annaritchie - New Blog! and Life Update!

By annaritchie Apr 29, 2023 4:54 AM 3 min read

New Blog! and Life Update!

Hey Everyone! Sorry for going radio silent on you all for the past 5 months or so! There were some issues with the blog platform (hence the differenc...

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Hey Everyone!

Sorry for going radio silent on you all for the past 5 months or so! There were some issues with the blog platform (hence the difference in appearance) and truly, I haven’t sat down in a while to write a post. The race is crazy and just like back home, sometime time slips away without even realizing it. I’m going to do a quick recap of what I’ve been up to, but the next couple posts will be going into more depth about what the Lord’s been doing in our ministry and in my life!

Currently, its month 8 of the race, and we only have about a month a half left until we are home. It feels like its literally flown by, and yet training camp feels like a lifetime ago. We left

Guatemala January 11th. We spent our final week there debriefing at lake Atitilan which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful and underrated places on this planet. It was a sweet way to end such a sweet time in Guatemala, and it was really helpful to take the time and look back at all the Lord had done both through our ministry and in our personal relationships.

After debrief ended, we packed up and 3 days of planes, trains, and buses later we made it to Romania. Our squad of 42 all shared one house (with 2 bathrooms) in the city of Craiova, which was hectic but also so fun. I got to share a room with 14 other girls, which created some really funny and chaotic memories. Craiova brought a whole new slew of challenges, as ministry, weather, and culture all looked very different compared to Guatemala. After a month in Craiova, my team said goodbye to our squad and move to a town 6 hours north name Alba Iulia. Here, my team of 7 girls shared a shipping container house, which was honestly more space then we’ve had the entire race. After another month in Alba and a quick trip to Budapest, Hungary, we said goodbye to all of our Romanian and Ukrainian friends and headed for Eswatini!

About a month a half ago my squad arrived in the beautiful country of Swaziland (or Eswatini, either works). We were informed upon arriving that we would be living in an area known as Nsoko, which is about 2 hours away from basically any first world comfort. Basically, we live in the African bush! There is a small gas station that has basic necessities but other than that there is nothing else. No town, no coffee shops, and no internet service. It for sure was an adjustment, but honestly has become such a blessing! We also live in tents now! Technically there is the option to sleep inside, but snakes, frogs, and spiders get inside regularly so its best to just tent. Plus the African heat is unlike anything I’ve felt before, so the tents allow for cooler and breezier sleeping conditions. About 2 weeks into living in Swazi, my parents came to visit and see what I’ve been up to! It was so much fun getting to see them for a little and do ministry with them!

Thats the teaser for the next few blog posts! Check them out! They have a lot more information on my experience and how amazing the Lord is!

-KJ

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