I can't believe that I've been back in America for almost 3 months now.
In some ways, it seems like it was just last week that I was
gallivanting around the world telling people about Jesus and showing
them His love. But when I sit in my cubicle at work (more on that in a
bit), and look at the pictures from last year that I've hung up on the walls, it
seems incredibly surreal. A picture of smiling Swazi AIDS orphans is
affixed next to a picture of the day we climbed the Great Wall of
China, which is hung next to a picture taken during one of our nights
out at a bar building relationships with Thai women in the sex
industry. Did we really do all of those things... in only 11 month!? But
more and more, it's not about what we did. But the pictures are
beautiful reminders of the lessons learned, hearts changed, and the
immensity in which I grew in my relationship with the Lord.
The Lord has really blessed me since returning back to the States.
My initially turbulent entry left me with little idea of what my life
would look like. As promised, He has directed my paths because I relied
on Him. He surrounded me with loving family and friends as I readjusted
to American culture. He told me to move back to Indianapolis, Indiana.
So I followed Him here. He provided a wonderful place to stay with a friend from church. And He led me to a job!
After about a month of living at home in St. Louis, I saw a job
posting online for a volunteer manager position at non-profit in
Indianapolis that aims to get school supplies into the hands of
low-income students. I didn't really feel ready to start working, but I
sent in my resume anyway because I felt a nudge from the Lord. The next
week I was interviewing with the executive director in Indianapolis.
Two weeks after that, I was a working woman with my first official
post-college job. It was the only job I even submitted my resume for!
Based on the usual effort required to get a job these days and the
perfect timing with which the process unfolded, I have no doubt in my
mind that this is exactly where the Lord wants me. I've been working
for a month now and really enjoy working with the volunteers and the
rest of the staff. It keeps me on my toes, but I'm the type of person
that needs a challenge!
[Me, Amanda, and Beth at the Indy 500 parade]
At the beginning of July I am going back to Nicaragua with my house
church. I will be on the Pacific coast this time instead of on the
Caribbean coast. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what we will be doing.
But that's the way I like it. 1) It will be a good reminder of life on
the Race, never knowing what's next. 2) Our lack of plans better allows God to show up and show
off.
I'll post another update when I get back from Nicaragua!
I recently visited Allison in Columbus, OH for a day to catch up with her about life in America. In true World Race fashion, we decided to create a little video of our time together. In this video, we explore the complex and challenging issues that we face during the re-entry process.
Ministry has been my entire life for the past year. It wasn't my job that I did during the typical workweek. It was a 24-hour a day opportunity to serve and love those around me- local friends, random strangers, and my World Race family.
It was easy to live out a life of ministry in the Racer lifestyle. More often than not you have no real plans, and even if you do, other cultures are so flexible that you can change your plans on a whim if something else comes up. Taxi rides could easily turn into lunches with your taxi driver, followed by a fun-filled city tour to the local hot-spots. At the end of the day, you end up praying for your taxi driver for whatever his needs are. Trips to the coffee shop more often than not turned into impromptu "counseling sessions" with tourists who are unknowingly searching for the Truth. Sitting in the park on a sunny day usually entails holding mini-versions of VBS for street children by singing songs and playing games with them while strangers look at you like you've lost your mind—which, let's face it, you have since you're crazy enough to be on the Race in the first place.
Maybe it's not appropriate to call it "ministry." Perhaps that's too formal and conjures up images of old-women missionaries in long denim skirts and gray-haired buns. But regardless of what you want to call it, ministry flows out of a heart of love for the people around you and a willingness to put your plans for the day aside. I've blogged about this before, but it's such a critical lesson for me that I'm doing it again.
But how does that work in the American schedule-obsessed culture? That's been one of my biggest struggles since I've been back in the States for a month. Since I stepped foot back into my home country, I have held tight to my plans, even though I've had few real obligations. I view the days as mine, and mine alone. I know they're not, but I want them to be. Not only that, but people that I would have started a conversation with during the last year—people waiting in line with me, cashiers, people at coffee shops—aren't as keen on conversing as they are in other countries. It takes two to tango, you know?
