Hannah Chynoweth - The World Race 2007

To Do: Circumnavigation of the globe. 'CHECK'. ; )

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone! Im coming HOME!!!!!!!! Woooo Hoooo!! We did it!!!
This has been the best year of my life! I can't wait to see you all! I will be home Tuesday about dinner time.... Wow!! Hong Kong to Taiwan to LA to Denver and finally to HOME SWEET HOME!!!! I hope you all know how dearly i love and miss you... your Banana. : )

Email blackout in Red China : )

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is my last 'HUG' to you all for a while! : ) We are all entering into a mandatory 4 week internet blackout once we cross into China tomorrow-- the secret police is REAL we just found out. It is so crazy the level of precaution we have to take while in China -- I am so excited for this. My team is going to an unreached people group!!! This is such an overwhelming opportunity, can hardly stand it!!! : ) This means, we really need your faithful powerful prayers this month.... I know you all will keep our teams extra covered. Pray for extra grace and wisdom for us. For safety. For God's literally 'unspeakable' love to be so evident in us, etc. Ask the Spirit, He will tell you what is needed. He's awesome like that.

Also, I think AIM will be writing little updates concerning our welfare. ; )

Much love to each of you... enough to last until I can contact you again when we return to Hong Kong.

With joy!

hannah

CAMBODIA: How i came to love you ; )

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello from Bangkok again!!! (this is a hefty blog, so gear up for the ride. : )

Some of the Racers just got back from a month in Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA!! Tomorrow we head off to Hong Kong and then into mysterious places all over China to do...... no one's really sure yet. But it's going to be awesome, no doubt about that. ; ) Smiles.

But, before I start into Cambodia and all the amazing and wild tales from that place, I want to mention something fairly important about China -- just so you all are in the loop. China is a closed nation which means 'Christian things' are not acceptible. In order to protect our China contacts, I'm pretty sure internet will be extremely limited. The goverment sees all is what I hear, so you may not hear from me via blogs, emails, Facebook, Skype, etc. for about 4-5 weeks (which Im sure none of you will think is strange at all since that is about my usual blogging frequency : ) I thought you would like to know anyways.

Onward to CAMBODIA! : ) As some of you may have heard through the grapevine, Cambodia started off a tad rocky for me. I have to be honest, it was shocking to leave the 'lap of luxury' (note: everything's relative for World Racers, 'luxury' means something different to us... wink) which was Bangkok only to arrive to Phnom Penh and be greeted with the most heinous green stench coming from the alley leading to our first few nights of non-air-conditioned lodging. This was the most acutely i have felt shocked by any culture to date, no lies here. I slept sweatily (read that word carefully) that night, woke up the next morning, headed down the alley of nightmarish smells, stepped over mounds of soggy garbage sitting in organized piles all along everywhere, and promptly observed the veritable sea of motor bikes pouring down every road and every which way. I was baffled. Then i saw a lady and a girl on a motor bike get wrecked into by another motor bike. Horror. Maybe 5 minutes later, another motorbike balancing the biggest basket you've ever seen filled to the brim with grapefruit flew by me unsteadily and then... ohhh..whooop....aaaay... the the basket came a-tumbling over scattering citrus balls all over the sidewalk and road. More horror. Sortly after that, I was crossing what felt like 18 lanes of temporarily stopped but freakily vollatile motor-bike traffic with I think grocery bags in hand -- just as i had mustered the courage it took to send myself into the road, one of the motorists made a 'vroom!!' noise. I jumped. He laughed. It was funny. I have to admit it. ; ) But I was still mad at Cambodia!!!

The next day my heart was softened quite a bit. All of the World Racers toured Toul Sleng Torture Museum where thousands of black and white, numbered mug shots of Cambodian and a very few foreign men, women, nursing mothers, boys, girls, and babies were hanging on wall after wall -- every face we saw was someone who was tortured and killed at that very location only 30 years ago. Next we went to the Killing Fields (google it). It was beyond words. We could still see deep trenches in the fields, now overgrown with grass, but it was horrible to think of the millions of beautiful people whose executed bodies once filled the ditches. We saw bones, teeth, and pieces of colorful clothes that had been unearthed by the rain only recently. You guys, I know this part of my blog is solemn, but it was really significant to witness all that true horror. I only found one tiny flower around all those trenches -- so, I picked it and put it in my journal. To remember. It was truly grievous.

Moving along, team 61 worked alongside New Life Fellowship Church for the month. Awesome place! This church is jammed packed with mostly junior-high through twenties-aged people, so it was like instant friends for us : ) Still though, I was in a funk of just feeling bone-weary with everything. The ninth month of World Race hit hard for quite a number of us. Which leads me to my 25th BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks to so so many of you who wrote me the most unbelievable emails and picked up the phone when i called you for my birthday, the beginning of my 25th year was a fabulous turning point!! From the bottom of my very soul, THANK YOU for believing in me and encouraging my heart with poems, Facebook gifts, birthday wishes delivered straight from God's heart, funny and witty little emails, cheers, book burnings (my brother Calvin whose not even reading this), etc. etc. You have no idea -- REALLY -- how much of a blessing that was to me. Huge Hugs to all of you (that means ALL of you, even if you didn't wish me happy birthday. So much love all around. Wink.)

