Tomorrow's "the" day.   We fly back to the good ole US of A, back to the only life we once knew, back to family and friends, back to opposite ends of a really big country. Final banquets, love notes from teammates, last dinners, meetings, hugs… I need to go pack my pack and load up my sweet 70s green suitcase I inherited for extra stuff…

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to live in denial that it's over and it's just beginning. Recently all of my thoughts come in pairs… "Next week I get to play tennis with Troy!  … crap, next week I won't be going to get coffee with Colleen" "Wow… Sunday I get to go to Aldersgate (my church)!... man, next week I'll be away from my world race church" 

It's a confusing little world to be in.  In one breathe it's exciting and sad. Mourning and celebration.   Basically, it's life at it's finest.

Yesterday I was talking and this quote from Adam's Return by Richard Rohr has been playing on repeat in my head

"Ultimate security allows you to suffer small insecurities without tremendous effort.  If you are tethered at a center point, it is amazing how far out you can fly and not get lost."

 

 

 Hometown: Chicago

 After the Race: Visiting Chicago…

 Support: Thanks to a Christmas miracle... Colleen went from needing several thousand dollars to stay on the race to being completely support raised in only a few weeks.    Thank you everyone!

 Overview of a Racer:

            Colleen, in a word, is awesome.   Colleen has that quality where people feel welcomed and connected to her instantly.   She is really warm and just genuinely loves people.  She loves little fat babies and Grandmothers and literally everyone in between.  Colleen sees beauty in everyone.  On our team she has this radar for when someone is out of sorts and she is great at loving us through whatever it is.  

            To me, Colleen is a model of someone who wants to do things the right way.  A lot of times Colleen will describe herself as a worrier but what I see in that is this heart that just wants to walk out her faith as correctly as possible.   She loves God in all his many roles and she is really good at discerning which role He´s filling when.  She loves having God as a Dad and as a friend and relies on him in all things.   

            Colleen is gifted with evangelism and with mercy.  Now before you get all squirmy...  it is more than just the way we are all called to share our faith, and it is definitely not the kind of evangelism that we give a bad reputation… it is this beautiful pure gift that God has installed in Colleen.  He will put someone on her mind and she cannot stop thinking about them until she has shared the gospel with them.   She's never pushy, just obedient to what God tells her to do.    The time we really got to see this gift on fire was in China.   It's like the Chinese people who were starving for the gospel could see this presence on Colleen and would seek her out.   One time when we were at an English corner a girl came out of the crowd hitting Colleen on the arm saying "tell me what you know about Jesus!"   So in her sweet undemanding way she did and this girl became a Christian.  And that´s not even a once in eleven months kind of story!

* Colleen is a hospitality guru...  together Colleen and I formed two very fun committees...  food people and the birthday committee.   To make sure you have the proper perspective on how our committees work....  the mantra for our food committee is "food is FUN."

Aliases: Lins, Lenses Magee, Midge

 Hometown: Houston, Texas

After the Race: Every few weeks Lindsey has a different plan… from returning to Africa to reliving one of Paul’s missionary journeys to more school for social work. For now she’s heading back to Texas to wait for God to put one of those plans into action!

Support: Lindsey is support raised!

Overview of a Racer:

 

           Lindsey is a really incredible woman, teammate, and friend. Lindsey has this really amazing sister quality about her and I have been so blessed to have her in that role in my life. Recently one of our ministry contacts perfectly described Lindsey as really comfortable in her own skin… she knows who she is. This makes her really great to be in community with. You don’t have to guess when she’s in a bad mood (although sometimes she tries to hide it for our sake…) and when she’s in a good mood that shines even brighter.

            One of my favorite qualities about Lindsey is that she never settles for an easy answer. She wants to know what God really means when he speaks through His word. Two of the biggest topics I’ve seen Lindsey wrestle with this year are Justice and Compassion. What does it mean to loosen the chains of injustice? What does it mean to live out love? What about God’s compassion? She digs deep into many things where most people just choose to settle for the easy answer. And she really wants to live that out in her life.

            Lindsey has truly been broken for every place that we’ve visited this year. She sees injustice and wants to see change. She builds amazing relationships with kids and grownups alike. She has a calm and compassionate nature that easily draws people from many cultures into her warmth. Lindsey is highly tuned into the simple things that make a huge difference. One of the things Lindsey does regularly is buying people food. And she never hesitates. When there are kids begging on the streets it has become such a common sight to see Lindsey hand in hand with them heading into the nearest convenience store to buy them something to eat. 