So how do I continue a lifestyle of ministry against social norms? I still love everyone around me just as much as I did in other countries, so why is it proving so difficult? Does living in America mean that ministry must be mainly intentional—scheduled afternoon visits at soup kitchens and nursing homes? I know in my heart that's not the only way, but I can't seem to put anything else into practice right now…
Suggestions, comments, life experiences… I'll take them all.
Yesterday, I flew down to Florida to welcome the rest of my squad back to the States. Because I left Guatemala so quickly, I didn't get to say goodbye to most of my teammates. It was so good to see my family again, even if it was only for 15 hours. It felt like I had never left them. Please keep them in your prayers as they transition back into life in America.
[saying goodbyes... "Bye buddy!"]
[my team minus Esther- she had to catch a flight]
On my flight down there, I decided to tally up some random stats from the year. I was fastidious about keeping track of all of our different locations (nerd), and I found a website that calculates total miles traveled, so the data listed is surprising accurate.
40,567 miles traveled around the world
15 countries
44 times packing up everything we own
47 passport stamps/visas (good thing I got those extra pages added)
15 flights
14 different airports
7 "long" bus rides (I only counted those that were longer than 8 hours)
5 train rides (each averaging 24 hours long)
15 languages
13 currencies
16 books read cover-to-cover
176 cold showers
79 bed-less nights
COUNTLESS memories shared, laughs had, and friends made (cheesy, but true.)
[Team Concrete's Route, other teams are mostly similar, but not exactly the same]
One of the more difficult aspects of the Race is that relationships are often difficult to develop and sustain after we leave a country. Because of a general lack of technology and our frequent bouncing around the globe, emails do not usually even allow us to stay in contact with friends that we make along the way.
But Katrina is my exception. I met her during our cultural exchange program at a university in China. We email back and forth fairly frequently and have managed to stay in contact. Several weeks ago, I received an email from her telling me how unhappy she is because she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She has pressure all around her telling her what to do--the government, her family, her friends, customs and traditions. It's getting too much for her to handle. She is lost and confused. She asked what made me happy and what fulfilled me; she's looking for answers from anyone she can.
[Katrina and friends getting cotton candy in a park]
Here is a little bit of her email to me:
Dear Lauren, It
is so glad to hear from you again,miss you so much.Sometimes when i
miss you,I will see the picture on my mobile phone.You just like my
sister,everytime when I read what you said to my I feel a strong warm
in my heart.
In
fact,I don't know my dream,I have no idear about my favourite.I just
think to be a university student is not useful.Because in China,we only
learn about the method not to practise.I feel upset about my future.And
I can't imagine that i will be a teacher in the future.I think it is
not suitable for me.
These days i just think about my way,my future,my dream.Hope i will
get it!Can you tell me your dream,please?I asked all of my friends
about it.Hope it can help me to find something. Love you and miss you so much.Dear. yours, Katrina
I desperately wanted to share the Gospel with her. I have the answer that she is searching for! I know what will fulfill her heart! But I can't. I know that the second I send her the Gospel, or even anything hinting toward it, she will be put in danger. All emails are scanned for "Christian-ese." So I wrote to her. I told her to help people in life and to listen to the voice in her heart. That's the best I could come do for her.
It breaks my heart to know that days are turning into weeks, weeks into
years without her knowing the love of my Savior. She's searching for
him. I can't do anything for her. I can only pray for her and love her.
I trust that the Holy Spirit will do his work in her heart. Please
partner with me in praying for my friend.
A series on what passages of Scripture came alive to me during my time on the World Race. Continued from The Year the Bible Came Alive.
Cambodia: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. Psalm 47:1-6
While in Cambodia, I wrote a blog about how loud, intense worship made me uncomfortable. We were attending an international church in Phnom Penh that had contemporary worship. This I was used to; however, I was not accustomed to the loud shouting and crazy dancing that went along with the music during worship. Often I would get distracted by this, and just observe. My heart wasn't into worship. But near the end of our month there, the Lord showed me that he deserves joyous worship. The worship we give him is an out-flowing of what is currently in our hearts. He is mighty and powerful and deserves to be praised!
