Posted in USA, month 12 by Lindsey Hogg on 9/30/2009
First of all, I need to apologize for the less then mediocre blogging over the past months. My last month of the race and nearly first month of being home were hectic to say the least. I'm currently in Santa Barbara visiting with friends and supporters and talking about the race. I've talked more about it in the last few days than the rest of the month combined, and it has been great. Reflecting and sharing the things that were hard, the things that were great, and really all the reasons why it was incredible and worth it to go, but also why it is great to be home too.
I've spent the last few days answering some of those questions and a few others, so I figured for those of you who I don't get to grab coffee with I'd cover those:) so here it goes:
What was your favorite month? (apparently I'm pretty transparent since many loyal blog readers knew the answer to this one... didn't know this about my writing style until recently)
My favorite month in terms of life and pure incredibleness was Croatia. It was a month of not only creature comforts, but really cool ministry. We spent the month serving at a cafe and meeting people in Split. We made friends with our contacts and really got to see how some long-termers live out their lives as missionaries in Europe. Our apartment and after church cliff jumping fellowship, didn't hurt Croatia's chances of becoming a favorite month either:)
My favorite month of ministry was The Ukraine. I spent all day everyday with a seriously irreplaceable and wonderful group of orphans. I was so blessed to become part of their lives and I doubt they know how much of an impact they had on me. They are the ones I still think about and the ones I wish I could go back and visit (and hope to one day). I actually loved these kids, they were children in the most wonderful, and sometimes frustrating, ways. The boys got into trouble, but secretly loved movie nights and hugs as I left. The girls were twelve and therefore way too cool to play games with the boys, but the swings always got them laughing. It was freezing cold that month on the outside, but no other ministry warmed my heart like those kids (cheesy I know... but true).
What was the craziest thing I did?
Rafting. The. Nile. Yes, I thought I might actually go unconscious as I fought to get to the surface on one of the rapids.... but isn't that what makes it the craziest? It was so cool and I'd probably do it again. It was so fun (except that one rapid) and hello... I white water rafted the Nile River! There is a GREAT video of rafting at the bottom of this post, sorry I didn't post it earlier!!
What was the weirdest thing I ate?
Here is America my picky eating habits are no biggie, and really nothing compared to many... so many don't know my big secret, I'm a picky eater. Weirdest thing I ate.... maybe the fish that was caught, walked to shore, cooked over a fire, and served within 5 minutes (I don't eat fish, so this was a big step for me). I also tried Stinky Tofu in China (gross and to call it dessert is just rude). Other than that I was blessed with teammates who would switch plates with me or a situation where I could refuse the fish stew or turtle slop;-).
What did you take away from the World Race?
Walking away from the race I'm confident that my identity is not about what I do; now what I do is more wrapped in who I am. My identity is all about who Christ is and who He made me to be. I am a beloved daughter of the King, and walking in that leads me to acting like that. I am not a spoiled princess, but a woman who is responsible to act on what she knows. I can't turn a blind eye to injustice and pain. I am not here to get anything and everything I want; I don't deserve it. I am here to serve God in whatever capacity He sees fit, in any situation He puts me in.
What is the best part about being home?
The 3 F's. Family. Friends. Food. I am so glad to be home, and to have been able to be a part of my older sister's wedding. It was 10 days after returning to the states and it was incredible. Everything went perfectly, it was beautiful, she was beautiful, and I'm so happy for them. Its just wonderful to be part of everyday life with my family. Its been seven years since I've lived in San Diego, so its been a long time coming. It is great to be with friends I haven't been with for a year. I can also easily reach most my friends from the race via cell phone, so that's nice too. Having every option imaginable in the culinary world is great. Its great to share delicious food with the family and friends that I'm with:) Okay, I also just have to add driving in my car, having alone time and sleeping in a BED! I'm done, Cali is great, no surprise there.
three sisters:)
Did you meet anyone special on the Race?
