Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 5/9/2012
Ah my loved ones!! Who come from near and far,
In one month I will be half way finished with the world race! What is my lifeeeeee. Craziness. But I will say - so far it has been incredible - I have never laughed so much nor grown so much in knowledge and understanding in my life.
I have written so much about life here across the world - I wanted to give a shout out to my homeboys and girls at home!
I miss all of the loving faces, all of the people who love me, and my friends, very much!!! Being on the race, without tv, much internet access, and without America... we have plenty of time for story time!
I wanted to tell those at home that I talk about you everyyyyday. My friends on the race practically no more about my family and best friends than I do. It's all good things of course =).
Though, I know I will be seeing you again before I know it and currently I am really living in the moment... I mean really... I don't even know what country I'll be in tomorrow because I have no clue what our flight info is from Moldova to Mozambique haha you win again Adventures in Missions!
What I miss the most?
Laughing with and hugging family and friends,
being cozy in a clean house,
the beautiful rolling hills, creeks, rivers, and trees of Pennsylvania that I frolick in =).
I am tired of looking like a caveman - I would come home and wear the fanciest dress I could find and put on the cleanest underwear in America!!
I would eat momma's good ol' broccoli cheese chicken casserole and organic food at Homegrown in Newark, Delaware.. with Marissa & Erin =).
Pictured: you can't spell home without Pennsylvania... well you can but it's a metaphor kind of...
All that to say - I am obssessed with the race. And am enjoying each country and the amazing blessings of being a missionary, loving Jesus, and loving others all over the world!
There are a few things that you should know have changed about me:
My leg hair is pretty much longer than the hair on a border collie dog. I'm just being me... that's all I can say ha. Why do women have to shave anyways?? My armpits look more bare than a baby's bum, I will have you all know.
Pictured: Hairy Legs!!! Gonna be able to dread lock them soon ;). I am trying to find my confidence in my soul and in Christ and not in the way I look. Makes for quick showers! And a lot of grossed out faces ha.
I currently have lice that I got from an orphanage... whoopsie. Working on fighting it and in this picture my hair is greased up and ready for some good old fashion lice egg pickin'. I know my friends really love me here!
Pictured: Lice infested Rachel. No good! They were having a dance party up there!
Travelling around the world has shown me that as long as you can afford a plane ticket there... you can live anywhere and try to find a job. The world is starting to seem a whole lot smaller and assessible.
Your perspective of God controls how you live your life and how you love others. It's all about your own personal perspective.
Mind over matter - through Christ, anything is possible. I am fully convinced that as humans we can adapt to any circumstance. I never thought that I could happily live in a tent for a month and have lice and be perfectly fine... but hey, laughter is the best medicine. I've gotten used to the madness!
A quote I wrote in my journal yesterday:
"Of all that I've seen the only thing that makes sense and has resounded through out the whole world is the power of love. Not a love of wrong motivation or of selfishness, but a love of Christ - love that means so much more and goes so much deeper."
LOVE AND MISS YOU HOME!!! But I will come back with a lot of stuff to share!! Yay R3!!!
<3 Rachey.
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 4/30/2012
Salutations my long time friends and loved ones,
Greetings to the members of the Rachel and Jesus academy as well =).
I can't believe that we only have 1 week left in Moldovaaaa, I also call it Moldyville =). Not because it's moldy... I guess just because they have a lot of good cheese =).
Team Oasis has loved our time in Moldova. The people are hilarious and very hospitable! Especially when you visit a woman you've been witnessing to and she pretty much forces you to drink her homemade wine ha. Don't try to cover your cup with your hand, she will pour wine all over your hand ha. Moldova is largely known for its wine and chocolate - many a girls dream country, especially on a single Valentine's day.
Do you ever get the flaming desire to go pee over 6 times a day??
Come to Moldova! We each have about 6 cups of tea a day; every Moldovan offers us tea or "chai" when we enter their house. This has caused the wooden outhouses here to receive many visits by Team Oasis girls.
 D
Do you want to get a work out without paying for a gym membership?
Chase around precious Ramona, pictured above, all day. I was sweating profusely but she kept yelling "hidey!" which actually means "chase me!" in Romanian. Ramona has diabetes and has to get a needle pokey thingy every 2 hours - but she was an angel! We got to share the gospel with her single mom!
Want to be hippie-dip and pretend like you're a creative photographer?
Take a picture like the one above using a setting on your camera which actually makes it look legit! I think I took this picture by accident ha but hey with that setting on my camera, I could sell this for millions! ;). Photo taken in Romania.
Do you want to laugh and realize the importance of walking in the Spirit??
