Georgia in Review (with photos)

Next month I will have officially been in Georgia for one year. I’ve been overwhelmed by all the differences between the South and the West, and I’m slowly learning how to make this place feel like home. 

In typical World Race fashion, I have chosen to share 11 key moments from my life from my first 11 months in Georgia.

 

So without further adieu and in no particular order…

11 Highlights of My Last 11 Months

 

1. Amy dates. 
Every month all of us named Amy, no matter how you spell it, meet up for dinner and a good time. It started with just 3 of us and in September we’ll be up to 7! 

 

2. Aimee and Evan got married.
Aimee and I lived together for 4 months and at the end she got married! Bill Swan, who’s one of the biggest names in the World Race, was our house mentor and officiated the wedding. Oh, and now I live with these two awesome people. 🙂

 

3. The Fellowship
I spent 6 months interning with Adventures in Missions before coming on staff with them. I was encouraged by this group while I worked under the best people I could imagine. I often told people, “I love it so much! I’m basically the poster child for the Fellowship!”

 

4. Grove House
I lived in the community house named “Grove House” for 8 months. It was 10 women, a married couple, and their one year old son. I learned a lot about community in the real world and am beyond greatful for the guidance of our house mentors – Bill (not pictured) and Katie Swan.photo credit: Alysa Sharp

 

5. I can drink milk!
I became lactose intolerant after month 3 of my Race and accepted it as my new normal. While in Georgia, I went through a 6 month intensive course on inner healing and was healed by the end of it!
[Picture: me and my first real milk latte, with no side effects!]

 

6. I got a car.
It’s a lie that you can get around this town without a car, but I survived for the last 10 months. Acknowledging I’m here for long-term, I got help from my parents and purchased this beauty! (I still need a name for her.)

 

7. Office fun.
Adventures in Missions loves fun. For example, our CEO and founder – Seth Barnes – dressed up for Halloween as a World Racer. Another time during Christmas we did Elf on the Shelf and an office got covered in post-it-notes.

 

8. My friend is learning how to brew beer.
My old teammate and current friend is starting a hobby: brewing beer. I don’t really understand it, but I support it by being her assistant. It takes a lot of time and patience, but I love supporting a new passion of hers!

 

9. Visits from around the world.
We have hosted contacts and missionaries from around the world, and I love how frequent people come to visit us here in Georgia! One of my favorites was when my host from Port Elizabeth, South Africa visited for a day!

 

10. Traveling around the world. 
So I haven’t traveled yet, but I hopefully will be this fall. But another Regional, Daniel, recently traveled to Thailand. Each of us Regionals oversee a part of the world and do all the logistical setup for all the trips that go through that region. Daniel’s region includes Thailand (mine is Europe.. I know, it’s a rough life…) and I told him that he should feel free to pick me up anything with an elephant on it while there. When he returned he presented me this gift! 

 

11. Weird things.
I am constantly flabbergasted at the endless supply of strange things I encounter. One of the strangest, by far, has to be the canned possum I discovered while at the annual Bear in the Square Festival. 1 – canned possum. 2 – the festival celebrates the time a mother bear and her cub were found in this tiny town’s square. 

 

11 months down, many more to go… 
In addition to setting up our short term trips in Europe, I am also fund raising. I need $500 per month and would LOVE for you to join my team by donating monthly or giving a one-time gift! You can donate my clicking the red “Support Me!” link to the left or the “Support Me!” orange box.