Anne Walcott - The World Race 2007

Chinese New Year

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

After being away from blogging for two months, I've decided to do a couple more blogs, just as quick updates.

When I first got back from the World Race, a friend approached me and asked if I'd be willing to talk about my experiences in Asia for a women's Bible study. The theme for the night would be ringing in the Chinese New Year.

So, last Thursday, I celebrated the Chinese New Year with over 40 women of all ages. We had a awesome Chinese potluck and then after dinner I got up, spoke and shared pictures about my experiences in Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong and China. I found out that it's very hard to squeeze Asia into 30 minutes, but is possible!!

It cracked me up though cause during the question and answer time, I saw a couple of women move back by the doors. Afterwords, they told me that they really needed to use the bathroom, but found my talk so interesting, that they didn't want to miss out! I got to personally talk with a many of the ladies afterwords who encouraged me to do more with the presentations (many said they could have sat for another 30 min. listening to more) Another neat thing is that I was invited to speak on March 30th for a service. They will be talking about breaking the chains and my part in the service will be talking about the sex trade and Nightlight in Bangkok.

The night overall was a huge encouagement and a high for me. I was really blessed when they took up a love offering for me at the end to help me out with post race life. So, to the ladies at WEB, thank you for the enjoyable night!! Enjoy the pictures!!!

(I feel like I just started the Race. Apparently, even after 14 months of doing this, I still don't know how to upload photos. I'm using a new disc this time and then thought I solved the problem, but they are still coming up sideways. Sorry!)

Then...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

After reading through my journal, I found that I had started a list called, THINGS I'VE LEARNED...OR WON'T FORGET. I thought it might be kind of fun to share with you. Some of them are pretty random, but I thought post, pre, and racers now might be able to relate, can add onto or see what they can look forward to.

So, here there are in no particular order...

-Skype and animal crackers are wonderful, cheap things

-"mine" no longer exists

-best things to take...lots of PB and body spray

-eating the best pizza in the world in Nicaragua and spending time with Nessa

-washing my hair under a well pump in Mozambique

-trips to Huarez in Peru...the mountains...

-learning how to cut a fresh pineapple

-sitting on a flat be truck on bags on food, driving through Africa at night and seeing the stars outline the African landscape and thinking this is the life of a missionary.

-worship under the stars on Casa Mateo's roof (Nicaragua)

-different kind of ice cream in different places

-having a little baby fall asleep in my arms in Mozambique

-getting laughed at by locals when trying to hand wash my clothes...and still not getting it right

-different modes of transportation

-how many boxes of All-Bran the squad can go through

-TP, TP, TP- no one brings it (went through 72 rolls)

-eating coconut in it's "original" form (same with fish, no fishsticks here)

-riding in a safari vechicle

-washing hair under a watering can

-how to make a "come here" motion

-washing walls and floors of bathrooms with a toothbrush

-running through the streets in Bangkok

-trying to eat with chopsticks

-watching a American movie in a place that doesn't get American jokes (south africa)

-coloring

-Girls go behind the truck, boys in front (this would be bathroom stops in Moz)

-taking out bar girls

-"jumping" onto a bus

-eating with a spoon and pushing things up with a fork

-theaters that have lazy-boy style seating(thailand)

-my love for independence

-not having to translate- translations

-living inside of barbed wire areas

-playing capture the flag- in the dark, in black (mozambique)

-cold showers

-picking thorns out of my skirt while coming out of the bush after coming using the bathroom

-big treats of the week being a coke and some lemon filled cookies

-people enjoying "the hotel" (my tent..a six person tent)

-being splattered by birds 4 times (2 in Peru,1 in Argentina, 1 during worship AT NIGHT in Mozambique)

-second guessing drinking the water

-not having people run into things or you because they are staring at the white chic

-watching Monk with Spanish subtitles in China

-the phrase "this is how we roll"

-learing about each other on long trips

-"Whoa, are you sure this is really Minute Maid?"

...and Now

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So, here' a update on what's happened since my last blog in December.

Christmas was wonderful and I had a great time with my family. I got my sisters a little something from almost every country and gave it to them while a little slide show of my pictures played. We then went a spent the rest of the morning at the beach..even though it was only 35 degrees! I enjoyed being able to see my extended family for Chrismas this year as well in Michigan.

the Walcott girls and soaking up the rays!!

After that, I hung out with my sisters a lot, spent a weekend at my grandparents and have spent the most of the time looking for a full time job. I've had the hardest time finding anything open in this area. I've interviewed for big, salary positions to little, hourly positions, and have come up with nothing. So, I'm wondering if I'm where I should be at and currently praying and working on listening to see where God wants me.

I do have to admit though that I love having the time off...and not in the lazy, I don't want to work sense, but enjoying life for life. I think sometimes we just complicate it ourselves and this is great time to remind me to take time out for things I like to do. I've enjoyed going out on long walks each day and not having to be home at a certain time. Or reading a good book, watching a movie (I think I've caught up on all of them, thanks to the library), cleaning out more boxes of my stuff in the garage or catching up on my "to do" list...and am working on keeping in better contact with people. (this is HUGE for me) There are sometimes where I really wish I had a job, (okay a lot of the time) for the sake of having some "normalacy" here at home and someone to talk to, (my mother says I need a friend, which means...I'm very talkative at home) but I'm also enjoying this season of life.

I also want to add here that I just got a part time job and start Tuesday. The hard part is it's a on call position, so I'm never sure of how much time I'll get. However, I'm a non-medical home companion to the elderly. This basically means I get paid to be a friend! I get to take them on errands, help them with any housework, take them to sporting events, scrapbook, play games with them or just talk to them. I'm really excited about it!

As always, I would love to see anyone if you happend to pass through the area. I promise, I'll shorten my slide show, so you don't have to sit for long! And I'll be in the Carlisle, PA area this weekend, from Sat afternoon till Mon morning. I'm sorry this is such short notice, but hopefully I can catch up with some of you out that way during that time!! Once things get settled, I'll make another trip, so if you miss me this time, I promise I'll see you next time!

Love and miss ya!

Re-adjustment

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I've had quite a few e-mails, phone calls, text messages, etc welcoming me back home and asking how is it to be back. To be honest, it's a mixture of emotions and it's something that I haven't fully thought about, because I haven't really fully debriefed myself yet. The first things that come to my head to describe it is sometimes I just want to cry. Or I do break into tears after looking at my pictures, listening to a song and putting together a slide show in my head. It's a story, my story.

Sometimes I want to just talk to someone about what happened for hours..maybe even days, but then I don't want to call anyone and rarely answer my phone. Sometimes someone will say something like, "you know, when you were in Peru..." and I'm like "Was I really in Peru this year? That was me?"

It's nice to see everyone, but I'm ready to leave again. As I told one friend, let me go for 6 months, give me two weeks back here and then send me out again and I could probably do this for the rest of my life. Yet, I also realize that I'm suppose to be here for a year-that's the season I'm in right now, so I need to breathe it in fully and take advantage of the time here...but that's sometimes easier said than done.

It's also rough cause "home" is not "home" for me. I'm currently living with my parents, who moved to Ohio about 4 years ago. I was living on my own in Pennsylvania before the trip. My friends, church family, and work friends are 6 hours away, and I don't know a soul here! It's made me realize what life is like for other missionaries coming off the field. Whether it's for a year, or indefinatly, I realized now what they go through. They've most likely, also sold their house, car,etc and have to readjust not only to the culture, but the freedom they lost, the friends moving on, etc. They can always see them or they might be given a car, a house, where they can go whenever they want, but it's different and there are adjustments that they have to make within them.