A week or so ago I was listening to a sermon where the preacher summed up our call as disciples like this: “see a need, meet a need, declare the kingdom of God is a hand.” I instantly thought of Lindsey.   Her desire for God’s heart makes her incredibly tuned into seeing needs. Her obedience to walking out God’s justice allows her to meet those needs. When I see how Lindsey lives I can tell you that her life declares daily that the kingdom of God is at hand. Lindsey is going to be amazing to watch over the years… her desire to know God’s heart for His children and her obedience to the details of how to be that love on earth are forming her into a gentle yet unstoppable weapon in God’s kingdom.

* In Cambodia Linds bought the entire series of Arrested Development on DVD… she is responsible for slowly but surely converting almost everyone on our team into fans… leading to many Arrested Development reminders… such as this one

  Jackie Zuiderhof

Aliases: J, JZ, JZZ, J Money

Hometown: A variety of very small towns, South Dakota

After the Race: Moving in with her sister's family and investing in her two adorable nieces (she gets to meet baby Grace as soon as she's home!)

Support: Jackie is fully support raised... except for her reimbursement.

You can bless Jackie by clicking here: Support Jackie!

Overview of Racer:

     When I describe Jackie... two words come to mind. The first is change and the second is obedience. Jackie has been transformed this year. At the beginning of the race change really stressed Jackie out.  When we got to Thailand Jackie wasn't sure she was going to make it... now she just hops on the bus/plane/train... figures out where the ATM is (she's also our finance person...) and she's off. Also, Jackie was not much of a snuggler before the year... now I can always count on Jackie to come up with arms outstretched when I look sad. Just the other day I heard someone tell Jackie in the car that they need a little personal space because she was sitting too close.

    There have also been huge spiritual changes in Jackie this year. She has come alive in a really powerful way! In Africa there was this 180 turn from a conservative Christian background to a bold and powerful woman. When Jackie prays now she gets so fired up.  She speaks truth over our group... even when our group is big. I was so excited when Jackie even decided to get baptized in Africa. She began to walk in her giftings and she hasn't wavered.

     All this brings me to the second word... obedience. Jackie does what she thinks God is telling her with very few exceptions in her life. She explains how she got on the World Race like so many things. It goes something like this: “I looked at the World Race and didn't think it looked anything like me... traveling, change, raising all that money... but I thought it's what God was telling me so I did it.” That's obedience! She wants to be where God is... even when it's not where she would choose to put herself. So simple, yet so so so hard. But Jackie just gets it.

One of my favorite moments from Jackie this year just happened in Guatemala. The first day we went to the hospital Jackie met a woman named Rufina and they became fast friends. The joy on both of their faces as they would visit was contagious. I loved seeing Jackie and Krystle come around the corner from a day out at the park with Rufina. Three huge smiles came around the corner ready to take pictures and share about the ice cream they just ate.

Jackie's year has been so amazing to watch... I'm so jealous of the people who will get to see her rock South Dakota after this year!

A few tidbits:

 

* Jackie has a quality we have lovingly coined “The Afterthought.” Jackie is one of those people who has several thought processes going in her head at the same time.  Lots of time the conversation moves along while Jackie is processing away... leading to an out of place comment several minutes (hours?:)) later which relates to a topic that the rest of us have long since left... an Afterthought.

* Jackie has done a great job being our finance person this year... and she's almost done! If you ever need to know where an ATM is located or what the exchange rate is anywhere in the world... just ask JMoney... she'll pull out her trusty orange calculator and you'll be all set.

* Also, I read in a magazine this year that I need a good friend to help me get “motivated financially.” She's my finance friend... I call her... you can't have her.

Aliases: Chester, Captain Djibouti, Ky

Hometown:  Jordan (J-town), Minnesota

After the Race: Moving to Colorado to live life and “figure it out”

Support: Kyle still needs some support to be fully raised to get reimbursed for insurance, vaccines, etc...   This would be a huge blessing to get help get him started in his next step after the race.

You can bless Kyle by clicking here:   Support Kyle!