Scabby and Christina, pictured above, have taught me so much about laughing and enjoying life! Also, they have taught me to listen to the Holy Spirit which Christ left with us when He ascended. These girls are constantly listening for God to speak to them through the Spirit - they're like God whisperers. Love having my sisters by my side everyday! Christina kind of looks like she's casting a spell on the photographer here though.
Do you like old fashioned dudes that are respectable and carry your books??
Come to Moldova! Right when we arrived, our male contacts would not let us carry our huge packs up the stairs to our apartment. Those packs are pretty much elephant sized, so it was a blessing! In Moldovan culture, men are constantly helping women and women don't often play sports.
Want to be Orthodox and go to heaven??
Pictured above are women at a funeral we attended in Moldova. They always wear the head covering because in the Orthodox faith, which is the most prominent faith here, they believe that their heads must be covered in order to receive God's approval and go to heaven. I fail this, except when I'm trying to hide greasy hair.
Having a debbie downer day... do you want some chocolate??
Come to Moldova! There is an awesome shop thingy across the street from us with special chocolate candies called "bucuria" meaning happiness. I probably have caveties now... more than I did when I was like 8 years old and still picking my nose 24/7... not much has changed.
Want some free joy??
Be like Becky-Doods! In the picture above, Rebekah, our team leader, is playing with a presh presh child. Focusing on loving someone else and spending time with someone else is a great way to get your mind off of yourself and off of your own problems! Especially children because they know how to be freeeeee!
Want to feel something awesomely refreshing??
Spend time with people from your homeland which you haven't been to in over 4 months! Team Oasis, who is dispersed amongst the happy 1st worlders picured above, was able to assist an American missional medical clinic for a few days! Unfortunately, they didn't let me perform any surgeries but I got to help give out reading glasses and hand out care kits all over the village! Loved speaking in awesome English with people!! The Christian fellowship was wonderful those few days! THEY GAVE US PEANUTS AND CHEWY BARS!!!
Need someone to make you laugh and chase down nonbelievers with you?
Come to Moldova! The people are very funny hear and always joke around about how loud us Americans are. Also, we work with some very passionate Believers who are always trying to chase down people to share the gospel with on the street... they're like ninja evangelists.
LOVE AND MISSES! Acting like a bear going into hibernation and eating all the wonderfulness I can before Africaaaaa aka Catastrica!!!
AH!! Life is wonderful.
Love,
Rachey.
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 4/23/2012
Ah yes, the queen greets you from her ladyship's bed chamber,
I hope you are each experiencing His many blessings today and keep trucking till things get better and before you know it you'll be porsche-ing it =).
Team Charis (grace, or a type of vegetable: carrots) got the axe, the "wa-cha", the whatever movement or phrase you can think of that means: end. And it's that time of year again folks, for good ol' team changes! It's like God has a timer and as soon as we get comfortable and say, "Dude, I could get used to this!" Then the timer goes off and God's like, "Alright Sanctification, gather your troops and move in!!!"
I would like to thank my wonderful Team Charis, the first team who helped to raise baby new WR Rachel. Ya'll taught me a lottttt and def helped to get all the special ed things I do out so that my new team would like me more =).
> Kristin taught me how to clean my ears out with q-tips which I had never done because I thought I would stab my brain - thanks for renewing my hearing, home girl!
> Alicia taught me how to sew without sewing my finger into the cloth too - thanks Alicia - our farmer girl!!
> Sarah taught me to not say ladle ladle and use all my sound effects over and over everyday, so that it wouldn't drive her insane =). Glad I could be in assistance at keeping your sanity, Sarah!
> Lili Ladle-face taught me to laugh a lot and how to paint hard to reach places without crushing my fingers in a door the size of the tomb of Jesus - I learned this from her mistakes =).
I appreciate each of you, Team Charis, thanks for a wild but great first 3 months!
My new team is called: TEAM OASIS.
**cue to play song "today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you" dun nun nun dun nunnn
pictured: Team Oasis in front of some University of crazy looking Russian words in Cahul, Moldova.
They put me on an all girls team, again! I am stoked though! That means my leg hair can keep growing without any grossed out male faces hindering me. I think this is a sign that God def wants me to be a nun too ;).
We chose the name Team Oasis - not only because we look like grungy 90s Irish rockers - but because we view our team as a safe and lush place to grow, like a fertile place in the desert. Hopefully we're all fertile females, as well!