China: And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Colossians 4:3
China was hard. We had to constantly watch what came out of our mouths. I didn't realize how freely praises, prayers, and "Christian-ese" poured from my lips until I was forbidden from using it. While we were building relationships with the students at the university, we were generally not allowed to share about our faith. If we were asked about Jesus specifically, which happened on occasion, it required discernment from the Holy Spirit to test if this was a set-up or if our new friend was genuinely interested in knowing more about our Savior. If the Holy Spirit told us to share, we had to meet with the student at a separate location, away from any ears that could overhear. We had to rely on the Holy Spirit to open up the doors for the Gospel to be shared, it was not something that we could do on our own.
Philippines: However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24
I hit a wall in the Philippines. We were comfortable—living in a nice house with good food and wireless internet. What more could I ask for? Much more, I guess. I quickly found myself wanting to be done and to return to the comforts of life in America. The Lord blessed us that month, but it wasn't good enough for me, I still wanted more. The Lord convicted me of that one day with this verse. He reminded me that he called me to the nations and that I needed to keep going and finish the Race. He gave me the endurance to keep going and to serve him in Latin America.
Nicaragua:Pray that I may proclaim [the Word] clearly, as I should. Colossians 4:4
In Nicaragua, we spent much of our time speaking in classrooms about the Lord. Everyday we would go in small groups and share a song, story, or verse with a classroom full of children ranging from preschool to high school. Everyday I had to depend on the Lord to put words into my mouth. I'm not much of the preparation type when it comes to sharing from my heart. I decide to trust that the Lord will give me the Words. Doing it so frequently in Nicaragua, I had to trust even more that He would continue to fill my mouth with the words that he wanted to penetrate the children's ears.
Guatemala: For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power… Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple—all made by skilled workers. But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. Jeremiah 10:1-6, 9-10
We found ourselves in Antigua, Guatemala during Holy Week. This week is treated very different there than it is in the States. Antigua is the hub of religious activity in Latin America, thus attracting thousands during the famed Semana Santa (Spanish for "Holy Week"). Processionals of swarms of men in purple robes meander through the streets several times a day carrying huge handmade floats of Jesus and The Virgin Mary. Good Friday is treated like our Christmas and everyone in the city lines the streets watching the as the processional passes. Meanwhile, Easter is barely celebrated. The streets were empty on that Glorious Day as we walked around. The meaning behind the Easter season is lost with these people. The processionals, floats, and rituals become the focus, while Jesus' grace-filled resurrection fades into the background. Reread the passage above. Kind of eerie, isn't it? But we know the truth: the Lord is the one, true God; to him no one or nothing compares.
[women carrying a float through the streets of Antigua]
[Brief update: I'm 100% healthy now, and I am feeling great. I'm currently in Indianapolis catching up with old friends from college and church. I'm staying with my friends, the Moffetts, who have undoubtedly the cutest one-year-old boy that I have ever laid eyes on. I'm not sure when the job search will start, but sometime in the next month or so. Also, I am flying down to Fort Lauderdale, FL on April 30 to welcome lovely Racers back to the States. I'm so excited to get to see them again for a night!]
I've heard a lot about this book called "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs. I haven't personally read it yet, but I've had several friends who have. It's about a man who decides to follow the Law of the Old Testament for an entire year. The Israelites couldn't even seem to get it right, so I'm not sure what makes Jacobs think that he can. Regardless, he even goes so far as to follow rules such as not wearing "clothes of mixed fibers, not shaving beards, and stoning adulterers." (Supposedly he got away with that last one by throwing a pebble at a friend who admitted to having an affair.) Basically, he lives out the Bible for a year.
I can't say that I lived out the whole Bible last year. Because of Christ it's not required, having broken the necessity of the Law. Of course I didn't follow all of the laws and commands. I often struggled to follow the "basic" ones in the Ten Commandments. Praise the Lord for grace and forgiveness. However, I can say that I saw the Bible lived out in every country we went.