Yes! Absolutely, I met 48 incredible people who traveled the world to bring God's kingdom to earth. I met children in every country who love because their innocence allowed them to let me in. I met pastors who serve God and work endless hours to meet the needs of their communities. I met missionaries who live on the opposite side of the world from their families and loved ones to labor for the Living God. I met strangers who knew nothing of who I was, or what I was doing, who blessed me in random ways. Yes, I met many special people:).
Are you glad you did it?
I would NEVER take back this experience. I am forever blessed and changed because of it. I am a better friend, daughter and sister after it. It was hard,do I want to pack my bag and do it again? Not right now. Did I want to come home? Yes. But it was undoubtedly the best decision I've ever made. He fashioned my entire life leading up to the race, and now I'm on the other end anxiously looking forward to how He is going to use that experience for the rest of my life. Whatever that prepared me for, I'm excited to get started on.
What's next? (this is my least favorite of all the questions... at least I have a witty answer for the "did you meet anyone" question)
I don't know exactly. Especially in this economic climate, I'm not sure most Americans have an answer to this question. I am currently living at home with my mom, brother and sister in Carlsbad, Calif. I don't plan on moving back to Santa Barbara, but this visit has made it much harder to say I won't. I'm looking for a job that I can believe in. I am open to using my background in communications and public relations, but part of me wants to go into the social work arena. I don't really care what I do, as much as who I do it for. I know I can glorify God in whatever situation, but it will be a lot easier if I know even when I'm doing paperwork I'm supporting a business or organization I know is furthering the cause of Christ. (I was writing my resume and really wanted to put that my objective statement was to "Bring Kingdom," but I made that idea more of a statement that translates a little better... )
So there you go, a few of the answers to the most common questions. Now if I do get to coffee with you, tell me you've read this and you'll get all new answers...new questions would help with that of course ;-). Love you all!!
I am currently on an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe. We are serving for our final month at Cicrin Orphanage. We are doing a few various projects including gardening, laying bricks, cooking, and of course spending time with the kids who live at the orphanage.
At the end of the month we will spend a few days in San Jose, Costa Rica doing a final debrief with the entire squad. It will be sad for the time with my friends to be over, but also exciting to head home. I will arrive in the US on September 1st.
I have reached the AIM goal for fundraising, but I am still hoping to raise about $500 to pay for medical insurance, vaccinations and flights. I am so appreciative to everyone who has helped to make the Race a reality. It has been (and continues to be) an experience of a lifetime.
My last week in Mexico was spent in the village Arroyo Palenque. The word "Arroyo" means "brook" in English; it was music to my ears. After weeks of intense heat and humity, the whole team was excited to spend the week in the river. The kids swam with us all afternoon, or until their tiny bodies turned purple from getting to cold-crazy! We had a children's program in the afternoon where we sang songs, did skits, and played games. We also had prayer meetings with pastor Marcos (pictured above in blue-striped polo).
If the chickens, roosters, ducks, dogs, large trucks, and blaring Mexican music didn't wake you at 5:00 AM, the kids were sure to stop by and stick their heads in your tent. Good morning!
Me and Tomina in the Hammock!:):)
Me and Maria cool of at the river. The kids loved this game. One person was chosen as the leader.
He/she would lead the other children in a series of actions.
The person who was "it" would have to guess who was the leader.
Can you guess the leader?!
Playing tag in the field with the kids was fun. The kids loved helping us play cards. Mark and Saulo.
But, watch out for cow pies!
A big thank you goes out to our amazing host mom and her children. They shared their home with us and let us laugh with them in their kitchen. Mama also made us lots of good Mexican food. Thank you!!
This year has been a great learning
experience in many ways. As I prepare to head home in 6 weeks, I've
been thinking about what sort of career I will pursue. So, I've
updated my resume. If you know of any jobs that would suit me, let me
know! Here is my resume entry from the World Race:
Sorry about the lack of updates, I'm going
to try to be better about them the last 7 weeks of the race! (Thats right, just
7 more weeks until this incredible incredible chapter closes and the next
begins.)
We are staying in Palenque,Mexico at a
Bible institute with our contact Eliezar. He is a great man who used to live in
the States, but moved back to Mexico to open the Bible school. It is really
hot, and we have invented the fan-tent to help with heat and bugs!