With all that being said, I do appreciate living with my parents. It nice to be able to go in my room and close the door when I want to be alone, and it's nice to come out and just start talking. I'm loving the "daddy/daughter dates" and constantly go out on road trips with my mom. Sunday nights are "Amazing Race" nights. I watch it with them, which is fun cause it brings back different memories. As I told them, I'm glad I didn't come back and am living alone.

All serious-ness aside, here are some "fun or interesting" little things (hopefully they will make you laugh) I've had to think about or adjust to since I've come back...

How often I have to make split second decisions- It's gotten better in the past few weeks, but at first it was like does the paper go in the toilet or trash? Oh yea, I can flush it... or Can I drink out of the tap? as the water is running.

Directions are given by street names- I'm a very visual person, so it was easy for me to get around abroad. Directions usually went like to go to the guy's house at the end of the alley, the one with a couple of goats and chickens in the yard and turn right. Walk past the butcher shop to the... Here it's like take Susan street till you reach Oak Ave. Then, turn right on Oak Ave...much more difficult!

Trouble filling out resumes and applications- I'm one that has a hard time using big words on my resume, like "participated in" instead of "did" or "supervised" instead of "watched" So, with all the incredible "jobs" we had, how do you describe the past year? I spent my days sitting in the dirt with a bunch of little grimy kids on my lap, scratching their back as they ran their sticky fingers in my hair ...becomes I participated in activities where I was given the opportunity to bond and develop a rapport with underpriveleged children and adolecesents in multiple countries. hmmmm...it's just not the same....

I'm not the only one who has to readjust...I confuse the dog- I guess to her when someone puts on a sweatshirt, it means they are going to take her on a walk..to me, it means I'm cold. Or, when I eat banannas or lettuce and her head is in my lap, apparently she wants something...It took me a while to give in. Then again, who could deny a face like this..

Watching what I wear- No more "pick up a shirt and see if it smells...if not, wear it for the 4th day in a row" times. I also have worry about matching! No more mixing the blue top with the black skirt and since it's after Labor Day, I had to put away all my white stuff! :)

The phantom vibrating phone- In the beginning, there were times where it felt (or sounded like) a cell phone was vibrating on or next to you. We kind of looked around, patted ourselves down, only to remember that our phones were at home. It was like the phantom phone ring. Now, it takes a while for it to register (or someone has to say)...Hey, that is my(your) phone!

No more translating translations- Where it took a couple times to read a sign to figure out exactly what they wanted to say. China was famous for this!! I have quite a few pictures of different "translations"

Customer service and what line?- This hit in the first few days I got back. I think it was because we were so use to shopping in open air markets that you always had people hounding you to buy stuff. You never had to get someone's attention to help you out. When you paid for stuff, you never had to wait, especially not in a line!!

And some things haven't changed....

People drive you everywhere- I will be borrowing what was formerly my car, from my parents, but we are still waiting on the title, insurance, inspection, etc. for now. So I'm still being driven places by someone else!

Why are you taking that big bag? (thanks, dad) - I'm so use to packing a day pack, that it comes naturally. And since I'm left waiting to get rides from place to place, it still comes in handy! I'm so used to "hurry up and wait", (and we did a lots of waiting) that my bag still consists of a book, notebook, couple of pens, camera (you never know...), toilet paper (yep), Christmas cards, stamps, and a resume folder! And that's just my bag, not my purse.

Hong Kong and coming home pics

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

These are from our debreif times before and after China in Hong Kong and on the way home...

Hong Kong Disney

bbq dinner with January and June racers

worship on the roof-Hong Kong

Michelle, me, Tana in the subway

flower market in Hong Kong

despite my year with birds, I went to the bird market- Hong Kong

This is Finding Nemo... I visited the goldfish market where there are tons of little baggies full of fish, hanging on a wall and you just pick one and pay for it. Much easier than trying to pluck one out of a tank with a little net.

The world's longest esculator-it takes 20 minutes to ride it to the top and then you walk down along the street next to it

We also had Girl's night as one of our final nights there. As part of my story, (see earlier blog, Why I'm on the World Race) I had been growing out my hair since the whole ordeal started. So, for Girl's night, I decided to chop it off and lose the weight!!. This was more than just a haircut to me and it was neat (and a great encouragement) to be around my sisters. Special thanks to Candice for giving me a cool new do!!

And finally...coming home!!!

50 people and 11 months worth of stuff!!

final leg home -Taiwan to LAX

Arriving at LAX in Los Angeles...and home in Cleveland, OH!! (Youngest sister, Mary Kate, welcoming me with a t-shirt she made as a prop for her speech about me in her speech class and me with all my stuff!

A couple more blogs to come...

Oops, I missed my deadline!

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Aghhhh!!!! This is coming out a lot later than I told most of you it would!! I promised some of you that I'd blog a couple days after getting back. Sorry about that!! However, here are a couple of photo blogs!!! One is of our ministry time in China. While there, we were ministering to the missionaries that lived there. We also checked out some places for them to tell their backpacking friends about, at the restraunt they owned. (hence the camping and riding the horse in the mountain pics. ) The next one will be of Hong Kong. Enjoy!

PHOTOS OF CHINA

loading our stuff in the sleeper car-the best way to travel!!!

on my bunk in a sleeper car with Agapetos

why we pray that our luggage makes it to the same place we are going to

afternoon hike in the mountains

on the Tibetan plateau

part of the monestary- China

the men in China will sit around all day playing this game

the guys starting a fire while camping in the mountains

snow on our tent in the morning

mountains in the morning

a new friend, a yak, who later became our lunch (just kidding..though we did eat yak and it isn't bad)

our favorite (and cheap!) thing to eat. It's steam cooked and has different fillings in it. This one is all veggies. You dunk it in some hot sauce, and yum!!

a little boy I played with and his grandfather

at the park

horseback riding in the mountains of China

eating lunch

on the Great Wall with Mal, and Tana

more of the Wall

Lunch!!

pics in Beijing in Tiannemen Square

what it looks like when we travel!

Uh-Oh..It's the big 3-0!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here are some pics from my birthday!!

my "birthday bed" with balloons all over

birthday cake!

cake #1

cake #2

Michelle, me and Tana

Plus a trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong today!!!

Just to let everyone know, I WILL NOT be able to have any internet access in China. So, I will not be back online to post blogs, check e-mail (both address) or anything else till November 14!!! Don't worry, we are okay, but you won't hear from us till then. I'm also still short of my goal by about $1,000! If you can help, please click the Support me button to the left of this screen or see the physical address on my blog titled "I've almost Made It" Thanks guys!!! I love you, miss you and will see ya soon!!!

Cambodia:through my eyes Part 2

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Pictures from the proviences

CEH staff and daily activities

Our roommate Annette

Flaming Lips

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

No, this isn't a blog about the band...it's really about my lips.

I think at this point, I might be in the lead with weird health issue this year. At least with this one, I got to visit the best hospital in Asia!

It all started on Friday when i noticed little bumps on my lips. It kind of looked like a white film in the corners of my mouth. I thought it might be a allergic reaction to something I ate and hoped it would go away. However, by Monday the little bumps were all over my tongue, the inside of my mouth, and it hurt to swallow. On top of that, I seemed to have a runny nose, stomach ache and just did not feel well.

This was bad timing (in my opnion) because this Friday is a day of celebration for me in many ways, which some of it has to do with my looks. (more on that in my blog My Story, that I'll post tomorrow) Plus, it had been a wonderful month, so emotionally, I was down that everything had come to a close and honestly, didn't want to go another month on the race. I was tired, worn out and wanted comfort, even though I now live outside of my comfort zone. I just wanted to go home, put my head on my mom's lap and have her rub my back and run her fingers through my hair and listen to me jabber away and tell me that everything was going to be okay.