Currently, we are in Cahul, Moldova. We are partnering with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) missionaries here and visiting orphanages, teaching English, & helping old people on their farms. We have 8 of us all together living in a two bedroom apartment, wifi, bucket showers, living the dream - if Europe is a wal mart, Africa is a dusty yard sale - Lord help me to prepare to maybe lose all these blessings! Mozambique is next!
Pictured: Team Oasis on the day we got our new team assignments and we found out we would all be the world race version of the spice girls together! Yea all girls team! In beautiful Brasov, Romania - seriously, google it - straight the town from the movie Tangled.
Suzanne: Top left. Is the wisest, oldest, woman on our team. She is very kind to me and tries to help psycho analyze me and help the crazy house up top - God bless her. We talk just as much in our sleep as we do when alive.
Christina: Top Center. She sleeps on the mattress across from mine and it seems like we're always horizontal when we talk. She is hilarious and we have a lot of good times laughing about failing while using the out houses here and we are both clumsy, which of course adds to the entertainment.
Rebekah: Top Right. She is our team leader! She's awesome, sweet, bubbly, and likes to mimic all my robotical sound effects which of course makes me like her more =). She's a veteran pageant queen and buzzed her head before leaving for the race - my type-a woman!
R3: Bottom Left. A hottie bigottie from Ill-adelphia! Holla. Quick story, attended a Moldovan funeral yesterday, as they were carrying the man's casket into the church, I asked the guy sitting next to me, "How do you know him?" and he responded "Know who?" Ah... my life is crazy.
Abby: Bottom Center. I also call her Scabby, Scabby dabby doo, Scabrador, aka I like her - people I like get nicky names =). She is from Alabama and is the person I would've been if I hadn't moved up north to the yanks and started taking liberal psych. classes. She's a complete sweetheart!
Reagan: Bottom Right. She is also known as Ronald Reagan, the Reag-meist, or Reagina said in a really bad Moldovan accent attempt. She is a very calm, humorous, unique soul and I am really excited about what all her peacefulness will teach my nail biting, puppy dog, adhd, syndrome.
So excited for what's to come! I know God will use Team Oasis in great ways!
Thanks for prayers! Continue to pray for safety, team unity, and that we will be witnesses for Jesus!
Pictured: My team members being special... just like me! Fanel is in the background - he's our YWAM contact who does urrrrything with us and who we follow around like his groupies all day.
PEACE
R3
Blogs that actually make sense and are from mature 20 somethings on my new team =).
Check them outtt!!
reagantaylor.theworldrace.org
rebekahclark.theworldrace.org
abbysteverson.theworldrace.org
suzannebradford.theworldrace.org
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 4/14/2012
Ahhhhh Hello my dearest kinsmen!!!
I am loving the race thus. I am realizing how important my team is, the family unit we are, and taking advantage of each persons' strengths from the Lord! Gotta use dem strengths to be coolio and balla status yo. I am going a little insane in a fun entertaining way and having ideas/praying about going to Hawaii for a short time after the race, whoops.
Shall we speak of Romania? Yes, we shall.
I awoke each morn' at 8:15am - to Kristin (my team member/loving mother) telling me to be responsible and get up for a good breakfast. I would have all intention of getting up then, praying, having a quiet time, eating a healthy breakfast, being awesome, and 23yrs old... But by "accident" I would fall back to sleep and Lili, Alicia, and I would wake up in disarray to Kristin frantically saying "Girls! It's 8:55am - 5 minutes to be dressed and in the living room for devotion time!" We would fly out of bed and sit our rears down in the living room 10 feet away for devotions.
9am - Devotions with the wonderful missionaries we lived with - Cristi, Adina, and Edward, their 2 year old son. We would just put Edward in his toy room during devotions until he screamed like something was wrong then we'd check on him. In our devotions we would read through a book called "Listening Prayer" about hearing the Lord speak. Then discussion would commence and I would play the devil's advocate and go against everything it said. I wouldn't literally play the devil though, this would not be a good role to play during devotions. I also led worship on an out of tune guitar during devotion time.
After devotions, we would pray. Praying alwayssss works in Romania - need a prayer to be answered? Go to Romania ASAP. Just kidding, but really God was so faithful to all our prayer requests during this month - it was incredible! I prayed for two loved ones to get jobs and they both received jobs within a few days of the prayer!
For the remainder of the day - we would teach english in the house to a few sweet Romanian kids in the neighborhood. I loved the one on one style of teaching - I could be as crazy as I wanted as a teacher and no one cared! Some of my teammates would help the missionaries with their website, I would help clean their yard and help them garden - they were cleaning out their yard for an English camp to come.
