole Bible in 9 months!

76. Chopped down a tree

77. Saw a green mamba (in our room – yeeeet)

78. Went inside a Siswati hut made solely from sticks and mud

79. Drove a car with a right-sided steering wheel on the left side of the road (super wack)

80. Attended a revival night at a Swazi church

81. Hiked Execution Rock – the pic shows the point where we hiked to. This rock is where people who broke the law used to get dragged up the top of this mountain and executed by people poking them with spears all the way to the edge until they fall off the cliff. 

82. Tented with no rain fly under the stars

83. Built a garden from scratch and planted vegetables

84. Went white water rafting        

85. FINISHED THE WORLD RACE!

The World Race is what you make it. I learned that the hard way. It is not always fun, it is not always adventurous, and it is a LOT of repetition. So as I head back to America and continue processing and reflecting, I thought it would be fun to reminisce on some of the cool things God led me to this year. Thanks for following along 🙂