Monday night, when we arrived in Bangkok, I asked one of the girls, who is a nurse what she thought it was and told her everything else that was going on as well. When she looked it up in her medical guide, she said, "now, I don't want to freak you out, but it says in here that it could be the beginning stages of measles." AGHHH!!!

So, Tuesday we decided that I should get checked out by a doctor. By now, it had started to spread down my throat, I couldn't swallow and my lips and tongue felt like they were on fire. The day began with a trip to the Chinese embasy to get a visa. The whole way there I was really not feeling well and for some reason, I got really upset while waiting in line for the visas. I think I just was not ready to move on to China. While they were processing the visas, we decided to go down the street to what we refer to here as "Thailand Target". While I was waiting for everyone else, Shawna came over to me and started talking. And then it happened...I fell apart in the middle of Target. I sat there crying about all the issues that were going on and how I just wanted to go home. She prayed for me and Erin, Youell and I left then to go to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was seen by a doctor who first of all ruled out measles. He then thought it was a fungus, but had never seen anything like it before. He refered me to a specialist, who took some samples and confirmed that it was a fungus (I even got to see it under the microscope. Oh boy!!!) He kept asking me though "Are you healthy?" and " are you on any medication?" He told me that I shouldn't have it if I was healty. So, then I went to the lab to have some blood work done. An hour later, the tests came back negative. What he thinks happened is that I've been on and off doxy (for malaria) from the beginning of the year(they tell you not to do that...now I know why). When you go on and off, it weakens your immune system. So, I probably touched something and then touched my mouth. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but because my immune system is weaker, it hit me harder.

So, I'm on some meds. My lips and tongue are still a blazing, (I almost cried today while eating thousand island dressing because it hurt so bad) but actually this has turned my thinking totally around and I'm actually looking forward to finishing with everyone else on November 19 in China!

My Story (why I'm on the World Race)

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

October 12th is a day of celebration. My big plans for the day are to get my haircut and wear some make-up. This may sound like a ordinary thing to most, but for me, it's something different.

This year God has really been showing me what true beauty is and where it's found. At home, I could spend hours in the morning getting ready for the day. I was so focused on how I looked outwardly, that I forgot what was on the inside. On top of that, I would often find myself preparing physically, but not spiritually. Devotions happened if I got ready on time and had a couple of extra minutes to spare.

So, as I prepared for the trip, I felt like God was telling me that he wanted to show me a whole new side of beauty. At first, I thought, no problem...I don't mind. But usually when God wants to show you something or teach you a lesson, it's not "a easy road to walk." I ended up not being able to bring hardly any make-up or hair things (and my hair is long, which is unusual for me) due to my pack being full :) and something that I could easily get over. But then, I found out that I would not be able to wear my contacts til close to the end of the race. That was the pill that was hard to swallow.

The first few months were rough. I found myself constantly comparing myself to other girls or saying, well, normally it's different...without really taking in what God was trying to teach me. Then Argentina hit, where not only was I splattered on by birds a lot, but also burned off a chunk of hair. It was then that God was really grabbing my attention. It's just the outward me that mattered. Not how I looked or how much attention I got, but just me was what He was entralled by. Not only was there beauty in me, it was then that I discovered that beauty that dwells in the people and places that I'm around. (like finding beauty in a trash dump)

As much as I looked forward to the day that I would "change", I was also beginning to love me for me. So, tomorrow is not only celebrating the lesson that I'm continuing to learn, but also a time to show where I've come from in a different sense as well, a sense of healing. This is my story...

In July 2005, I was given pretty much a clean bill of health. With in 2 weeks of that Dr's appointment, my life dramatically changed. I was taken to the hospital one night with intense pain in my abdomen. They discovered that I was passing a kidney stone, but the x-rays showed some other things as well. It seemed that I had a "mass or tumor" along with a cyst. I was sent to a specialist and from there it was a downhill mess.

Instead of getting better, I got worse. I was put on this drug and that drug. I went through every kind of medical test you could go through. It was draining physically (most of the doctor's offices were 30minutes away from where I lived) financially and emotionally. Due to my exhaustion, I hardly ate, and lost 20 pounds in 3 months, which for someone my size, is not good. I was wondereing where God was in all of this and why He let me live in this kind of condition. To put it simply, what I was experiencing was exactly like the woman in Matthew 9. It took it's toll on me and I remember in November, lying on the floor of my apartment, in pain and just wondering how I could live the rest of my life like this.

Christmas came and went with the hope things would change in the new year. At first, they didn't. By then, I was seeing 5 specialist for different issues that had started popping up. Each had their own way of healing me. I was even slated for surgery. My friends at home prayed for healing, and that something good would come out of this.

I was also feeling something else at the time, which I only shared with a couple of people. I felt like God was calling me into missions. I had wanted to do that since I was little, but came up with excuse after excuse of why I couldn't or shouldn't. When I was young, I loved watching the slide shows of missionaries when they came to our church and to hear of all their experiences. I fought the feeling over and over again, then I started to look missions trips up on the web, came across The World Race and started to follow the 2006 racers. I felt like I was suppose to do more than just follow them though. I felt like I was actually suppose to apply for the Race, which made absoultly no sense in my condition.

The "interesting thing" is that the more I looked into it and started to apply, the better I was physically getting and feeling. Then, the surgery that I was suppose to have, got cancelled because she had a conflict. I went for counseling( to a christian counselor) told her my thoughts on going into missions. She told me she didn't think it was a wise idea seeing the state I was in. I, however, knew that the plans that God spoke earlier, were the plans for my life. I learned a lot about trust in the next few weeks, and even though it wasn't what seemed right in the eyes of many, I applied for the race, and was accepted.

At first, I was not thrilled about being accepted. I was still trying to figure out why was I suppose to do this and why now? I wanted to call them back and tell them it was a big mistake....I had no idea what I was thinking and that this just would not be possible for me to do. Talking to my parents about it would be the confirming factor that I was not suppose to go. Who would let their kid travel all over the world for a year, right?

Instead, my parents told me, that if that was what I believed I should do, then I should be obident and do it. I came back home (to PA), told my close girlfriends that I was going, but I had no idea how this would all work. How would I do this physically and financially? They told me it wasn't for me to figure out, but to trust God that everything would work out.

And it has! :) I was signed off by all the doctors to be able to go on the trip. In another way, all of them also encouraged me to do the trip and I got to talk to many medical staff personel in hospitals, dr's offices, etc. of what I was doing. Physically, I've been holding up much better than I ever thought. I've had my boughts with weird things (like root canals and fungus :) but overall, I'm feeling better now than I have in literally a couple of years.

To date, I have hardly put any money down on this trip. From my support, to my supplies, and some preparation things, everything has been taken care of by others. I'm still a little shy of the overall goal, but believe that will work it's self out as well.

So, tomorrow, I'm not changing because I'm turning 30 and having a mid-life crisis. :) But to share of where I've been and how God has taken care of me through everything and the healing that has come from that.

Sometimes things in life just don't make sense. Often there's pain and hurt that come from these times, yet there's also beauty that rises from the ashes. For those that see what we are doing, would love to do something like this, but think it's impossible because of this or that, my story is proof that anything is possible. It just requires taking a little step...

Cambodia: through my eyes- a picutre only blog

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Our entry

The Killing Fields and S-21

Teaching First Grade

Med. clinc with Brooklyn Tabernacle Part 2

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here's a couple more pictures from my time with Brooklyn Tab! During these days we were based out of the church and worked with the families from the slums.

a precious little one

receiving treatment

a friend in the AIDS hospice- Cambodia

another friend (one of the most joyful people I've met)in the hospice that told us she couldn't wait to go home to be with Jesus.

working in the pharmacy!