We are also
with Banah, another team for this month,
which has been a ton of fun. Between Clay and Banah we have 9 old
teammates together, which is great. I'm loving to see Mark again everyday and
it is great to see all of Alethia together again.
So what have we done since I last wrote
that we were heading to Mexico and knew very little about what we were
doing....
Took a 17 hour van ride from
Antigua, Guatemala to Palenque, Mexico- carsickness, windy roads, no AC...fun
day.
Helped to lead a church
service, including a drama, a testimony fromyours truly, and songs
Visited a prison to do a
service- PSTD (preaching. songs. teaching. drime/drama.)
Went to a rehab center for
alcoholics, did the same thing.
Spent a day video chatting with
my wonderful friends on Megans wedding day. (Congratulations again Megan and
Matt, so sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate alongside you!)
Visited a village with our
housing contact, Eliezar, and did a short children's song program.
Went to Misol-Ha waterfall,
where an Arnold Swartzaneggar film was shot
went cave swimming
swam under a 90 foot fall
had a great time in the Mexican
jungle
Celebrated Tomina and Mel's
birthdays!
Made a pinata (we're in
Mexico!!)
Went to Agua Azul-
AMAZING waterfalls with
beautiful blue pools everywhere
jumped off a 12 foot fall!
Long ride
there.... more carsickness...
Ate a delicious mango cut into
a flower
went out to dinner
went to the park to see the
live music and dancing
met some of the Mayan women
we'll be ministering to who weave crafts and sell them
Came back to the Bible
Institute campus
Beat the pinata to
smithereens:)
Helped the man who runs the
Bible Institute we are staying at with some yard work
I'm currently in Antigua, GUatemala, an incredibly beautful city just outside of Guatemala City. We've been here as a squad for 5 days and tomorrow my team and team Banah are heading to Mexico! We are heading to a city called Palenque, where ancient Mayan ruins are visited and the Ancient Mayan culture still lives on in the people. We dont know much about what we will be facing, but we have a contact to stay with, so I'm sure everything else will fall into place. Here is a blog written by a fellow racer Ashley Johnson, from the July squad. Her team was in Palneque in July of last year: http://ashleyjohnson.theworldrace.org/?filename=palenqur-at-a-glance
This week I particpated in a race day event against the new June 2009 squad here in Antigua. Because of the turmoil in Honduras they stayed an extra week in Guatemala and it was great to get to know them. It was also great to cream them in the race and show them how its really done!
We also spent a day climbing an active volcano! A group of us got horses for the inital part of the ride, and the views were amazing. We got to take a long ride up and got to see so much of the beautiful country, as well an anothe volcano erupting in the distance. We climbed the second half, and started by funning down a huge hill of volcanic sand. Then came the rocks which we climbed up hoping they didnt all cause an avalanche crushing the person behind us's ankles. It was challeneing, but really fun. At the top was molten LAVA! we cooked grilled cheese and marshmallows. We felt the heat for sure! After melting my shoes a bit, i slid back down. It was fun and exhilerating at the same time. It was a long day, but a ton of dual squad fun (77 racers went!). Sorry I cant put photos in, I'll try to do that from mexico if the Internet is better. Love and miss you all!
I have 67 days left until I land in
California. I have 4 days until I stand on US soil once again for 15
hours in Boston. I have romanticized America like you wouldn't
believe. I have convinced myself that I am looking forward to sitting
in LA traffic, because I will be in my car singing to my music with
the windows down. I can't wait for a cell phone to start ringing
whenever someone wants to talk to me, or to dial it and find my
friends and family in the same time-zone. Don't get me started on
food; bring on the $12 salad with veggies and chicken.
I've spent some time in the last day or
so dwelling on what I love about the US, what I can't wait to see and
eat and do. I'm longing for home. I miss my family. I miss the
comforts of home. I miss consistency. So I've spent a few hours "checked out" of Croatia, and "checked in" to home life. Its
a good thing this week we are doing physical labor, renovating the
cafe, because I'm not making my ministry here suffer, but those hours
are gone, and I'm still here and I nothing has changed. I am going to
land in Boston and see a friend, I'm going to eat Doritos and salad.
