Our days here in Mozambique still consist of much of what I
blogged about last time, except the tropical storms have finally stopped! Its
still sunny, we still live in tents and eat rice and beans, we still machete
grass, and the children are still adorable. So I figured now would be a good
time to do an updated ´You Know Youre on the World Race When` blog… Month 7
Edition. Here goes. (P.S. excuse the punctuation, Keyboards in other languages
are confusing!) Sorry for the lack of pictures, the internet is… well, African 🙂
But first, pray for me this week! I got asked to preach in church on Wednesday night! aaahh!! Heres where Ill be preaching…
You know Youre on the World Race When…
-You cant sleep because you can only remember 49 states
(Sorry, Minnesota)
-You randomly catch yourself saying Thank You in Albanian.
-You have worship times in abandoned bars.
-You take day trips to other countries.
-You find your way around a country by buying a postcard and
pointing to places youd like to go.
-The grand prize in a squad contest is a jar of peanut
butter.
-Your team can read your journal, because they know
everything anyway.
-You stay up until 4am in a Romanian kitchen talking about
the depths of your soul to all your friends.
-You learn to cook for 25 people from scratch on a daily
basis.
-You find a scorpion in your laundry.
-You arrive at national borders and end up in unexpected
countries like Kosovo.
-You randomly stay overnight in the Middle East.
-You jump off a cliff into the Adriatic Sea.
-You hike for 5 hours at 14,000ft in the Andes Mountains.
-Your teammate gives you a tetanus shot in a coffee shop
after practicing on an orange.
-You start to say yall and youre not from the South.
-You cross over national borders on foot.
-You need to buy a separate folder for all your encouraging
notes.
-Your nighttime routine includes a mosquito killing spree.
-Three of your teammates have been robbed.
-Airline food and gifts (eye masks, earplugs, socks) are
like Christmas day.
-You find your way to the Duty Free perfume tester sections
in airports so you smell good on travel days.
-You run through a lightning storm because you heard someone
next door has Nutella.
-You pass the time at an African border by chasing sheep.
-McDonalds is a luxury meal.
-A five hour bus ride ends up being sixteen hours.
-You fit 30 people into a taxibus and break down 17 times in
20 minutes. No joke.
-You have an allergic reaction to Malaria meds.
-You go to the bathroom in a hole full of maggots.
-You fit 25 people in the back of a pickup truck in a
rainstorm and count it as a shower.
-You get called on to preach 18 minutes before service
starts.
-Your workout is macheteing grass.
-In the past 7 months you’ve had a tetanus scare, food
poisoning, a lung infection, tennis elbow, a sprained ankle, ringworm, and a
bacterial intestinal infection.
-You spend an evening digging out worms from your feet.
Just some of the fun adventures weve had so far!! Im sure with a month and a half left in Africa and then going off to southeast Asia, Ill have plenty more to share. Hope it made yall smile!
Stephanie,
I’m praying that you will be yielded to the Holy Spirit when you preach Wednesday. It’s not exactly the “crystal cathedral” is it? I would encoourage you to be youself, speak with compassion for the listeners, and no compromise regarding God’s Word. I know you will. Be encouraged, my daughter, you are a blessing. And please keep the worms out of your toes!
Love, Dad
dearest stephanie,
many, many thanks for sharing so much detail of your travels while on this race. the privilege to pray for y’all is humbling and totally enjoyable.
some of your descriptions bring warm smiles, some bring on the heebie-jeebies!!!
i am truly thankful that God called you (and not me) to attend to His children around this globe. you have my full prayer support !!!
love, hugs, and encouragement to all.
Hey Stephanie! I haven’t written much but have prayed alot! I love reading your posts. They make me laugh and cry at the same time. What an awesome unforgetable experience this has and will be in your life. Thank you for sharing your heart and allowing us to take this journey with you. All I can say about your upcoming church service – PREACH IT SISTA!! Blessings!! Debbie Carver
Through all the trials, you sound joyful and appreciative of the many blessings from your Heavenly Father. May you continue to be His girl wherever He leads you. My prayers are with you.
Love, Betsy
Concerning your preaching Wednesday, remember that all those present need to hear what you have to tell them. Our LORD does not make mistakes, he has chosen you to speak to his children. He has put his spirit within you and he has given you a heart for his people………We will be in prayer for this service.
Sounds like a good trip so far. I was hoping to join you all the way up to the worms in the feet part. I have been thinking and praying for you and have been enjoying the blogs. Keep up the good work.
Chris and Kim
Dear Stephanie,
Reading about your going to the bathroom in a hole full of maggots has kept me up at night. But, after hearing about it in as least two blogs and one e-mail, the vision in my mind was finally diminishing (somewhat) only to be replaced by the new vision of you “digging out worms from your feet!” Thankfully, that vision will be overtaken by the vision of you preaching in church on Wednesday. God has given you the opportunity to be His tool to speak the truth and bring good news, and I will be praying for His divine anointing to be upon you and that your message will be inspired by the Holy Word of God and the compassion He has placed in your heart for His people. And, looking at the photo of where you’ll be preaching, you’ll know that it was the message and not the comfy chairs and ambiance that kept them there! “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'” (Romans 10:14b&15) How much more beautiful are the feet of those who will endure the worms to bring the good news!!! May God continue to bless you and protect you.
With love and prayers,
Angela
Let the 4am kitchen conversations begin again in about 1 month!
You FORGOT Minnesota?!?! How could you FORGET Minnesota??? It’s such a great, great place. Ah, next time, just think about me and then you [a] won’t forget Minnesota and [b] will be able to fall asleep. Baahaa!! Love you.
Stephanie,
From your graduation party to your world race backpack…I am feeling SO with you through this race. If i weren’t so old, your enthusiasm might just make me want to experience it all firsthand.(Notice i did say MIGHT. Somehow the exhilariation of the service keeps getting clouded by the maggots, and scorpions and other creeping things -to mention a few of the negatives.) But I love laughing with you; crying with you; hugging those kiddos through your touch and dozens of other feelings that blend into the mix of feelings as i read your blogs. You will be an AMAZING preacher this Wed. and I pray for all who hear you and SEE your JOY & Strength in the Lord to be moved by the Spirit.
God Bless You, Kiddo! with love, iris