Gabbie (from Brooklyn Tab) and me

big and little kids coloring

the before picture :)

the after picture :) most of us have experienced this a lot!

more of the clinic!

I've almost made it!

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I've had 2 incredible months in Asia. I've found out what I really love and have lived in two countries that have given me more than I could have ever dreamed. I'll show you more of what I've been doing, as soon as I finish uploading all of my pictures :)

We are now about to finish up this race and year by heading to China. However, to finish out this race, I'm still in need of

$1,200 with the need of $400 more by the end of this month.

If you can help me out and would like to donate electronically, please click on the button on the left-hand side of the screen that says Support Me! If you would like to send a check, please mark on the memo section "For World Racer Anne Walcott". All checks can be sent to

Adventure In Missions

6000 Wellspring Trail

Gainesville, GA 30506

Thank you for all of your aupport through out the year. It has made a difference in others lives and in my life as well!!!

Medical mission with Brooklyn Tabernacle Part 1

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

When we came to Cambodia, to work with New Life Fellowship, the media team came to help their media team out. Some of the media team members have been working with them, but I chose to do some different things. I've taught English, corrected letters written in English, and visited the proviences. I've spent most of my time though with the medical team from the church.

My jobs with them have included sorting out medicines, taking inventory and preparing for the big medical outreach with Brooklyn Tabernacle from New York. I've loved every minute of it and love to hang out with my new friends at the clinic!

Last week, we held the outreach in different providences and at the church. I helped with the children's ministry for the first two days (which was run by a lady named Kim, that has amazing talent with children) and worked in the pharamacy for the last two days. Here are some of my favorite pics from the first two days!!

counting pills beforehand

Day One- the providence was the same one that I spent the night at and is 1 1/2 hours away.

Day Two- this providence was 3 hours away

Please pray for this little one!!!! I'll post more pictures as soon as I can upload them!!!

A pulpit and some shower shoes

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This weekend was huge for me, in more ways than one. It started out with thinking mid-week about how I hadn't preached all year and probably would not have a chance to. At first, I was excited. I freak out in front of crowds. I hate talking in big groups and often feel that I don't have anything to really say. However, then I thought about it more, I was kind of sad that I had never really felt called to do it. I prayed that night that if God wanted me to preach, that he would open up the doors. They always say to be careful of what you pray for.

Friday, I was called into Pheakdey's office to talk about plans for the weekend. Katie and I agreed to go out with him to a providence for a overnight visit that would include some youth stuff, teaching English and some home visits. Part of the talk included him asking me if either one of us would be willing to preach. Since speaking was Katie's major in college, I signed her up, with the little thought of what I had prayed about earlier creeping into the back of my mind. When he mentioned there were two spots and would I like fill the other one, I told him I'd think about it.

I went upstairs, met Katie and told her that she would probably be preaching. I mentioned there was another spot that was open and how I had not preached all year yet. Katie said, "Anne, I think this is God telling you that this is your time to preach." I knew she was right and tried to reason it out, but in the end, I told her I would preach on Sunday. (and then went into my room and cried)

The whole weekend, every time I thought about preaching, I would start to shake and feel sick to my stomach. How on earth was I even going to get through the weekend? Could I get out of it someway?

We left Saturday morning, picked up a guy I work with named Donnie, and headed out to the provience on what was probably the bumpiest ride I've had yet. The ride out there was just so beautiful. The scenery reminded me of the scenery of Peru and the beauty that was there in the mountains. During the ride, we heard of how both of the guys we were with were living miracles, with their lives saved in a "moto" accident 4 years ago. When we arrived at the house, there was another man that had a accident 6 months ago. Just a friend of the family, who was no longer capable to do anything on his own, and the family just poured love out onto the guy and cared for him with what little they had. The family lived in simplicity. There was no electricity and the bathroom was large, but only had a toilet in it. A big tub was in the one corner the caught the rain and that was used for showering.

We were shown to our room. Katie and I would be sharing one of two beds (in one of two rooms) in the whole household. The family's sacrifices and ways of life were really touching me.

We ate lunch and then went out to teach English to a bunch of teenagers. A funny part during our lesson occurred when Katie went to explain a story that involved a drive-thru window. They looked at us strangely, and we realized that they had no clue what a drive-thru window was. So, we acted it out! We are getting pretty good at doing that during our English lessons!

After that we made some home visits, and visited a cell group where we prayed for healing of some of the women.

Then they took us (and about 20 kids) to some really neat old temple ruins. We came back home for about a hour and then took off for some more home visits and finished up with a youth service that Katie preaching at.

We went back to the house and ate by the front porch light that was working thanks to a car battery that it was hooked up to. We stayed up and talked with the pastor for a while.

I realized that I still needed to prepare for the next day. (which I was becoming less stressed about) I also realized a small problem that I had. I only brought my tennis shoes and planned on wearing a skirt. You wear many interesting combinations on the World Race, but this was not one that I was ready to attempt.

The ground was so wet outside, that I had no idea what I would do. There was only one option left. It came down to that I would wear my shower shoes (hot, pink flip flops with little swirls on them) with my black skirt. As far as a message went, I knew what I was going to talk about. Being a leader had really been on my heart lately, and when we sat and talked with the pastor that night, he talked about how he wanted people in his congregation to step up and lead. (I even leaned over to Katie and told her that's what I planned to talk about) So, I stayed up and worked on my message in candlelight for about a hour longer.

By 8am, church was already starting. After a few trips to the squatty potty outside, I headed in. (the nerves were getting to me) The service went for 3 hours, and I ended up being the last hour. Things went much better than I expected and I was rather calm through out the whole thing.

I shared my story of the past two years of my life and then went into talking about leadership and different leaders of the Bible. About 75% of the church was under 20, and it was kind of fun to watch them all take notes. (They love taking notes here, even in every day conversation) It was easier in the fact that due to the translation, I had time to look ahead and get my thoughts in order and make them easy to understand. It was hard though to, in that not all of what I had to say could be translated. But I made it!!!

We ate lunch at the house and prayed for the guy they were caring for before heading off. We stopped for another house visit and ended up eating another really good lunch and talked with a guy that was very into building up young leaders in the church, for they are the ones to someday lead this nation. :) After that it was another long, bumpy ride home and good time to just process what had happened all weekend.

The weekend was just so much fun and I would even say it was probably the best time I've had on the trip so far. As I stepped into our air-conditioned apartment, I was thankful for the small (and much needed) trip that God had taken me on this weekend. What a difference it has made in my life!

check out the pictures!!!

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I'm not the best at doing picture blogs and I know it gets to be a lot to read all the blogs. (especially for all those moms of racer's :) So, I just want to invite you to click on the word snapshots! to the left of this box. That will take you into my photo album, where I've just posted a lot of photos of our time here. Check them out!!!

I've had a incredible month, probably my best yet! :) I will post more sometime this weekend, when I come back to the area for part 2 of the tooth thing :) and after I have some down time to process this whole thing at debrief. Thanks for all you guys have done to make this possible!!

Was that a rat I just stepped on in the kitchen?

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is the blog that disappered, that I meant to post a couple of days ago...

On Sunday, I went to church and caught up with Becca and Morgan afterwords. They mentioned that the girls were planning on going to the waterpark that afternoon and we were to meet up with them. When we met up the girls, they decided to go to the concert instead. I was exhausted, so I opted out and came back home to relax and just catch up on stuff.