The Word became real to me this year. I saw it lived out in my daily life. I saw my WR family walking in the truths of the Bible. I saw the poor being cared for. I saw captives being set free. I saw demonic strongholds conquered. In every country, I saw so many passages of the Bible come to life before my very eyes.
South Africa: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
The Beginning of it all. None of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. I was giddy with anticipation, yet overwhelmed with what the year would hold. We were cold (our "bedroom" was regularly a toasty 41 degrees Fahrenheit), limited on personal space (which we quickly became accustomed to), and just beginning to understand the enormity of our decision of leaving everything behind for a year. Honestly, it was a trying, albeit exciting time. But all I could do was focus on Jesus. He was the reason I was doing it, and I trusted that he would mark the course for me. I saw that "his paths were beyond tracing out" (Romans 11:33) and wanted to follow the course that he authored.
Swaziland: A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6
In Swazi, we worked at care points were go-go's (grandmothers) cook meals for children, often AIDS orphans. They do this out of the kindness of their heart because they know that if they don't, no one will. The Lord's love compels them. The Lord makes sure that the children of this AIDS-stricken land are watched after. Families such as the Blacks are following the Lord's calling in Swaziland to make sure that these precious children have families through the G-42 project.
Thailand: The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3
At night, our team would walk 15 minutes toward the beach in Phuket to the bar district where men would come to find women who prostitute themselves. We would sit on bar stools and share a Coke with these women. We would laugh together at our miscommunication due to the language barrier. We would play endless games of Jenga and Connect Four. We would offer hope, telling everyone we could about a way out of their lifestyle: a job was waiting for them if they turned their back on the bars completely. Sometimes, the moment was even right to tell them about the Lord. While we were in Phuket, we saw four women released from darkness and come out of captivity from the bars. The women who come to work at S.H.E. (Self Help and Empowerment) also have the chance to be discipled and grow in their knowledge of the Lord.
Stay tuned for verses that came to life for me while we were in Cambodia, China, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
About a week and a half ago, one of our new friends that we met in Antigua, Jorge, picked us up at our house and drove us to the Pacific coast to go surfing on a black sand beach. Excitedly, we piled into his car and a taxi that he hired for us. The 2-hour drive to the coast was beautiful. We drove around volcanoes and rolling green hills with patches of farms. But I began to feel very ill--not in a carsick way. I was achy and feverish. But we were on our way to a beach, so I couldn't complain. The beach was beautiful with large waves. They looked a little intimidating for me in my funny-feeling state, so I found a nice shady spot under a stilted house and crashed there for the majority of the day.
When we got home that night, it all went downhill from there. I had really bad chills and what I'm sure was a very high fever (none of us could find a thermometer yet). I was aching like crazy. I finally fell asleep, hoping that all would be well after a good night's sleep. Unfortunately that wasn't true. The fever, aches, and chills continued for 5 more days. My Antigua family took care of me like I was a queen. They got me whatever I needed and brought me medicine, food, DVDs to occupy the time, cold wash clothes, and anything else that I asked for. They are all absolutely wonderful. Hats off especially to Jessie who shared a room with me and thus catered to the majority of my needs.
On Easter my fever got to 103. I just couldn't accept that this was a normal sickness and had Jessie take me to a private clinic in town. The wait to see the doctor was short because of the holiday. He thought I had Dengue fever, but wanted to be sure. After an over-dramatic blood test (I hate needles), the results for Dengue came back negative. Good news, but I was then at a loss as to my mysterious sickness.
After 2 more days in bed, I went back with Katey, an ER nurse in America, to get tested for Malaria. I just wanted answers. Another blood test (this one ever more dramatic than the first-- just find my vein the first time, people!) and a urine test in a washed out Gerber baby food jar. I waited one hour for the results. I met with the doctor again and he told me that I have Typhoid. Katey was shocked and just kept asking, "Typhoid?? Can you spell that? T-Y-P...?" The doctor confirmed again. He gave me some antibiotics to take for 10 days. I was vaccinated for Typhoid before I left for the Race, but apparently it didn't really work. Bummer. Who knows where I picked it up? It can take 1-3 weeks for symptoms to show up. That puts me anywhere from Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, or Guatemala. Your guess is as good as mine.