Random days would consist of chasing their chickens that had gotten loose or hanging out with the priest next door. Don't be fooled - that priest stole some of our chickens once - but he gave them back. We also witnessed turkey mating practices taking place. It was quite wild and we felt the need to turn our eyes, some of us did.
pictured: team Charis running rampant in a castle in Romania during our free day. Alicia was not present because she was bed ridden for a few weeks but luckily she was up and running eventually. From left to right: ladle ladle lili, myself, Sarah-ita, and Kristin the Kris-meister.
A lot of our ministry this month was to encourage the missionaries we lived with and give them ideas on how to reach their village. They were the only Christians in Rusanesti, Romania - aka orthodox-ville. Keep Cristi and Adina in your prayers - they hope to expand their home, have missionaries there all the time, and reach the community through teaching English and friendship.
Here is a hilarious video Lili made of our chicken catching phenomenon.
LOVE YOU PEOPLE
PEACE!
Rthrizzerp
For Alicia - Chicken Chase from Lianna Ward on Vimeo.
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 4/7/2012
HI YA'LL!!!
The race is going wonderfully!!! We leave for Moldova in a few hours and we got brand new teams!!! Ah!!! I love my new team and I'm totally stoked!!! I'll right a bloggy about them soon =).
We want a team name that means growth because we feel that our team is a safe place to grow and heal - we were thinking team fertilizer or manure ... what do you think? Just kidding =) I'll reveal our team name soon =).
After a month of teaching English, loving on kids, and encouraging and building up the missionaries we were living with in Rusanesti, Romania... I had a good amount of time to think. Dangerous for me... time to think that is, time to think is rare for this crazy game of twister brain of mine =).
Pictured: the missionaries we lived with in Rusanesti, Romania! They were so fun and quoted a lot of my favorite movies: finding nemo, dumb and dumber, and lion king. "I'm stuffed like a piiiiiig."
I've learned how much pressure I put on people. Pressure to be wonderful, perfect, for Christians, especially my teammates, to love me righteously and always. I expect myself to love people greatly all of the time and to love them with a good motivation in my heart. I have learned from living with my peers in very tight quarters - where my only alone time is when I'm on the toilet, that Christians sin. Sometimes I feel like I go days where I don't even look like a Christian, and it seems that the people I live with go through the same thing.
It's like I wake up each morning and I think it's the "Rachel Movie!!!" and everything stars me!!! My selfish, self-centered thinking is what leads me into sin. I now know the flaws of my squad and teammates, and I'm like goodness gracious am I thankful that these people have Jesus. Good Lawdddd these people need Jesus. And I need the grace of Jesus too, us Christians need Jesus' grace.
Be careful how much you expect of people, even Christians. While Christians are extremely loving and are striving to be like Christ - they still fall short of the glory of Christ often. And when you live with them and hear them snore and see them stumble (literally, physically, and spiritually) it's easy to judge and think "Are these people really Christians???" but also I've been thinking a lot lately - after seeing all my sin - "Am I really a Christian???"
Because of Christ and his death on the cross, His eternal grace and mercy, and through faith in Him in His life, godliness, and resurrection - I am saved, I am Christian, despite my sin, despite myself.
I will strive to be sinless, but I ain't making no promises ya'll - sorry if I let you down, but I'll try not to. And yes, my teammates are Christians due to their faith, but they're human too, they mess up - but each day we'll get better... together.
Getting all Billy Graham on you guys =).
Funny story: R3 being a trainwreck like usual. I go to watch two of my teammates jump out of the sky about 420 feet up in the air (bungee jumping) ... and I get out of the car to scream something to them, give them a motivational pep talk and encourage them in their death fall ... and of course I end up getting hurt and tripping over a rock while I'm screaming something to them like a wild woman. Go figure ... the scaredy cat that stays on the ground to watch my crazy friends jump off a mountain, is the only person who ends up getting hurt. Story of my life.
Pictured: me with my jacked up toe at the bungee jumping madness. Of course right after I tripped I look up and 3 Romanian dudes are laughing at me... lol gotta love people with a good sense of humor.
AWESOME video Lili made of her bungee jumping! Enjoy my commentary at the end too haha.
<3 always, R3
Bungee Jumping - Romania from Lianna Ward on Vimeo.
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 3/27/2012
Hey ya'll!!!!
OR Buna!!! Which I yell to every Romanian I see - and I am saying hello for all you skeptics out there ha.
I really feel freedom today! I only blog when I'm feeling good so I know my sin and selfishness won't get in the way ha... at least that's what I've been doing as of late... ya'll are in luck.
Let me walk you through some things God has been teaching me through these Romans out here ;) I mean Romanians.