I will be an American in America for a few hours.
Then I'll get on a plane and head for
Guatemala and my final 2 months of ministry on the World Race.
The problem is: America is not what I
SHOULD be longing for. My home is not there. My home is not a
comforter made of feathers, but a Comforter given by the Father. My
mother's house has NOTHING on my Father's house.
We've all heard the phrase, "People
who are too Heavenly minded are no earthly good." Well, I disagree.
I don't want to spend my last 4 days here or my last 2 months on the
race being earthly good, if I'm not Heavenly minded. I want to dwell
on the Paradise awaiting me in eternity. I want to live life here,
whether in Croatia, Guatemala or America, with the hope of Heaven in
the forefront of my mind. I want to be seeking Him. I want His love
to flow down from Heaven and onto the people I am surrounded by. I
want to live life seeking His Kingdom, honestly praying for His
Kingdom to come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
So there it is. I am sure I will spend
time thinking about California, and the comforts that are there, but
I don't want to be so earthly minded I'm no Heavenly good. His
Kingdom is what I want to long for. Home is with Him, I'll long for
that.
Tomina and me on the Riva about an hour ago walking Mala (the dog we are dog-sitting while our contacts are on a retreat:)
God, thank you for today, thank you for
the beautiful weather showcasing the beauty of the city we are living
in. Lord, I pray Your light not only shines on the streets and
beaches, but in the hearts of the people of Split. God there is so
much darkness, so much idolatry, so much pain, so much division. You
are the perfect healer, I pray Your Presence falls in this place.
Heavenly Father, I want to lift up my
team and the Calvary Chapel team. Give us the words to say to reach
the people of Split, to lift each other up, to encourage other
Christians, and above all else glorify you. Show us today how today
we can give you glory. Bind us together as ministers of Your Kingdom,
and unite us as teams to strengthen each other as we minister.
Lord, thank you for the extended World
Race family. I lift up my friends who are serving all over Europe,
keep them safe and may they seek your face today. Lord I ask you
bless the leadership team with wisdom and favor as they set up and
prepare for the next leg of the race. Be with the people who serve
you and do all the logistics so we can be serving you in this mission
field. Give them peace and rest; the peace and rest that comes from
you.
Thank you, God, for my family. Thank
you for the way I see Your love through them. You are working, and I
love that I see that every time I talk with them. You are a God who
pursues. Thank you especially for my brother, Willy, and sister,
Julie, as I celebrate their birthdays from the other side of the
world.
Lord, I want to lift up all my friends
and family members who are transitioning into the summer season. May
they spend these next months seeking you, resting in you and
glorifying you. Thank you so much for the support all my friends and
family are to me. You know exactly what I need, and you've blessed me
with the exact emails and conversations when I need them. I love that
you've given me terrific friends who follow you and through your
love, love me.
Lord, I proclaim healing and health
over Chris and baby Joshua. Thank you so much for the ministry Chris
and Sam have and how you are keeping her healthy and being glorified
through miracle baby number 2. Lord, I thank you that Amanda's spine
is healed. I have faith you have healed her. It may not show up today
or tomorrow, but you love her and Your will for her is not pain or
limitations, but that she would stand before you and you would
receive glory.
Lord, I continue to pray my support
account fills to overflowing. God that you would supply the last
funds I need to finish the race and pay for medical insurance and
other costs. I am amazed by the way you have provided already, and I
know in faith you will complete the process.
Your wisdom is incredible, it is so
great we will never understand it. Thank you that you have gifted
people to seek your wisdom and share it with others. As I learn more
about you from different teammates, teachers, pastors, speakers,
authors, I am humbled by the way you reveal your glory to people. I
pray you would continue to work in me as I seek to learn more about
you and Your will for my life and for Your Church.
Thank you for the churches all over the
world. I pray there would be revival in each one. That every week
would be one that Christians would come closer to you and unbelievers
are drawn to You. I lift up Carlsbad Community, Santa Barbara
Community and Calvary Chapel Split, that You are glorified by the
worship tomorrow, and everyday.