Overview of Racer:

            Kyle was one of the first people I met on the World Race all the way back in April.   I remember thinking “wow... he is really quiet.”   He was on my original training camp team (go green team) and he told us very early on that once he gets to know you he won't stop talking.   That statement is a little extreme (sort of like Kyle :)) because he is an extremely deep thinker... but Kyle is also extremely great to talk to and whole lot of fun to joke around with. He's a really great mix of deep thinking and goofiness... and he's really sincere about both.

            Since last April we have seen Kyle go through an incredible transformation. In April Kyle was unsure of his faith and his place on the World Race. He was convinced that he could never pray in front of people.   By September he was sharing a message with our squad.   Now, he shares detailed devos with our team, writes really challenging blogs, and enjoys sharing messages with different congregations we've met around the world.

          One of the times I really saw Kyle “come alive” this year was in the Philippines working with Sherwin and his family on the gutter project. Kyle jumped into those relationships and really invested his heart there.   It was amazing to see the fruit of that... church with their family on Sundays, playing Chess with his younger brother (and “letting” him have the winning record), the little girls that just squealed with joy as they ran into his arms, ,seeing the look on Sherwin's wife's face when the two of them came back from haircuts with matching mohawks, and finally seeing them celebrate new years together in Manila.   It is such an amazing example of how we can invest in each other across all sorts of boundaries.

A few tidbits:

*   Kyle is easily encouraged to change his “look” for a few days before a haircut or before he shaves. We've been treated to flashes of mustaches and mohawks all year long.

*   In case you think Kyle has lost his “edge” this year... you should also know that Kyle is not just a missionary but also a fearsome pirate. He became Captain Djibouti last May and was seen pirating around all last summer at a Christian sports camp.

* Kids are obsessed with Kyle. Now, some of this has to do with his height (most cultures have never seen someone 6'4” tall), but there's something else going on there.   Kyle has been a human jungle gym and great friend to nearly all the children of the missionaries we've met this year.

* Kyle brought his guitar this year so that he could learn.   At the beginning of the year he needed Danny's help with everything... now we hear him singing away and he can learn a new song so quickly.   We were even treated to him leading worship in Mozambique.

Danny Gutman

Aliases: Gus Gus, Tank, Butman

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

After The Race: Headed to the Protege program (Seminary and church planting) at Mosaic church in California

Support Status: Danny needs some help to finish his support raising commitment for the year. Also, it would be amazing to see God use us to provide for Danny's reimbursement (insurance, vaccines, etc). A young man moving across the country for seminary immediately after the World Race will put the funds to good use!

You can donate to Danny's account online by clicking here: Support Danny!

Profile of a Racer:

Danny is an amazing man of God, leader, and a great friend. He is incredibly humble and just really transparent about where he's at. In fact, the first time I ever saw Danny it was right after everyone got off the bus at training camp. It was kind of dark, there was a awkwardly quiet group of World Racers standing around when Ben asked the group if anyone was hungry and wanted leftover pizza... there was only one honest hand that went in the air... Danny's. This trait has really grown Danny this whole year... when he's struggling he just throws it out there and it's amazing to see what God does with that honesty.

His humble nature and his desire to learn make so apparent how he genuinely loves people. Danny is our sponge for new cultures. He's sort of the morphus cultural being. I think that in nearly all of the countries we've been to he is told that he talks just like someone from that country. He really cares about the details... learning a few words, learning to cook, learning to dance... we've seen him cooking up Thai food with Ma Paeng, breaking it down with African Grandmas and everything in between this year.

Danny loves worship and we have been blessed this year by his love of doing that with the guitar. I LOVE when Danny is a few rooms away just belting it out in a room all by himself. We have taught “Lean on Me” to children all over the world. And I think Danny has led worship on every continent so far. He also LOVES studying the bible. When you open his bible it is one of those bibles that is completely highlighted and underlined with wise notes in all the margins.

He has also taken on the job of leading our team for most of this year. Danny is the example of servant leadership. He has this quality that I love: when someone needs help he is always the first one out of his chair. The other night when we pulled over because someone's car was broken down and before our host could even explain that they needed help pushing we saw the silhouette of Danny and about 3 Hondurans heading down the street. Additionally Danny has this amazing pastor quality where you just feel better when you've told him something. If something is on your heart and you're really fighting through it... Danny is always a humble ear to turn to.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for an amazing year, Danny!  It has been a joy to grow alongside you.  I can't wait to see what God does with all of the amazing things about you in the future!!

