Getting so pumped for South America. Finally I get to use my Spanish. New culture. New foods. New sights and smells. The hope of serving at an orphanage. The hope of living on a farm and gardening. The nerves and excitement of a new team. The new adventures. A hunger for the Lord to continue changing me and producing spiritual fruit. Such expectations and excitement!
Snap.
It’s all gone.
Thailand was the first month I really thought about my post Race plans and it scared me. I was thinking three months was going to come way too fast.
Psych! How about five days?
At first it was a joke. *Cough* preceded by someone blessing you by saying “corona”. Then rumor got out there was a slight chance we could get sent home. Then it was waking up Sunday morning to a voice recording from our mentor saying we were being pulled from the field.
I laugh/cried with my teammate in shock. I go to church in a village. It’s a dreary day. The dogs are literally all dying from something they ate. I can’t look at Austin (my teammate) in the eyes as he shares a message on our last Sunday on the Race, as my eyes are close to spilling over, as are his and my other teammates. We get back to the church. Purchase bus tickets to leave for Bangkok that night instead of Wednesday night. Sorry, no VBS Monday-Wednesday now. Upstairs packing when my teammate comes in in tears and says one of our teammates is leaving in five minutes for London. What? I say a tearful goodbye to him still in shock of the news. Then the girls we were suppose to be staying with in the village during the VBS come in, pack up and leave. We say a tearful goodbye to them.
I’ve waited all day to get to talk with my parents. I tell them the few details I know of what’s going on. I tell them I personally can’t come home right away. I need time to process and grieve. Wednesday and Thursday were chaos travel days with so much uncertainty. The likelihood of canceled flights, getting stuck in an airport, getting quarantined, not getting back into the States, not getting back into Oklahoma. My squad slowly one by one trickled away with quick goodbyes as they rushed to catch their flights once we landed in NYC. I said rushed, emotionless goodbyes to a few teammates and my squad mentor. Others I never saw as I got on the 4am shuttle from the hotel to the airport the next morning. Still in disbelief that my Race is over. X squad is done. I most likely won’t see most of them ever again.
South America is not our next continent. Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina are not on our route anymore. This is the end of the adventure. I said goodbye to my last X squad teammate as we parted at our different gates. I flew to Atlanta. Got to my next gate for my last flight to Oklahoma. A couple sat down in front of me that I began talking to. They were coming from South Africa after visiting their son who is a missionary there. I shared about the World Race. We shared stories back and forth over hot Five Guys fries. No time to think about the fact I would be home in less than two hours.
On the plane I sat by a military guy who talked the whole time. He had done a lot of traveling himself so we shared favorite foods and adventures from the places we had been. Great conversation. But no time to think when I land, I’ll be home.
Haley and I strap on our big packs and day packs for the last time, and walk to the parking garage. I do my best to drive after eight months away from the wheel. The car is loaded with snacks, food, and dinner from siblings and in-laws who coordinated everything for my two week quarantine. We drove past my house to a family friend’s garage apartment who are letting us stay for our quarantine.
Now here I am. Day four at 5 am (yes, still fighting jet lag) with the urge to work on my blog. We get home cooked dinners delivered literally to our front door with a text saying “dinner is served”. As American as everything is around me, but still living with one of my teammates, it’s like I’m on the Race still. I don’t think it’s going to really hit me until I pull into my own driveway and see my family.
So that’s how it all happened. That’s the story I have to tell of how my Race ended. From others perspective it’s no “and they all lived happily ever after” ending story. It’s for sure not the ending I would have ever chosen. But I read account after account in the Bible of unthinkable circumstances occurring in the lives of individuals that they never would have dreamed of. And the end of their stories were always beautiful, WHEN they TRUSTED God and didn’t give up HOPE. Daniel. Joseph. Ruth. Mary. Martha.
My World Race story started on August 2nd with “Once upon a time” followed by chapter after chapter of amazing stories of God’s goodness. On March 18th (three months earlier than expected), my World Race story for myself and X Squad ended with “And they all lived happily ever after” because we trust God knows best and are hopeful for all He still has for us on this never ending race of life.
Overflow together for the last time.
We recreated our pinky promise from Malawi that we would sleep together at our final debrief. Well…. that’s not going to happen now. Thanks Corona.
Last travel day.
Lat time getting my eyebrows done by the one and only T.J.!
14 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to New York.
Checking our temperatures before we can get off the plane like “you get corona, you get corona.”
15 minute debrief with what’s left of X squad in our appropriate ten people or less rooms.
2 week quarantine here we come!
Dinner is served!
Meals promptly followed by Monopoly Deal of course. In memory of Sea Salt. R.I.P. And no we weren’t using that sacred toilet paper to blow our noses. Or did we?
