(Malaysian ministry update #2 coming soon...we're working at

El Shaddai Refugee School in Klang. But first...)

The Top 11 Things I've Missed the Most (besides people)

1. TARGET.

2. Air conditioning.

3. Hot showers.

4. Clean feet.

5. A washer and dryer.

6. Cold drinking water.

7. Barnes and Noble.

8. Non-instant coffee.

9. Alone time.

10. Church in english.

11. TARGET.

The Top 11 Random Lessons from the Race: (in no particular order)

1. Always, always keep a roll of toilet paper in your purse.

2. Don't share drinks with someone who has typhoid.

3. Surround yourself with people who wear the same size clothes as you.

4. Milk overseas never tastes good.

5. Coke and Justin Bieber have reached more ends of the earth than the gospel.

6. Don't let an elephant kiss you on the cheek if you're ticklish.

7. The most important word to learn in another language is "thank you."

(Gracias, Filaminderit, Grazie, Mulzo Miesk, Obregada, Yebo, Kapkoonka, Ocun)

8. Public transportation really does save you a ton of money.

9. Using a headlamp will lessen your electricity bill significantly.

10. Baby wipes are a gift from God.

11. Handwashing clothes isn't really that hard.

The Top 7 Grossest Things Unnamed members of our squad did this year: (The real grossest ones are omitted.)

1. Peed in a bag in the stairwell of a double decker bus while driving through the Peruvian desert.

2. Pooped in a bag and threw it out of the window so they didn't have to get out of bed in Swaziland.

3. Re-heated their leftover noodles in a hot vat of lard.

4. Peed in their friend's pants from laughing so hard in Albania and didn't tell them or wash them.

5. Ate out of the garbage as a semi-regular occurance.

6. Pushed someone's diharrea down a toilet for them on a 15 hr bus ride.

7. Used a tshirt when there was no toilet paper available in Kosovo.

(Needless to say, there have been plenty of hilarious late night conversations where someone has said, "I've lost all my dignity."

The Top 11 Lessons I've Learned on the Race (serious)

1. Our Dad (God) is a good Dad who loves us and happens to be a King.

2. Nothing in this world can satisfy. Even after months in the jungle or with bucket showers and squatty potties, and a splurge on ice cream and a movie, we're still not satisfied. No worldly pleasure can satisfy - only the love of Christ.

3. This whole Christianity thing has turned entirely too religious, and it really is a lot less about pleasing God and more about being His daughter/son, and having an intimate, grace-receiving relationships with Him.

4. He makes beautiful things, we should too.

5. I'm gonna be a mommy one day. And it's going to be one of my greatest joys and one of the ways I see my failure and need for God's grace the most.

6. True community is messy and worth it. The local church plays a vital role in a Christian's life.

7. We desperately need truth in our lives. We believe far too many lies, and need to bathe ourselves in God's truth, as well as have others "sing" His truth back to us during those times when emotions overtake.

8. Satan has a lot more, and a lot less power, than we give him credit for. Spiritual warfare is real, and we need to be wearing the armor of God. But we are on the winning team, and the more we live in fear of his schemes, the more power he has.

9. Surrender is a daily choice. And it often hurts.

10. We are free, yet so often we sit in our own little prisons, while the door is wide open for us to walk in the freedom Christ has for us.

11. It really is a small world after all.