I was thrilled to be in air-condition and have the place to myself. I had the night all planned out. I would journal, read, rest and do some laundry. So, I ran the first load down and some time later, ran the second one down there.

I got down to the bottom of the steps and noticed that the lights in the kitchen were off. I knew that the light switch was on the wall near the washer, so I walked, in the dark towards the washer. I put my right foot down on something squishy. I then felt something weird move over my foot and to the left side of it.

I don't scream in intense situations like that, I say "Ew" and "Blagh" a lot and can hear my heart beat in my ears. So, that's what happened along with me throwing the laundry stuff on the counter while doing a little dance all the way back to the doorframe. I tried to see what I had stepped on.

The kitchen has a open metal grate over the sewer. I've seen a rat run across the floor before as well as a little animal that looks like a chipmunk with a squirel's tail. (They also keep them as pets here) I assumed that I stepped on the rat. However, once I was back in the doorway, I saw that it wasn't a rat that I stepped on, but a snake!

By then I was really freaking out as I watched it slither under the lockers. What on earth was I going to do? Why me? Where are the guys? Do I just forget about my laundry for tonight? So many questions were running through my head. So, I got this, brillant idea that I needed to turn on a light before I got anyone, to make sure we could see the snake, in case it moved more and tried to escapre. (I have no idea what I was thinking) So, I climbed onto the counter, kind of hopped from the counter to a laundry basket and then onto the dryer-slid across that to the washer and hit the light switch.

The snake's head was now poking out from under the lockers. My plan had worked up till this point, but it was then that I realized I had no idea what to do next. So, once again, coming up with another brillant plan, I decided to try to sprint for the doorway, to see if I could find someone to take care of the situation. I wondered if the snake would attack me though, so (again, not using my head) I decided to test it first by throwing things at it to see if if moved. After throwing a couple of things, nothing happened. So, I made my big break for the door and made it with out a problem.

I heard a girl's voice out in the hallway. There was a YWAM group from Hawaii there, so I thought it would be best to go get her and see what she thought and maybe one of her guys would be willing to kill it. I calmly approached her and asked if she knew if any of the guys were good at handling snakes. She looked a little confused (I suppose she didn't get that question often) and asked why. I told (and showed) her the snake in the kitchen. She started yelling for her guys and eventually two of them came into the kitchen. The one guy goes,"Oh, he's a little guy" followed by "Actually, we should probably get the Thai guy out front". When we got the guy, he just shrugged his shoulders and didn't know what to do with it. The guys ended up finding a big stick and hitting it on the head with it. And that's the end of the snake story :)

When they pulled the snake out with the stick, it ended up being about a foot and a half long and had black, red and white rings around it. One of the guys thought it was a coral snake. I didn't care what kind it was, as long as it was taken care of. It's funny, but in Africa, I thought it would be the coolest thing to see one...not up close, but just to see one to say that I saw a live snake on the trip. All that to say, be careful what you wish for!!!

Bringing out the roots..

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This morning was the first appointment for my root canal. Katie came with me (it helps so much to have a friend join you!) and our experience in getting there went much better than the first time. We talked with the dentist and deciced that it would be best to start the whole process today with a second appointment next Saturday. (I'm hoping to be able to get a bus from Koi Summit to Bangkok)

The place is really nice and when you first enter, you would probably think you are in a coffee shop more than a dentist office. Afterwords, I found Katie asleep on one of the benches by the cafe. :) The staff all speaks English, which puts you a little more at ease as well. It wasn't that bad, altough she started drilling at one point and I could feel it, so I had her give me another shot. It all worked out in the end and ended up being pretty cheap. (round 1 was only $155 US)

Katie and I had a fun little adventure getting back. We got on the right bus, just at the end of the route, in the wrong direction. So, we were traveling for a while, and were like, "Weren't we just here? Did we pass this already?" :) We ended up getting a nice little (and long) tour of Bangkok for really cheap (you pay the same rate on the bus,30 cents , no matter where you get on) :)

So, that's where I'm at right now. I still have a lot of pain and I'm not sure if that's normal or if I'm just "stiff" from today. So, I'm going to wait till Monday to see if it's still there and if it is, I'll go back. Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement! It's been frustrating and challenging, but also faith growing :)

Please also pray for our time with Ann (the girl we took out) tomorrow. She asked that we take her out one more time, so we agreed to pay her bar fee and take her out again on Sunday for dinner. When we gave her a little scrapbook of our night together, she was so precious to watch. She kept flipping through it and made sure that we had copies of the pictures as well, so that we could always remember her. Candice spoke with her and was sharing the gospel in the bar. The whole night was just incredible to watch. We also took another volunteer with us, that asked us if she could maybe do something with her as well, so it's encouraging that we are able to pass her on.

Thanks again for the prayers and I'll continue to keep you posted on everything that goes on from this side of the world!!! :)

I think I'll move to Australia...

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Have you ever had on of those really bad days? One of my favorite books growing up was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It's about a boy, who just has the worst day and at different points in his day, he states that he will move to Australia to escape it all. I'm kind of feeling like that today and Australia seems like a lovely place. :)

I went to the dentist for a problem with a tooth that has been bugging me for 2 months... and on the way there our driver was acting a little strange. I noticed the meter wasn't running, and should have asked him about it, but didn't. This led to me only to find out that he "made up a price" to get me there. I found out later that the ride should have cost 40b, maybe 70b due to the traffic....I paid 400b. It's like paying $12 for a $1.10 ride.

I went in and the dentist took x-rays only to find out I probably need a root canal (and I would need a crown at some point) done on Saturday. They aren't sure yet, (I'm praying that's it's not) but they need to drill a little to find out and release some pressure from under the tooth, which is what is causing the pain. This would be my second root canal in a year. The first one almost kept me from being part of the January team because I ran into timing issues then as well.

The good part is, it's cheaper here than in the US. The bad part is, I need to return the following Saturday for the second part of it. (which is when debrief is) So,I need to travel back for one appointment or wait till Cambodia. (she said that there's no way I'd make it till I flew back to the states in November) The timing is off for the whole thing and I'm hoping my dental insurance will pick it up, but that's always in the back of my mind as well. Not to mention, what if something goes wrong when I'm so far from home?

It feels like I've just been running around in circles all day and nothing much got accomplished. I don't like sitting around, but that's just what I felt like I did all day. (though I did do stuff, I wasn't as active as I would have liked to been and I feel really scatterbrained right now)

Now, I've come to finish a blog I started a couple of days ago, only to find out, that it apparently didn't save. AGHHHHH!!!! :)

At the end of the book, the boy find out that problems exist everywhere...even in Australia. I'm trying to see the blessing in all of this (though all the resident Americans say this is the best place in our travels, to have dental problems, due to the conditions and prices) but right now, it's just a super frustrating way to end what was probably the best month that I've had on this trip. (which is why I haven't blogged much..I've been so busy!) So, I'm going to face this head on and pray that something good comes out of this! :) Please pray that everything will work out... and that I get a better attitude about the whole thing :)

Buying a person

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Last night we took one of the bar girls that we've become friends with out. Her name is Ann and is 32. She has a daughter at home (up north) and told me that she works in the bars for the money and so someday, her daughter won't have to go through the same thing. I met her with Candice on our second night out. We went back last Wednesday and tried to take her out, but ran into some problems with the mamasung. It was hard to leave her because you could tell in her eyes that she wanted to go out so badly, but couldn't. We told her we could take her out in the daytime, but she said she prefered to go at night. (so she wouldn't have to be there) We told her we would be back on Monday to try take her out again and she said she would try to work everything out with the mamsung.

