FUTURE! RACERS!

I know that every race looks different, but I wanted to share with you all that I wish I knew that wasn’t on the packing list! Here’s all the inside deets:

• Do not pack a majority of light coloured shirts! I brought one black t-shirt and it was the only shirt that didn’t end up getting completely stained by month nine. 
• Expect that your clothes will be destroyed. From being stretched out to dirt to concrete to charcoal to maybe even some mold, don’t pack clothes that you really care about. I definitely recommend bringing some cute items, but nothing that you really value. I brought a pair of lululemon leggngs to Gainesville and it was not my best move. 
• A lot of my squad mates have suggested bringing a pack of underwear that you can stuff into the bottom of your bag and not open up until the last few months of your race. Pack more underwear than you think you will need! 
• You will probably want a jar of peanut butter in Gainesville. 
• Mens! Patagonia! baggies! I know they are pretty expensive, but they are worth the investment even if you buy one pair. They dry fast (which might not seem like a big deal now, but just wait), they don’t stretch out when being hand washed overtime, they last for years even through the wear and tear of the race, and even concrete stains come out of the material. Men’s mediums are long enough on me for dress code! 
• PACK LESS! My bag weighed over 46lbs going to Gainesville and about 33lbs after I went back home before launching internationally. I realized how many things I didn’t need and how annoying a heavy bag is in the airports. I promise you don’t need two pair of sweats or seven t-shirts. Maybe bring one pair of sweats and four shirts! You also can buy what you need on the field (we even found a few thrift stores) and most likely will end up sharing practically everything. Make room for heaven to fill, God wants to meet you needs in the most unexpected ways! 
• Don’t bring full sized shampoo and conditioner bottles. I went almost two months in Costa Rica with one traveled sized bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and then bought more on the field when I ran out. 
• With that being said, consider fundraising or saving extra for spending money on the field! For that cute coffee shop your team is going to or once in the lifetime chance to scuba dive in the Caribbean. I would even consider making a budget for yourself on how much you want to spend per week or month. Spending will look different in each country, but you don’t want to get to the end of your race and have no more spending money left. 
• These are a few “luxury” items that you might want to bring: a favourite seasoning (my teammate eats red pepper flakes at so many meals), a sewing kit, an extension cord, string for bracelets, tape, or water colors. 
• Extra hair bands!
• you think you will keep your skincare routine, but you probably won’t. Don’t bring your 7-step skincare products, a face wash and lotion will work great. But! Maybe pack a self care item like nail polish, face masks, or a sleep mask. 
• Bring WAY more masks than you think you will need. I started with so many and now have two. You might end up losing them or they just get really gross. 
• I recommend one pair of jeans! I brought a nice pair and they are my favourite to wear on the town or church days! Some people wear them on manual labor work days. 
• I recommend fairy lights and some sort of clothes pins (or something like that)to hang them up in your tent. Make it homie!

Most of all, prepare you heart for abandonment. It’s going to be hard, loss is always painful. But in the empty spaces of all the things you let go, your Father is going to show up in ways you never knew He wanted to move. You’re going to understand that He has always been fighting for you. And that He, our Daily Bread, has always been sufficient.

In the end, you will be one step closer to comprehending just how much Jesus gave up for you.   

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:31-33).