Man the last month has flown by before my eyes. Little did I know when I made my last post that my life would change so fast and I would be taken along for the ride. 

To start off, we finished our time at training camp in Gainesville, GA to travel by van to New Orleans, LA to spend two weeks with an organization called Samaritan’s Purse. They are an amazing group that sends volunteers out to help with disaster relief. They follow in the wake of disasters all over the US and the world. It was an incredible two weeks of helping disaster relief from hurricane Ida. We helped home owners to tarp their roofs that had been damaged by the hurricane, we also helped to mud out (take out damaged things inside the house such as molded flooring, dry wall, ceilings, and insulation). This was such an amazing time for me because manual labor like this is my element. I love getting to use my hands and tools to create or demolish things.

During this time I learned surrender because I had to surrender sleep (we woke up at 6 every morning) and I love sleep. I had to give up comfort because I was constantly covered in insulation and sweat which is an itchy combo, and I had to give up my pride. I had to learn how to work with leaders who didn’t know that I knew how to do most of the work and let them teach me their methods instead of forcing my methods on them. But in the end these two weeks were some of my favorites of the first two months on the Race.

After those two weeks we returned to Gainesville for debrief and a much needed time of rest before we embarked on the craziest adventure so far, finally getting to go to another country!!! We are now in Jaco, Costa Rica getting to settle in and visit the beach a couple times, woot woot, before starting our ministry tomorrow!!! 

Big Update: We are no longer going to Thailand as our second country, we are now going to Columbia!!! 

Now for some fun pictures of the Journey!

*a few of these photos are from my dear friends Grace Harang and Amelia Tabatt!