So last night, we went back to the bar and things went so much smoother. The mamasung was busy with another customer, so we were able to talk directly to Ann. We asked her if she wanted to go out and she said yes. So we paid her bar fine, sat and talked with some girls while she got ready. When we left we explained to her that this was her night, gave her some options and told her we would go wherever she wanted. She seemed confused and I wondered how many times she had ever been given that option.

She decided to go to the mall, which she had never been to that mall. We piled in a taxi and thanks to her translating for us, we made it to the right mall. Once there, she decided she wanted to grab some ice cream, so we did. We all got frozen yogurt with fruit and she loved it! It was fun just to watch her trying to decide what flavor she wanted. She still wasn't quite sure what to do after the ice cream and we could only have her with us till 10, so we decided to go bowling!

She had never been bowling, so we told her it was a game Americans enjoyed playing. She was like, "What kind of game?" And we reassured her we would have fun and she just said okay! So, we went got her shoes and socks and found our lane. We aked for bumpers, (to help all of us out) but I don't think anyone really understood us, so we didn't get any. We found the lightest pound ball we could for her (a 7lbs. ball) and laughed the first time she threw it because she weighs about 7olbs. and when she let it go, she kind of flew down the lane after it. We all ended up laughing so hard through out the night by our different dance moves (the music was techno/rap) and by the different techniques we used to roll the ball. It was so rewarding just to see her laughing so hard and loving it. That was what really made our night.

was hard to let her go at the end of the night and to know what she is going back to. She loves talking with Annie (the director of Night Light) and actually started talking to us because we looked like friends of Annie's. So, it's satisfying in knowing that once we leave here, she won't be "lost". Her birthday is September 6th, so we are hoping to take her some things on Friday for her birthday, including a photo album of our night and to tell her goodbye.

To those who put extra money in our accounts to be able to take the girls out, thank you so much!!! Not only were they touched and lives are being changed, but so are ours. Thanks for giving us a chance to show them a different kind of love for a night!!

The Land of Slurpees

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have loved living in Thailand for the last month!! Everything here is so much different than what I expected in coming here. Not to mention, things with me were different too. I spent my time here, in Bangkok, instead of with my team and stayed with the Salt and 61 girls and loved their friendships that grew over the month. The culture and just the scenery is different from what I've expected as well. We've been to both the urban and rural areas and there's so much of a difference in each.

The rural area is very lush, green and mountainous. It's also not as humid up there. Some people have said that it reminds them of Hawaii. We stayed up there for a weekend and loved just soaking up the beauty of everything.

The city itself is like any big city in the states. There are quite a few malls in the area that have movie theaters that are extremely high class, (where I got to see Bourne UltimatumJ) bowling alleys, and even a roller coaster in them. The town itself has 7-11's (yea, for Slurpees!!) on every corner and you can find McDonald's, KFC (which is actually found in more places around the world than McD's), Outback, A&W, Subway and other places all over. Vendors are on every street corner, including fruit vendors that sell cut up fruit for really cheap and eat it with a skewer. Everywhere you need to go, you can get to by taxi, subway, air train, or bus.

The people are so friendly and the country is actually referred to as the land of smiles. Everyone is smiling and more than willing to help you whenever you need. I actually even have a personal crossing guard that works by the YWAM base. I stood on the street corner for a long time, waiting to cross when he spotted me. The first time he saw me, he said, "Hello!!! Okaywe are going to goreadyhere we go" and he ran out in the middle of the road and stopped the traffic for me as I crossed and then said, "okaybye-bye". He's come out to do that a few more times since then, and I just laugh, smile, and thank him. The city overall just has this big city feel, but is very personal.

In fact, it reminds me a lot of New York City. There's kind of an interesting story behind all of this as well. I've told Jenny that for the past few months, I've really felt like something big was going to happen to me in the future in NYC. I would see pictures in every country that we've been to of the city and something just caught me attention. I just felt like at some point, NYC was going to be a big part of my life. She made me a bookmark of the city and I got it laminated before I got to Thailand. Once here, I realized that there were so many similarities between NYC and Bangkok. The first Sunday morning that I took a bus ride, I sat staring out the window and watched the scenery pass by. It was then that I heard God say, this is your New York. That alone, just made a huge impact on me and how I spent my time here. I have no idea what will come from it in the future, but even now, as I'm leaving, I'm so looking forward to coming back at some point.

Wrapping up Africa

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This should have been written long ago, but I never really got a chance to type it out.

My third visit to the hospital was my favorite. I took Telfer with me. The adventure started in getting there. We had a hard time finding someone going that way and then coming back. When we did, it was only a one-way ride and we didn't have any money to get home. I started praying that everything would work out and that we would have a ride back across town. Our contact ended up picking us up in the end, so it all came together perfectly! J

Outside of the hospital, I recognized a mom of a girl I had met with the day before. She saw me, came up to me, and in broken English asked if I had come to color with the kids. I told her yes, that I would stop by to see her daughter, and she smiled and clasped her hands together, which made me happy that even the smallest thing I was doing, had an effect on lives there.

We made our way to the corridor and went in. Chris went to the back and started coloring with some of the older kids, while I went around and checked in with all the kids. The kids and moms were very welcoming to me. The little boy that had shied away from me before, now talked. At one point they took him out and when they carried him back in he was in tears. I went over, talked with him for a while and stroked his head and soon he was smiling. (which made me smile) Another little guy that we saw the day before with a broken arm, was extremely talkative and quite the little flirt. His mom (who spoke English well) told me, he wanted me to spend the whole time with him. She had him talk to me in English as well, which was fun.

My little girl, I found out later, is also Michelle's little girl. Neither of us had planned for that to happen, so when I talked to Michelle about it at debrief, it was fun to not only say that we ran into her, but also to share the progress that she was making. I asked the grandmother what happened to her through another woman in the room. The lady replied that she was burned without asking the grandmother. So, I'll never know specifically what's going on, but to know where she came from to where she was now, was more than okay for me.

The day that I was there, she was sitting up her wheelchair and coloring with me. She was so cute and would often mimic whatever face I was making, which would crack both of us up. It was just an awesome day to close up my time there and left me with a bunch of great memories.

We left Swazi a few days after that and made our way to South Africa for a debrief. We went to a mall there and I think it was the biggest mall I've ever seen. It was a weird feeling to be in Africa and see that.

When we left Africa, it was bittersweet. I was happy to be moving on since Africa had personally been rough for me. At the same time though, all the memories of the things we had done, places gone, and more flooded back and realized that the past three months were better than I thought.

check in

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Just a quick note to say that I've recently updated my photo page, so you can click on that to see various new photos from Nicaragua till now. I still have more to post and will hopefully get the rest up soon. I also wanted to give a quick financial update. To finish out this amazing journey, I still need to raise $3,000. If you would like to help me, you can click on the support me link on the left side of this page or you can send a check to

Adventures In Missions

6000 Wellspring Trail

Gainesville , GA

Please mark Anne Walcott in the memo section. I've been amazingly blessed by your support from Day One. Thank you so much for however you've shared in walking in this journey with me whether it's through your financial, prayer or just words of encouragement. I could not have made it through this year without you!

There's no place like home!!

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is on behalf of the media team.

When you first leave home, things can be very hard. Adjustments all around you have to be made and one thing you really miss are things that remind you of home. With the money the Yetti, the winners of the South African race, blessed the Media team with, we decided to use it to make the C-squaders feel welcomed to their new home. During their training here, we decided to create a mini race just for them. We bought "survivor kits" for the team that won the C squad mini race (Awaken was the winners) The bag included all the essentials for being a World Racer (Toilet paper, chocolate, pens, baby wipes, etc) For the rest of the teams, we made Coke floats for everyone, which many commented it reminded them of home and were very thankful for. Thanks Yetti for blessing us!!!

