The last few days I have been trying to figure out what to say to everyone now that I am back home and my 11 months on the world race is officially over. I’ll be honest, it’s been overwhelming.
There is so much to process and go through, what the Lord has taught me, the experiences I have had (overseas and here in the states), how I have grown and changed, how to bring it all home with me. When the expected and understandable question “How was the race?” comes up my usually response is “Good”, this is true, but also so much more than just good or even great. It was challenging, stretching, exciting, heartbreaking, boring, life giving, times where I never wanted to leave and times I wanted to escape and have my own space.
Please understand if I’m not explaining well or slow to answer I may be overwhelmed and/or have not processed it fully yet. Please give me grace and time to answer the questions fully and honestly. Also know I want to hear how you are doing too, this year has been crazy to say the least and we have ALL been stretched in different experiences this year.
Thank you so much for all of your support before this past year and this past year. I know it’s been a crazy one for each one of us in different ways.
Here are some questions that have stood out to me as far as more questions that can go deeper into this year:
- Top three discoveries and/or reminders about God
- What is ATL (Ask The Lord)? What are your big takeaways from those times?
- How did your identity change?
- How was international missions different than domestic?
- How was life different in the different countries you were in?
- What are some things you want to being with you to your next community? What are some things you don’t?
- How did it feel to say goodbye to all this?
- What did ministry look like in each place we went?
- What were some of my most frustrating moments with God?
- What were some of my most sweet moments with God?
- Why did I get baptized again?
- What are some sweet moments with squadmates or teammates?
- How was it being evacuated from Peru?
- What did you learn about fasting?
- What spiritual gifts did you grown in?
- Some moments I needed to rely on God for strength the most
- What is feedback? What did you learn from it?
- What does life is ministry and ministry is life mean?
- What were my roles on the squad?
- What did I learn about sabbath?
- What did you miss? What do you miss now?
- What is something you fell in love with on the race?
- What specifically from the word has the Lord highlighted and taught you?
Fun or interesting questions:
- Where did I sleep?
- What were travel days like?
- Any new foods you like?
- Some skills I picked up?
- Are there places you’ve considered moving to that you’ve been? (Internationally or Domestically)
- What were some of your favorite adventure days?
- What did you collect as souvenir rs?
- Ask me to show you a fun photo
Funny, and/or Crazy stories: Ask me about…
- The fruit truck in Nicaragua
- The walk into town in Palacaguina Nicaragua
- My friend Tomasa I met in Nicaragua
- My keychain from Nicaragua
- My nicknames
- “Muerte Perro!”
- The time we experienced healing for someone from alcoholism
- Coffee Doodle Doo coffee shop
- The four baptisms on our squad (including mine!)
- Our neighbors in Texas
- Our unexpected travel day in Texas
- Getting pushed on a swing in Costa Rica
- Dying my hair
- Grocery shopping in another country
- Valentine’s day on the race
I would love to share more of what God has done this year and even though COVID-19 is real and there are restrictions on meeting together I would love to facetime or video chat to truly explain and share my perspective! Please reach out and let me know.
Also at the moment I do not know what I am doing after the holidays, my parents and I are planning to drive to Pennsylvania for Christmas to spend it with my sister, brother in law and niece! After that I will be spending a week more with my sister and spending some quality time with them. In January I will be going to Georgia to an event called project searchlight (roughly two months after we had originally came home).
Project Searchlight is a re-entry debrief for our squad to process coming home and what just happened this last year. I don’t know exactly what it is going to look like but it will be a good opportunity to reconnect with my friends from my squad.
Please be praying for guidance for me on what is next and where God wants to take me. I would love to possibly answer some of these questions specifically on my blog too, comment for the ones you want me respond with!
Praying for you all to stay safe in these troubling times and to see the good even if it may be hard. Also would love to hear what you are learning right now in this season, hoping to share more of what God is teaching me soon as well!
With much love,
Bethaney
Such a great blog and a great tool to help your community love you well. If you haven’t shared this with B Squad, maybe think about it or offer it. Such a great tool to process and help those in your community process with you. Your such a smart one! Love you!
Thank you for the encouragement, love you too!
Hi! It’s been over a year now since you and your squad were brought back to the states! When the world – for everyone – was turned upside-down; inside-out, stopped, didn’t stop! The World – not just us in the States, not just those in China, etc. etc. – but every part of the world. And you – on the World Race! The World who needs the Lord and healing of all kinds. It would be great to have another get-to-gether, like the fund raiser you had, where you could share where God used you in this new situation – new ministry if you will. Love you!
(just seeing this message now…)
Been a crazy year for sure!
I would like that and would like to share what God did for sure, maybe a zoom event or outdoor lake event?
love you too