A Day in the Life on the World Race

Good Morning Family and Friends,

My team and I have made it safely to Georgia. I know that you are probably wanting to say “welcome home” but I am not talking about Georgia the state but Georgia the country.  It is a very beautiful country. Saying goodbye to Turkey was hard for me because I enjoyed getting to know the people and the culture.   

It is crazy how time goes by so fast.  I can’t believe it has been 7 months since I left for the World Race.  Most of you have a lot of questions about what life looks like on the World Race. A lot of the time we are traveling either within the country or to another country. I am going to describe to you what a travel day looks like in the life of a Racer (nickname for people on the World Race). Each travel day looks very different but also has similar characteristics. If you have ever experienced fun, stress, and chaos all at the same time then you have experienced a travel day.  Here is an example of one of the travel days my team and I experienced together and will never forget. 

    On July 5, 2021, my team and I were planning to travel from Cappadocia, Turkey to Canakkale, Turkey, which is a 15-hour bus ride. We woke up around 8:00 am to start packing up all of our things from the hostel because we had to check out of the hostel around 10:30 am. The bus was not scheduled to leave until 5:00 pm, so we stored our bags in the office of the hostel. We ate breakfast, spended time with the Lord, and rested a little. My team came together to do Feedback around 3:00 pm. Feedback is where we encourage and call each other to look more and more like Christ.  After Feedback my team and I took a taxi to the bus station. The ride to the bus station was about 30 minutes long. When we got to the bus station, we were told where the buses would be departing from. If you do not know this, we carry everything we own on our back. This consists of a large 65-liter bag and a day bag that is around 25 liters. You can only imagine what we look like going through the bus station. We approached the bus, only to wait 15 minutes until they were ready to depart. 

As we were loading the bus, we were told confusing information about whether or not we would have a transfer from one bus to another bus. Then we confirmed with someone that we would not have to make a transfer. I was so happy to know we’d be on the same bus for 15 hours. This meant I didn’t have to worry about a transfer and I could get settled and rest. I got out my small tablet and began to watch a movie with one of my teammates, Wagz. 

Six hours later, the bus made a stop in Ankara (the capital).  I thought it was a bathroom stop, so I quickly got off the bus to use the bathroom. When I came back to get on the bus, four of my teammates were going to use the bathroom. My team leader, Victoria, told me to take my items off the bus we were on and put them on another bus because we were transferring buses.  So I quickly found the bus to grab my items.  While on the bus, the bus driver began yelling at me in Turkish. I was so stressed out at this point because I did not know what he was saying. I quickly grabbed my things and rushed off the bus, completely annoyed and confused as to where to put my things on the other bus. When I approached the other bus, the driver did not recognize me, so he was very confused.  I am glad that one of my teammates was helping put my items on the bus. As we put the items on the bus, we realized none of the other team members’ items were on the bus. Then we came to the conclusion that we were on the wrong bus.  My team member and I quickly ran off of the bus. On the outside of the bus, my other teammates gathered in confusion about what happened to our bus. It was nowhere in sight. They had also moved their luggage, but couldn’t find the bus that their things were on.

I felt like I was in a movie, not real life. We were left stranded. My teammates’ passports, money, computers, tablets, and pretty much everything were on a bus somewhere. We were all freaking out in one way or another. My team leader, Victoria, led us in a prayer. At that time I was overwhelmed at what just happened and why the bus driver was screaming at me. My teammate Jenn went to ask the policeman if he could help us get a hold of the bus. The policeman helped us out tremendously. He walked us up to the next floor where the other buses were. We found our bus!!! As it turned out, the bus that we were transferring to (and to which my teammates had moved their things) had moved up a level without any of us knowing. All of the items were there and we made it to Canakkale, Turkey safely!! 

This trip helped me realize how much I value things. Everything you own can be gone any moment. My teammates and I are reminded that everything we have are just things. We need to put our hope in God and not in the things we own.  I will never forget this travel day and what the Lord taught me in it.  May this encourage you not to put your hope in things. This is not how all travel days look, but every travel day on the race is fun, stressful and hectic. I am so thankful to have amazing teammates (Jenn, Abbey, Victoria, Lynneal, Wagz) to do travel days with. 

Please keep my squad in your prayers as we are here in Georgia! One of my teammates Elizabeth Wagstaff (elizabethwagstaff.theworldrace.org) is 1,000 dollars away from being fully funded. Would you prayerfully consider supporting her so she can finish

                (This is what I look like with only half of my items)

Thanks,

Your sister In Christ!