Expectations...

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I'm not sure why it hurt so much, but it did. I've really felt called to visit the hospitals while we were here. About three weeks ago, I really started to push that I go. So, two weeks ago, on a Thursday, I went by myself. I thought I was prepared. I thought I'd be in with the worst case AIDS patients and instead, I was in the children's ward.

I'm not even sure how to describe it. It looked like the worst run women's and children's shelter in the US. There were some bright colors, but most of the paint was falling off the walls. You could see from the front of the room to the back, but different areas had little partitions with half walls and windows. The only way you could tell it was a hospital was from a few IV bags hung here or there. The equipment (the little bit there) looked like it was from the 40's or 50's. The mothers stay with the children to take care of them, because the nurses don't do anything but medicate and take temperatures. Most of the nurses just sit in their station and text on their phones or talk to each other. The mothers feed, clean and spend all the time with the children. They usually sleep on a little log bench or just on the floor. The children are all in what looks like giant metal cribs. Old beds with bars basically. The infants are tightly bundled and just kept on something that looks like a table. They don't roll because they are so tightly bundled, they can't move. Most children have IV lines coming out of their heads, except for the ones that don't move much- theirs' are in their little arms.

Not many of them spoke English, so that was kind of a barrier and I was told I would be picked up in two hours. I had no idea what to do. I had no plan what so ever and felt overwhelmed (like I had to be with each child) and lost. (what do I do with them? I'm use to kids that are full of energy and trying to control them) Most of all, I wanted to bring some light to the situation, even if I felt like just bursting into tears and walking out.

I ended up roaming up and down the aisle. I would go to the back and play, dance or just stand, smile and talk with the older kids. The front of the room broke my heart the most. That was where all the infants were. There was one little girl that just beautiful. I wanted to hold her, but she was so tiny and fragile, I thought I'd break her. She had what I think was an oxygen tank hooked up to her. It was the only piece of medical equipment that I could really see. When I first saw her, her big, brown eyes focused on me and would follow me all around. I would just stand there and stroke her head and watch her. By the end of my time there, her condition went down hill. Her eyes would roll in opposite directions, she kept puffing and when she puffed-white stuff would come out. She was a fighter and was fighting for her life. I had to blink back the tears. I just stood there wondering how God could let her suffer like this. How could her let a little one stay in this kind of condition? In my head, I just wanted to tell her to just let go, but I couldn't get it out of my mouth. I just didn't understand why she had to stay in that condition. I wondered if it would have been better if she wasn't even born. I just kept having bitter and angry thoughts run through my head.

How could God let this happen? Why am I so blessed when other are so poor? Why was I born in America while she was born in a third world country? And what was my part in all of this? Why was I the only one to see this? I'm here a little while longer, and then what? I could make things betterbring new stuff inbut would that really help? Would that just be Westernizing them? This is their lifethe only thing they knowwhat do they think about itdo they see this as being as awful as I saw it?

Another thoughtthere was a church denomination name behind the hospital name (though other church donated the things insidelittle plaque mentioned that) I wondered if people back home really knew what they were sponsoring. Is it really all about the numbers? Even in churches? Would it not be better to put money into one thing that is growing, thriving rather than say you sponsor 10,000 projects, but on closer examination, they are all falling apart? This was kind of my reality check and gives me lots to think on

My little sunshine...

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, I went back to the hospital and the kids ward. It didn't seem as bad when I walked in and once again, I thought I was prepared. Everything seemed better than the first time around. There were A LOT more kids, the nurses were keeping busy and everything just appeared to be brighter. I went with Chad and kind of showed him where to go and then we split and did our own thing. I went to the back, with the older kids, and handed out pieces of paper and crayons. They would draw and I would come back and check on them every once in a while. We would talk (or I would make hand motions) and would color all kind of different things. One little guy drew a sports car. I asked him if he had one. His eyes got really big and he shook his head no. I smiled, and said, "me either" and he laughed. They were a really talkative bunch (more of them spoke English as well) and not at all like my first visit.

Another little guy in the next area was having an IV inserted. He was all alone and crying. After they were done, I went over to him and just tried to talk and make things better and we colored for a bit too. One of the times I checked back in with him, he was crying, so I went over and started rubbing his back. For some reason, it just seemed to make him cry more and he would just look at me with a blank starekind of like suddenly he was scared. I kind of pulled back and wondered if he had been abused. I wondered if the ways I was touching him reminded him of the way his abuser touched him. I put my hand on his head and prayed for him and told him that he was loved, gave him some more crayons and kept moving.

I didn't spend that much time with the babies, though there was one really cute little guy that when I made faces, would light up with the big gummy smile. I wanted to hit the kids in the rooms. A lot of the kids were older in the rooms and in the little "equipment closet" there were 3 ladies with babies, that would tell me there children are feeling better. I poked my head into room 3 and saw this little face light up and a wave.

The little girl in there was the last one I saw when I left the first time. She was bubbly and outgoing and full of smiles. She seems to be around the age of 4 or 5, but it's hard to tell here. She helped my spirits rise when I left the first time. We talked briefly and I prayed over her. She made me feel like there was hope in all of this. So, when she saw my head in the window this time, she got all excited. I went in to her room the first time and gave her stuff to draw. She was all excited to show me that she had a Bible stories coloring book and took out her crayons, one by one, and showed me all the colors. When I came in the second time, she showed me her stuffed animals. So, she took two and I took two and we put on a little puppet show. It was about 3 bears and a cow (thanks to Chik-Fil-A J ) but it worked! I then noticed her bandages and noticed they were around her stomach and legs. They were oozing blood and smelled and I wondered when the last time they had been changed were. I thought they must hurt, but she looked like nothing was wrong and was in high spirits. I also thought about the little girl Michelle wrote about in a blog (in June) and wondered if this was the same girl. I wanted to come back a third time to say good bye, but when Chad and I got to her room, I didn't see her.

Then I heard screams from across the hall. The room was labeled dressing room and there, on the table, was my little girl, naked, thrashing and screaming as they were getting ready to redress her wounds. We just stood there, not believing what we were seeing. From her stomach down past her knees, there was pink flesh around huge red sores. I've never seen anything like that. She knew what was coming and was screaming as her grandmother was trying to hold her down. It took a lot with in me not to go through the doors and try to comfort her in some way. I had to walk away as a tear started to roll down my cheek.

Later last night, I went out to be alone and journal for a while. Chad came out and asked if he thought they really were burns. He saw things like that last year and thinks it's a STD that eats away at your flesh. My heart broke.

In other words, the little one that has brought me so much joy and hope, the one who made me smilemay be a rape victim. I don't get it.

I'm trying to go back today just to love on her and see if I can find out what's going on. She was in one of the rooms and with the people out in the hallways, it makes me wonder if all of these people are AIDS patients. It appears like they have out-casted them, but maybe it's just the appearance. It also seems that the ones in the rooms are the ones that are full of hope and love to have others around. Maybe it's because they realize how short life is and are appreciating it for every moment, no matter what the circumstance. I still don't know why I'm so drawn to the place or what God is trying to show me through all of this, but I believe some light, life and hope will come out of all of this. We leave for South Africa tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us. Love you all

Our New Names

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The past couple of weeks, the media team has been playing...with little kiddies!!!!! Each day, we've headed out to a carepoint outside of Manzini in Swaziland.

This particular carepoint runs everyday after school and kids from ages 4 to around 12 go there to get fed and to play. It's so much fun because when we pull up, there's a little group that runs up to us, with their arms wide spread and act as the official welcoming committee. We then walk down to the little building where all the rest of the kids and goo-goos (grandmothers) are and start to play with them or go and help serve the food to all the little munchkins. We've all adapted to different roles.