Lord, I'm less than 80 days from
returning back to the US. God, Let me spend these next days serving
you where you have me. I want to continue to pour myself out into
the communities you have placed me in. Heavenly Father, show me how
to live today for today. Show me each morning what your will is for
me on that day. God, I love that I give you my future and no longer
need to worry about it. I am free to live for right now and rest in
the fact that You have a perfect plan for me. Father, remind me of
this when I forget.
I love you Lord. I give my life to you
and pray I walk in Your ways and not my own. I pray I would be able
to forgive those who hurt me as you have forgiven me, and that I
would pour your blessings out onto every person I come into contact
with. You are the God of goodness, and I worship you.
In Your Precious Name I pray,
Amen.
** You can find pictures from my time in Croatia so far here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030911&id=65800181&l=99f0d50223
My month in Romania can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32500890&op=3&o=global&view=global&subj=65800181&id=56902144#/album.php?aid=2030914&id=65800181 **
This month we are incredibly blessed to
get to work with the ministry team of Calvary Chapel Split. We are
in a breathtakingly beautiful place and even more amazing is the
heart this group of people has for the people of this city. So here
they are:
Tim and Grace (their kids, not pictured, are Mila age 1 and
Thomas age 3)
The Warholics have been here for 4
years and have a great ministry. Tim is the pastor and business man
who runs the ministry. They have taken over a cafe previously run by
another missionary couple to reach out to the city. There are
Saturday night events, summer English Camp, other events and great
cookies and coffee too! The greatest part about both of them is the
clear love they have for each other, their kids, their team, our team
and the people of Split. Its seems like a long list of people to
love, and it is-- if it was short there wouldn't be something worth
mentioning. We have had a lot of fun with them and are getting to
learn a lot about life as missionaries and Christ followers from
them.
Chris and Nada (with Simeon age 1)
These two have only been here a few
months, but already have a great ministry presence in Split. Nada is
Croatian and grew up in Germany. The ministry they have because of
her heritage is great. The people of Croatia are traditional in many
ways, specifically religiously. It is a great witness to see a
Croatian following God and serving Him here. They help Tim and Grace
in various ministries and play a key role as members of the ministry
team.
Kristin, Rachel and David (pictured: Danny, a missionary who served last year and is here for a visit, Rachel, Kristen, David and Tim)
These three are all here short term for
now, but are interested in serving long term. Kristin has a passion
for the youth of the area and uses English lessons and the English
Camp as a ministry tool. She has been here since September and her
heart is truly for the people of Croatia. Rachel also arrived in
September and has made the cafe her main ministry as she finishes
Bible college. She has become a fast friend and I have been blessed
to get to know her and learn the ins and outs of Split from her.
David is in many ways the manager of the cafe. He taught all of us
how to make the coffee and baked goods, made our schedule, handles
the finances of the church and the cafe. He's only been here about
seven weeks, and already he has a ton of stuff he's doing.
Please keep this group in your prayers this month as we minister alongside them (and after that too). Their work here is really amazing, we are so blessed to be here working with a bunch of Americans in Europe serving God.
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These two have only been here a few
months, but already have a great ministry presence in Split. Nada is
Croatian and grew up in Germany. The ministry they have because of
her heritage is great. The people of Croatia are traditional in many
ways, specifically religiously. It is a great witness to see a
Croatian following God and serving Him here. They help Tim and Grace
in various ministries and play a key role as members of the ministry
team.
These three are all here short term for
now, but are interested in serving long term. Kristin has a passion
for the youth of the area and uses English lessons and the English
Camp as a ministry tool. She has been here since September and her
heart is truly for the people of Croatia. Rachel also arrived in
September and has made the cafe her main ministry as she finishes
Bible college. She has become a fast friend and I have been blessed
to get to know her and learn the ins and outs of Split from her.
David is in many ways the manager of the cafe. He taught all of us
how to make the coffee and baked goods, made our schedule, handles
the finances of the church and the cafe. He's only been here about
seven weeks, and already he has a ton of stuff he's doing.