I’m going to tell you about each of my teammates and I think you will quickly understand why I love them and why you should love them too. I hope you’ll take the time to picture each of them as you read, to lift them up in prayer, to consider supporting them financially, and to go and read their blogs (and leave comments!) You’ll have to work hard to beat my Mom (Pat B) but I think you can do it. In fact, that’s a challenge… see if you can out-read and out-comment my Mom. Their lives will really challenge you and stretch you and just make you smile.

For this blog I’m just going to tell you a little about our team as a whole and then refer you out to one of Danny’s blogs...

The naming of Team LESS.

The joke version: The name came about in a unique and very “us” way. We are a tad immature and think it’s funny when people happen to say the word “do” twice in a row during a sentence. For those of you who are above potty humor… when you say a sentence like “When we do do conflict correctly…” the double “do” sounds like doodoo which is a term for poop. So anyway… jokingly we wanted to name our team Team Do Do… which transformed into WeDoDo at the suggestion of world race director, Jerry Goode. In a session we were told to come up with an acronym that would define our teams values… thus LESS was birthed. It quickly became LESS DoDo and then was simply shortened to LESS.

On a more serious note: LESS stands for Love Encouragement Simplicity and Service. Over the months this has actually defined our team quite nicely. We also think of the verse that says “He must become greater, and I must become less.” When I look at my teammates that is exactly what I see. A group of people that wants to become as small as possible for God to be great.

How we Roll

Our team is very easy-going. Sometimes we are so easy-going that it is hard to make a decision. We love to serve and just to be where God is… wherever that is. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people that love to find God in every situation. Our team isn’t one to dwell on the negative. We tend to acknowledge it and move on. Every country has brought a different kind of Ministry and different challenges to us as individuals and as a family unit.

We have 2 boys and 4 girls, We have 3 high school teachers (2 math and an English) and 3 people who worked in Student Ministry last year. A Minnesotan, Utah non-mormonite, Delawarian, Chicagoite, a Texan, and one from the great state of South Dakota. Our ages are: 26,26, 25, 24,23 and 23... I’ll leave guessing who’s who in this category to the reader.

This is not a group of people that ever claims to know the answer. We are broken and want to learn from every situation. We are learning to be live like a true Acts 2 church, learning what our gifts are, and learning how to challenge each other and push each other beyond the current definition of comfortable.

What else can I tell you… oh, we love to laugh. Fun seems to follow our team wherever we go. I refer you my photo blog of Botswana should you need more convincing! We thrive on being ridiculous… and joking with someone is definitely a love language on our team.

You know, coming on the world race I sort of expected to generally like the people I was with... they seemed interesting enough. God far surpassed that expectation. I never really expected to genuinely love each of the 5 people I get to spend every day with this year. I don't really know if that happens for everyone... but if I had to do it all over again, I can promise you that I would choose these 5 as my travel partners for this year.

I hope you will enjoy reading all about them as much as I enjoy talking about them!

            This year we've had the privilege of planning 5 World Race birthdays for our teammates.   They were all kind enough to be born in different months so we have had a year of great celebrations! I had a great committee member, Colleen (except when she had to be selfish and have her own birthday!) and all of our teammates help out and then are top notch revelers when the big day arrives.

 Now a world race birthday falls into a whole different category than a normal birthday.   We are away from home so it is extra important to have a great day.   And then there's the traveling lifestlye... on the World Race you rarely can pinpoint where you'll be and what you'll be doing on any given day. Will there be a grocery store? What about gifts? Given all your surroundings what kind of day would best suit the birthday person? This has been my favorite challenge of the year!  

So this blog is a little guide should you ever find yourself traveling the world with your family of 6 trying to do it up for a bday:

How to Celebrate a World Race Birthday:

1.  You must examine the calendar and make a guess at where you'll be for the day... this should probably happen one to two months earlier (Jackie was predicting where we would be several months in advance... airport or Africa, airport or Africa?)

2.   About a month out the present gathering process should begin.   Last minute shoppers beware: there may or may not even be grocery stores available the week before the big day. Shop early.

            Present suggestions:

 * Food is always a good choice for the world racer far from home... we chose to give each of our teammates their favorite cereal (or the closest we could get).   Dannys birthday was April 9^th in Botswana and he just finished his Birthday Granola last week...  that's right, it made the continent jump...