Telfer usually has kids just hanging all over him, leads them in songs, and chases them everywhere. He recently has let them play with his hair and create all kinds of new hairstyles.

Jenny is the motherly one and makes sure they are taken care of. She makes boo-boos better, just cuddles them or runs around and chases the goats with the little following her. :)

Erin lets them crawl all over her and they love to play with her long hair. She has really developed a good relationship with Donzi and it's cute to watch them seperatly spinning around with hand in the air till one drops. :)

Youell has two special little guys that think the world of him. All three of their faces light up when they see each other. One loves to play with his glasses and tries them on in various ways. The other one loves to sit on his shoulders as he walks around.

I have the cuddlers. I have a couple of girls that just love to sit on my lap and as soon as one jumps off another one jumps on. I also seem to be the table and two little girls put their bowls of food on my lap and usually I go home with beans all over my front. :) I also have quite a few girls (and boys) that like to play with my hair. My camera has been a big hit too. They all say "Shoot", so I'll take their picture and when they see themselves, they get all excited and laugh.

They are all a fun bunch to play with and we've enjoyed getting to know the goo-goos as well. In fact, the goo-goos have all given us Swazi names. I would butcher the spelling of everyones names, but

Youell's means a hero

Erin's means thank you

Jenny's means shinning

and Telfer's means the one who builds houses for the women...yeah, there's much laughter about that one

Ruby, one of the goo-goos asked me if I had one. I did and it was (as it would be pronounced) school-lee-lay....which means old. When I told her this, she just laughed. I aksed if she had another name. She said, "Yes....Lindiwei (pronounced Lin-dee-way). It means waiting to hear something from God." I liked that, so it's stuck :)

Mozambique

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is a tough blog to write and one that I've wondered if I should. Most of the time, you want to have fun, happy or insightful blogs or create blogs that state that you are alive and well and all is good. I'm finding that as much as people want to hear about those times, they want to hear about the times you struggle as well. Sometimes it's just hard to admit to those struggles. For me, Mozambique is one of those times.

My time in Mozambique was not all that great. It's not that there wasn't enough ministry or that it wasn't all that fruitful, it was that my heart was more for the squad(s) and the struggles that were going on in them. It was more internal problems than external, which can be very hard to deal with because at times they can be kind of "touchy". So I was left processing everything internally until a lot of it came out at debrief.

Three themes kept popping out during the month- unity, comparing and knowing each other. In the Race, it's hard not to compare yourself to others physically, spiritually, or emotionally and I think for many people, one of these really hit home for them last month in some way or another. In Mozambique, I almost missed some opportunities for healing that hit closer to home for me, in ministering to some of the women there, because I got so caught up in wanting to physically see some one get healed, like other people on my squad had. I skipped over the opportunity that God had provided me withknowing that he had created those situations to happen at certain outreaches just for me. Everyone has a purpose and a reason for being here, but sometimes you get so lost in the comparisons, that you miss being focused on how God is changing you (or how he wants to change you) because you get caught up worrying about everything else around you, when it's not really your business to do that. Community living is honestly probably the hardest part about this trip, just because it's hard to live for you and not compare yourself to the people you are constantly with! J

I also saw the problem of us not really being united mostly due to that we didn't really know each other. We've shared about our pasts and some "surfacey" things, but we've never really taken the time (even after 6 months) to really get to know the ins and outs of everyone, so we can push them on, not run them over. Like I shared with my team, if I come out of this saying I built and live in community, then I want to know more than just being able to separate their clothes after washing them. I want to know why you work the way you do, what pushes you, what your gifts and talents are, what are your dreams for after the race.so we can work as one and this isn't time wasted. So that what we build now isn't torn down later and we can just add on to the foundation that we are laying.

That's just a little bit of what I was feeling and I hope this wasn't a "downer" blog, but more of what life can really like on the road J Just a side note, one of the best things about Mozambique was the incredible ride we had on the back of a commercial pick up truck to our destination. (which many pictures on the blogs have been posted about) Watching the sunsets, riding through villages and seeing the scenery, being squished and cold, but laughing most of the way, J is something I'll never forget and was probably our best mode of transportation yet!

Swazi

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We arrived here 2 weeks ago to begin our debrief and it's been a time of healing and growing. We've been mentored poured into now more than ever. We've been knocked from operating as A, B, and C squads to becoming one unit. We've had serious times of teaching to fun rides through a safari. (I'll be posting new pics next week)

And now we are heading our separate ways for the next 5 weeks. For us that means a whole new challenge. We've lost Megan :( and have decided to come back together and live this month as a familyTelfer, Youell, Erin, Jenny and me. This is new for the media team, since we have not been together since January, so we will also be rebuilding our family.

Our first stop for ministry is about 15 miles away from our house. We are setting out to find a little girl that we only know a short bit about. Our theme this month is faith. What does it really mean to just throw our hands up in the air and just give God all of the control? From finding the little girl, what we will eat, where we will go next and the other ministries we will be involved in during our stay here, we are relying and praying that God will just direct every move and that we will be obedient to his call.

So, please pray for us. Pray for us to become a family unit, for our journey and safety though out the month and that we will be given new visions of how to tell our story in the best way to all of you back home. Right now, I'm trying to kick some kind of cold bug out of my system, so please also please pray for good health for our team so we aren't slowed down. Thanks and I'll post more in a week!!

Ericka

Wed, 2 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I am so slow at posting these!!! Sorry!! This is a story about a little girl in the mountains in Peru. We had a outreach one Saturday and I was standing by a bench talking with some World Racers. Kim went to get our friend, Pilar some ice cream. There was another little girl standing by Alissa. I felt bad because it looked like we had left the girl out. So, I asked Alissa what to do. You dont want to treat one kid and not all of them, but at the same time, we had already established a relationship with Pilar...so it was kind of a tough spot. Alissa said she had asked her for a Bible earlier.

So, I went up to her and first of all, (in my broken Spanish) asked if she wanted ice cream. (what kid would refuse! :) Then I asked if she had a Bible and she said no, so I told her to follow me. Looking back, it was not the smoothest conversation, but it worked :)

We went and got some ice cream and sat down on some steps. The outreach had already started, but Eduardo(a translator) stayed back to help me. Her name was Ericka and she was 10. I gave her one of the Bibles and her eyes got really big. I told her it was hers and then showed her how to use it. As Eduardo was going through it with her, I thought, I wonder if she has accepted Christ. At the same time Eduardo looked at me and said, Does she know Jesus?

I told him I didnt know, but was wondering that myself. He tolkd me to start to pray and he would talk to her. So, we switched gears and he resented the gospel to her. Afterwords, she prayed with us and accepted him into her heart. She was so happy and excited and I was as well. :) It is always great to have a new member of the family! :)

Leaving Peru was really tough for me. I loved it there, but at some points it didnt seemed like I was doing anything fruitfull, so to speak. I think too often I compare myselft to others and feel that Im not as good, or have a lesser part in it all. Then I look back and saw my realationship with Pilar, Ericka, and with all the other little girls there and saw the difference I made in their lives and know that I am fulfilling my calling- by just being me and using the gifts God has given me. We are the body of Christ, each one of us has a different purpose and there is a reason for that. We need that to be able to function. Its a important thing that I think we overlook often or get frustrated about.

So to those who are discouraged...just step up, be strong and walk in your gifts...we need you no matter if you are in the states or going to Africa! God created you for a special reason, a role that only you can fulfill. You are part of the body and we cant function without you! :)