God keeps showing me a prominent theme in His word - first in Job and now in Hosea.
Job 5:19 "For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds but His hands make whole."
Hosea 6:1 "For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up."
Bad stuff happens and God knows that. He is not the reason for bad things because He is only good - but He allows them to happen because they are a natural process in this sinful broken world.
God allowed me to go through a lot of negative thoughts and days when I felt numb - even though people didn't know this was going on inside my mind. I didn't understand why I was just walking all over all my blessings and not alive and joyful. I have realized that He was breaking me down to REBUILD me even stronger. Bad things happen, we go through hard times, but there is ALWAYS HOPE. He will restore, rebuild, redeem, renew... all those re words... except for the offensive ones.
Are you scared you will not make it out of your numb dry time? You will because in some time He will heal you - joy does come in the morning. I promise you that, it will get better.
I've found on the race that I learn more from asking questions than from constantly searching for answers.
Pictured: Free day in Romania being freeeee. Visiting Hunedoara Castle - my old legs don't jump like they used to but I made my best attempt ;).
Here are some questions I leave you with:
Why do you feel numb and not alive? What is holding you back from freedom?
Are you holding yourself back from freedom? Are you getting in your own way?
Why?
Who do you think God is? Who do you think Jesus is?
Why are we our own worst enemies?
Why, when we get so close to something we want, does fear over take us?
Also - Romanians pray like maddddd crazy - pray more than Tim Tebow about the draft - and their prayers are all answered by God!! It has been amazing to see God listen to their prayers and act on them and heal and show up and conquer. Got any prayer requests? I'm telling you, this country is the prayer request express and they know what's up. I encourage you to pray like the Romanians - knowing God will answer and show up. I personally am I trying to pray to win the lottery while I'm here, just kidding =).
Love always!
rthizzyoooooo
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Posted in Big Pimpin on the Race by Rachel Ruth Rush on 3/16/2012
God helped me raise all the money I need!! Please spread the knowledge that I do not need anymore checks mailed in for support!!!! Thank you Jesus!!! Go to JCcubol.theworldrace.org to help my awesome friend on the race - he needs $4,000 more to be able to stay on the race!
I love life in Rusanesti, Romania!!! We are living with an awesome missionary family - they are orginally from northern Romania and have skin thick as wild wolves to adapt to the coldness here =). They have a couch and make us coffee - this is the closest thing to heaven I've ever experienced! It's such a blessing being here!! We are teaching English daily, spending time loving on their neighbors and witnessing through our love, especially to the priest who lives next door and stole their chickens =( - it's easy for people to say they're Christian in Romania and not be. As it is for people in America. We are also helping our missionary contacts with their blogs, newsletters, and other kinds of office work.
Lesson I've learned from the World Race #393939: NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD - your location does not change your happiness. I thought travelling would help me be content and be happy, no matter where you are you still have the same internal struggles and insecurity hardshipes. Until you learn to overcome the internal battle, the external will not affect your happiness.
Going all Dr Seuss on you:
Twas the night before Romanian ministry
And all through the train
Not a creature was stirring - except the creepy dude in the Russian communist hat that kept walking past our train room
Our train cut through the cold Romanian night at 2am
We knew we would be picked up... but by who?
We have no clue... it's the race duhhhh
A few nice white looking men met us at the train stop
One was Canadian and invited us into his car
We decided to trust Jesus and go - Jesus helped us and kept us safe!
The Canadian man let us crash at his house
"Hey honey - bringing 4 girls home to our house at 3am"
Despite the craziness, his wife was fine with it - they invited us into their home
It was warm and cozy beneath the Romanian vampire moon and bright stars
We got beds to sleep in! We havn't seen clean cozy beds in over 2 months!!
We awoke at 10 am to an adam and eve feast of fruits and wonderful breakfast!
They blessed us mucho!
Off we went to Cristy and Adina's house - our missionary contacts
We would live with them for the remainder
Teaching English to Romanians in my retainer!!
I learned from these people - God gives us cozy houses and things so we can bless others. I hope I bless people when I have stuff... I really do.
Pictured: Myself, cute little Madeleine look alike: Maria, and Adina on the far right. Adina is the missionary we are living with! Here we are in Adina's kitchen and we were both teaching English to Maria =). So weird that I'm tan and so bundled up in warm clothes, ha my skin's confused.
Pictured: Lili and I so in awe of our amazing warm beds at 3am in Romania - we had to take pictures! Of course we look so awake because it was only 9pm Haitian time... our previous time, or whatever country we came from.
Love always! So blessed to have this restful time WITH internet!!!
Rthrizzy! Vampire ness!!
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