I am super excited to share this interview of a WORLD RACER!  If you are not familiar with the World Race, it is an 11 month journey in 11 countries around the world. Living out of a backpack. Being the hands & feet of Christ. Serving the poor. Eating lots of rice & beans. And I could go on forever!  Check out the World Race website for more information.

So, lets get started!

1. Tell me a little of your back story.  Why did you go? Where have you been? How long have you been there?

I have been going on missions trips to Nicaragua and Mexico for many years and felt like God was specifically calling me to Latin America. While looking for spanish language schools that incorporated ministry I found the Spanish Route of the World Race. The Lord made it clear by shutting every other door I was looming into and I applied for the race right before the last deadline. I am in month 11 now of the race. I have been all throughout South and Central America over the past year.

2. What is your favorite thing about being a missionary?

I love that I’m able to truly walk in the spirit and follow God’s promptings each day. There is something so raw about the faith of the people in Latin America that makes me want to serve them however I can. I get to live out the things Jesus specifically calls us to to in the Bible. I get to lay hands on the sick, I get to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, I get to love on the orphans and the widows, and most important I get to share the Gospel as a job.

3. What is your least favorite thing about being a missionary?

The title “missionary” can produce a very polarizing reaction. In some counties I’ve been in, they are placed on an unnecessarily high pedastool and the expectations are hard to live up to. In other paces missionaries are used..……

4. What is the hardest part about being a missionary?

Right now I struggle most with the language barrier. It’s so hard to want to give a word of encouragement or ask specific questions and not have the words to do so in the moment.

5. What is the strangest food you have eaten as a missionary?

In Peru I was served lamb’s head soup with the hair still attached.

6. Tell me about a crazy adventure or a funny story. (If you can’t think of one, share a travel day!)

My team and I had a day free in between traveling from Ecuador to Panama. We were staying at a large missionary compound with our entire squad and were feeling antsy to get out of the house. It was around 11:30 at night and we decided, “Let’s go to Colombia.” So we grabbed our passports and snuck out of the house. (We did tell one squad leader where we were going) Before we knew it, we were on the 1am bus to Colombia. We were in a cafe at the border town, drinking Columbian coffee, and instagramming our secret adventure before our squad mates woke up the next day. It was one of my favorite days of the race.

7. What do you miss the most from the U.S besides family/friends/people? Or look forward to the most?

I miss independence. When you have to be dependent on the host and the team’s schedule can be overwhelming at times. I look forward to driving alone to the store whenever I want.

8. Tell me about a cool God moment. Or how your faith has grown. Or a lesson you’ve learned.

Our team visited a children’s hospital in Honduras. We went to the infant room and started praying for the kids. We started praying for one little girl and my hand started getting really hot. I didn’t know what was wrong with her until after we stopped praying and my team meme we told me she had a high fever for 4days. I teased and said, ” I think her fever just came into my hand.”Five minutes later the doctor came over and checked her temperature….NO MORE FEVER!!!!

9. One piece of advice for someone wanting to be a missionary?

Integrate in the culture as much as possible. Learn the language, shop on the markets, go to local weddings, etc. I’ve seen so many missionaries who try and recreate the US in their foreign countries and they separate themselves so much that they miss out on the best parts of the culture they live in.

If you would like to learn more about Brooklynn’s World Race Adventures, you can check out her blog!

I love hearing how God is at work around the world!  It is so inspiring to hear from missionaries like Brooklynn.  And it can be eye-opening. . . Would you eat lamb head soup? Even without the hair attached?  And what about that God moment? So cool!

I’d LOVE to hear what you think in the comments below!