We got back to our house and met Allison waiting at the kitchen table for the results. She asked what I wanted to do. I told her that I wanted to go home to St. Louis. I wanted to recover in a familiar place. While our house in Antigua was very nice and comfortable, I was not sleeping well at all. I just felt like it was time, you know? I felt at peace about the decision to leave. The next day, Thursday, I got on a plane to St. Louis via Atlanta. It was a ridiculously long day, but I made it home in one piece.
I've had an absolutely wonderful 10 months on the World Race. It was a time that I would not trade for anything. I have learned more about the Lord, myself, and other people than I thought was ever possible. I've gained a family of 25 people who I love more than anything. More blogs to follow on all that.
Please keep praying for healing. I'm doing a lot better during the days, but still feel pretty bad at night. Being in a familiar bed is helping matters a lot, though. I can probably have some visitors in a few days once the antibiotics kick in a little bit more. Love you all like crazy.
I had this amazing (eh, not really, but work with me) blog written about my new friends in Antigua. But then when I got to the internet cafe to post it, my jump drive decided not to work and left me blogless. Because the computer equipment is so stellar here (note the sarcasm please, it has litterally taken me 7 minutes to write this paragraph because the space bar works about 17% of the time), I´m not going to retype my blog. I will post it in a few days.
Instead, I will leave all of my State-side friends with a bit of inspiration on how YOU can change the world while living in the situation that the Lord has placed you in this season of your life. The following is written by the folks at BRUTE LABS, a cooperative aimed at changing the world through simple actions. Check out their website, they have some worth-while projects in the works.
Some people spend their days feeding orphan children in Cambodia, others build shelters for the homeless in Mexico, still others deliver medical supplies to those infected with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. It doesn't take a genius to realize that these people are making a difference somehow.
For a lot of us, especially here in the States, we spend 30, 40, 50, maybe even 100 hours each week in our respective offices, selling things, laying pipe or managing others. Several million others of us are in the classrooms trying to get an education. We struggle to be aware of ways to help others, let alone participate. We have bills, and we have wants, both of which vie for our time and money. Philanthropy and social causes sound great, but they don't really fit into our lifestyles or schedule.
Can the working individual or student make a worthwhile impact and contribute to the world somehow? Sure, here's a few ways I've learned to go about it.
Get educated. Learn more about the world you live in. And no I'm not talking the latest celebrity gossip on PerezHilton.com, I'm talking about newspapers and magazines and online articles that report on the goings on locally and further away. Realize that you're really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Stories of human rights violations, injustices and the occasion triumph are all there. Go read.
Sweat the small stuff. There's little ways that you can change the world without even trying very hard. Replace your current light bulbs with CFL's, use less paper towels and napkins, recycle, pick up your trash, hold open the door for some one, say thanks, get to know your neighbor. Think about how you influence the world around you, and let that change you.
Get your hands dirty. It's shocking how powerful of an experience a weekend at the soup kitchen, or an afternoon painting houses with Habitat for Humanity can be. Manual labor and serving food not really your thing? Get over yourself, helping people can actually be really fun, try it! If you have a problem with willpower, find some friends that would be willing to do something with you, and watch as it actually happens.
Groundbreaking isn't it? Hardly, but it should convince you that there's not really anything preventing even us 'busy' people in making a difference.
Cambodia
Nicaragua:
South Africa
Swaziland
At night, our team would walk 15 minutes toward the beach in Phuket to the bar district where men would come to find women who prostitute themselves. We would sit on bar stools and share a Coke with these women. We would laugh together at our miscommunication due to the language barrier. We would play endless games of Jenga and Connect Four. We would offer hope, telling everyone we could about a way out of their lifestyle: a job was waiting for them if they turned their back on the bars completely. Sometimes, the moment was even right to tell them about the Lord. While we were in Phuket, we saw four women released from darkness and come out of captivity from the bars. The women who come to work at 