* Presents you would receive at home are often hard to come by:

Everyone's favorite pirate... Lenses Magee

 

  Here you will find Colleen celebrating her pens and my little pony pencil case

3.  The element of surprise is key...

 

6.  Old school party games are always a great choice... we've seen pinatas, scavenger hunts, and (imported from Chicago :) ) pin the tail on the donkey all succeed for Birthday Fun

This year we had a treat... it's called the “Grammy Bomb.”   It is an ice cream cake crafted by Colleen's world race famous Graminator. This is our first (rather sad) attempt for Kyle's birthday: 

 

 

Jackie blowing out the candles on the “best cake we could find/create in Swaziland” Cake

 

  Lindsey blowing out the candles on her Mozambiquen homeade by South Africans cake:

 

By Dannys birthday our birthday crew had gotten so good that we made one heck of a Grammy Bomb and another cake showed up at the party... the double portion continues.

 

 

For Colleen we went through several options and landed on a Pizookie... combining several of her favorite things... large cookies, ice cream, peanut m&ms, and high school musical (??)

  The last thing you should know is that there is no need to spend money on plates or napkins... because 95% of World Race Birthday Cakes are eaten something like this...

Byron is 10 years old.  Only two years ago he was sitting in the lines of children in wheel chairs we saw everyday at the hospital we spent time at in Antigua.  He didn't speak, he didn't interact and he didn't eat solids.

His story was headed the way of so many children we saw...  their parents can't take care of them... or won't because of the extreme stigma that sits on a family when they have a handicapped child.  So they are taken into San Pedro Hospital...  which is a great institution...  they do the best they can... but they are still an institution.  The nurses do what they can...  but the amount of love the children receive depends on how many visitors are in that week... and when there are none?  They sit in the morning, receive their three meals a day, have their medical needs taken care of, and are in bed by noon.  It's just too much for the nurses to take on.  

So there sat Byron.   Until one day a kind hearted man named Dick took one look in his eyes and saw the sparkle that so many overlook.   He sprung into action.

Dick has been in Antigua full time for 5 years and has used his love for the disabled to change the lives of so many.   He works with a group who receive used wheel chairs, fix them up and then distribute them throughout Guatemala.  Dick also is the resident father figure to the kids in his neighborhood.   He also is a great friend to all of the residents in the hospital and a fantastic advocate for what it takes to not just take care of them... but to give them LIFE.  You should see the commotion when the residents hear his voice...  the place is a flurry of hand-clapping, bouncing up and down and shouts of joy.  Who knows what will happen... he brings them out to lunch, out to church, wrestles with them, and talks to them like they are his friends.

With Byron Dick was convinced that he could be in a power chair.   He tried several times to get him in a hand controlled chair but with his tremors he couldn't quite master it.   Dick went to work rigging up a chair that Byron could control with his head. 

 Off he went. 

 Within 6 months Byron was transformed.   The ability to make a choice about where he went switched on his whole personality.   He talks and laughs, causes trouble, eats solid food and loves going out anywhere with Dick.  He really became a 10 year old boy.  His best friend just happens to be an amazing man 50+ years his superior.

As I have prayed about the future... life after the race...  God keeps bringing me back to this idea:

Life-giving health care

For a good part of this year I thought that I would show up to some country  and hear a mandate handed down in a big booming movie-God voicetelling me where to go after the race.  No booming voice yet!  I was sure that it would be something really unique in the middle of nowhere on the other side of the world and that it would be this huge sacrifice.   Instead, I just keep coming back to Occupational Therapy School... in St Louis.... about as middle of America as you can get.

It's been confirmed over and over. And usually the confirmations come in on the days when my emotions are tugging me away from this path.   The application I filled out last year before the race is still visit, housing with extended family only 25 mins from school,  promises that I can still spend time at the G42 “kitchen table” during breaks, the list goes on... most recently amended with our time at the hospital.   Meeting a team of  Occupational Therapists there on a missions trip?  Amazing.  The way that Dick advocates for the people in the hospital and pours himself into his neighborhood kids? Inspiring.   The way that each of those children instantly implanted themselves on my heart?  Confirmation.

So that's the path I'm on...   it leads to St Louis for now.   I know that someday it will lead me back to my Byron.  Byron is my calling.  I want to spend my life letting children whose stories don't suggest it be kids.  I want to be in places where the basic medical needs are taken care of and see their quality of life improve.  I want to see people receive life.  To become 10 year old boys... or 40 year old women... or 60 year old men.   To see them dream.  To see them fall in love with their Maker and their Savior.