Well That’s That

I write this blog at the airplane gate heading home after saying goodbye to the last of my friends boarding her flight (we had the same gate at first). There was a conversation between a little girl and her father about her being on a tablet too much. The complacency and ungratefulness I have seen from random Americans has been astonishing. That revelation aside, the time has finally come for me to talk about the final days of the World Race and a summary of the experience as a whole. 

 

First, we had a layover in Qatar and I visited an Oreo Cafe. That was pretty sweet, but expensive. On the travel day I watched eight movies on the flights: Coco, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Soul, Onward, Moana, Inside Out 2, and Tangled. We also had to wait on a guitar in Qatar so you know I had to bring that fact up. 

 

Second, we went bowling. If you remember my blogs in the past, you probably remember that I am not good at bowling. However, this time, I didn’t do too bad. Sure, my ball goes at about five miles per hour, but I really didn’t gutter too much. I still wasn’t great compared to my teammates, the form sure did look odd, but I guess I learned a thing or to on the World Race after all. I was even able to play around a bit with the ball after people got bored of bowling (bowling with shoes on hands, kicking the ball, head butting the ball, bowling with a sock on the hand, etc.) when I head butted the ball stopped on the lane, and I bowled a different ball at the first ball like a game of pool. I realized what I was doing could annoy the staff who may have to get the stopped ball, so I settled for lefty and granny shots. 

 

We also had a touching final banquet. I honestly don’t have too much to say about the experience though. 

 

Let’s go through the World Race as a whole: 

 

Thailand: Thailand is a very cool country. Ministry was a little slow but was very important work. I also spent a lot of time in prayer, which was good. There was a lot to do which was fun, but also a lot of pain. I also took the time to evangelize a lot, which was fun. 

 

Malaysia: I felt good about seeing the kids begin to learn English. I was disappointed to have the house visits we were doing replaced by other ministries. 

 

The Philippines: the best day on the World Race was going to the remote tribe, preaching, and playing in the ocean. The other ministry was also great, including my personal time of feeding the homeless.  

 

Ethiopia: My heart, mind, and soul loved Ethiopia. My stomach did not. 

 

Kenya: Kenya had super hype ministry and many fun times. Riding a camel on the beach and the safari come to mind. 

 

Uganda: Giving out the Bibles, the evangelism, and the Bible studies were great. Going to the Nile and playing soccer with the kids was also very fun. Uganda also had some pain. 

 

Let’s talk about some other stuff: 

 

Luxuries I missed from America 

1. Warm showers (hot bucket showers were better than cold with water pressure) 
2. Cold milk 
3. Trash cans 
4. Consistently good roads and driving laws 
5. A punctual sense of time 
6. The lack of mosquitoes

 

Things that came in clutch on the World Race (some of these I wasn’t going to bring but my mom convinced me so thanks). 

 

1. My winter coat 
2. My old water bottle 
3. Earplugs 
4. A deck of cards 
5. Friendship bracelet string 

 

I’ll end this adventure in a bit of an unorthodox way. Shocking, I know. Throughout the World Race, sometimes God would randomly prompt me to write a song. He would do this at very weird times, like eating at a Burger King in Malaysia and waiting for a 2:00 AM breakfast in the Philippines. Do I have any musical talent whatsoever? Other than playing a mean recorder in 4th grade, no. But God sure does prompt me to write songs for whatever reason. Sometimes when I get the prompting, all I need to do is pray and the lyrics will effortlessly come out. Well that scenario happened when I was alone waiting for my flight, and I finished right on time to board. I may edit and extend the song later, but for now, let’s end a little song shall we:  

 

My Life and My Time 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

The breath in my lunges, the ground near my feet  

 

You made it all ain’t that so sweet 

 

The ways you always think of me 

 

You look for me when I can’t see 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I may wander from the right way 

 

You look for me what can I say 

 

But now it’s time for me today 

 

I will repent and will obey 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

There may be times when I could cry 

 

No one really likes goodbyes 

 

But to you I give my time 

 

Cuz without you I have no guide  

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

It’s rough out there my Lord my God 

 

These trials I have not forgot  

 

I need you now I need you soon 

 

Jesus tell me what to do  

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I have just ran one great big race 

 

I could not go for second place 

 

My future is in your big hands 

 

Because I know you are the man 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My life is your life Lord 

 

I thank you for it all

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

I thank you for it all 

 

My time is your time Lord 

 

I thank you for it all