Cambodia got so much better after that. I got to visit the slums twice a week with a couple of the other Racers, pray with some of the mothers, and just hold babies and darling filthy little kids. That is where my heart comes alive. I love the grime. I just cant explain it, it was priceless to spend just a few hours playing slapping-hang games with the children. They have so much spunk and personality. The moms were awesome, too. Although, they kept on offering me their children.... as in, to HAVE!! I politely declined, however much i wanted to accept. Smile. HaHa. (pics of slum below : )

Many of the same slum kids I got to see each thursday at JOY CLUB. Its a 3 hour kids program that the church puts on once a week. So that was another opportunity to hang out with those awesome sticky kids and try to show them that they are so worthwhile. They were sooo worth my while. (some Joy Club pics are below)

(I hope you loved these HUGE pics. They wouldn't shrink for me ; )

Not only did we get to hang out with the incredibly young and truly cool staff at the church, but we also got to be a part of the English classes that took place on the roof of the church from dawn til dusk every weekday. College students come to church all day for free English lessons, so it s a perfect opportunity to make friends with them and really open up a door to their heart. So that's the other thing that poured a ton of my time into, those hillarious Cambodian college kids. : ) I taught the whole class only twice -- they wanted to know all about new home sales (my previous job), basements, attics, about Christmas in America, reindeer, elves, magic fairy dust, and anything at all. It was so cute to hear their questions.

There is so so much more I could tell you all about Cambodia!! But this blog is already dangerously long for the average reader, so I will try to wind it up with a humongous heart of gratefulness. Again I find my heart just exploding in thanks to God for His patience and faithful loving mercy this month and really all year. This month was tougher than I even let on in this blog, but in all of it I am finally getting what the famed 'good news' is. At least for the time being, I have been able to see that God's love is practical and merciful and so faithful even when I am a snob, a pathetic doubter, a wrong-doer, a volcano of harsh words, or just a wreck . He has shown me that He is there every time I call on Him for help. I know Im a different person now than when i first began the Race. I needed to be different. many of you know -- haha; ) Now I'm preaching, but it had to happen. Smiles. Thank you for enduring this far. : )

KIND OF URGENT!! One last thing before more pictures. : ) As of the last time I checked, my World Race account balance is still about $2,500 short of the full amount. I really need some help erasing that number from my future. Ahhh!! Anything you give is tax-deductible, so that is good. Anything you give over that amount will be reimbursible to me after the race so Im not completely broke as a joke when I return to the home farm. Wink. Email me at hannahchynoweth@yahoo.com if you have any questions at all. The easiest way to give is through my homepage; on the upper left side of this page is a "support me!" in red letters. It is so so easy from there. I love you guys so much; thank you for so much love and support you have already sent in abundance my way this year. I'll see many of you in 40 DAYS!!!!!! God is so wonderful!!

Support me... or ELSE! wink. smile. ; )

Angkor Wat Temples.

With so much joy,

banana

Raw in Bangkok.

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello and all my love to you wonderful, beautiful people reading this blog. : ) Hugs all around.

Today is August 27; almost all the racers have reconvened here in Bangkok (where I and 7 other girls have been all month) -- tomorrow we head out for debrief. It's fun having everyone together, there are some new blondies and some bushier beards since we were last saw each other. It's a beautiful thing to see the change in everyone. wink. And I am here at this internet cafe where i have spent many many hours sipping my 33 cent iced coffees and writing little updates and emails to many of you. : ) However, I have seriously been up since 5.45 a.m. churning about the one thing i have neglected to do. So I am doing it now. (Better now than never, is what everyone always says : ) So here i go.

I need to explain something to you all -- raw Hannah needs to come out for a moment. ; ) -- I promise i won't belabor, but this is so i can sleep better at night. haha. For some reason it has been somewhat difficult to write blogs from my soul this month in Thailand. Some of you may have seen my last blog about the Gwen Stefani show we went to on Aug. 19 here in Bangkok -- loads of fun for sure. That was easy to blog about. It's far less complicated to put words to those funny fun times. But, honestly, i have been at a loss for words about what we have witnessed this month. And i recently realized that for all YOU guys know, I have been pop-star-concert- hopping, waterfalling, karaokeing, buddha-templing, and just internetting the month away over here in Bangkok. Eating BonBons and sipping coffees for Jesus. And so I am genuinely sorry for not being more thoughtful about how my blogs (or lack thereof) are coming across.

We have actually been doing real outreach. : ) We just cannot post pictures of it due to the nature of our environment. Taking photos inside the bars is prohibitted, no faces of the girls are allowed to be posted, and we do not want to post photos of the NightLight ladies, just out of respect and their own preference. That encompasses the entire scope of our most meaningful moments in Bangkok, and i am so torn that i cannot show you all the faces of so many amazing women that have become our friends this month. Sniff. (browse a few photos and continue below: )

For the past three weeks the TRibe 61 and Salt girls plus Anne from Revolution have been working together with an organization called Night Light. (For more on Night Light, check out Stacy's blog.) : ) stacyutecht.theworldrace.org

Essentially, it is a jewelry business that exists to provide alternate employment for the women who want to come out of working in the Nana bars. Currrently there are 81 employees; many but not all of the women we worked together with at Night Light now follow Christ!! Which is so encouraging to see in such a deep-rooted Buddhist culture... God has literally given them a new life. : ) Anyway, during our days, we basically helped with about everything that has to do with beads and jewelry: counting beads, taking inventory, etc.

Our nights were the best part, though! We headed out to the world renown " NANA Entertainment Plaza" and actually went into the bars to meet the girls that worked there. The word "Bar" has a somewhat different meaning over here than what you might envision in the States (lots of TVs with live sports, beer on tap, maybe karaoke). No. People don't come go to these bars to hang around and get drunk with their buddies; the come to get girls. To pay for a girl -- to pay an $18 fee to take a girl home. It is something i can't find words for. (it's grievous.)

But we went there to make friends with the girls and that's basically what we did! It was absolutely awesome!! I found one particular bar that i just 'felt at home in' and went back there several times to hang out with my friends. The girls initially think you are there for the same reason as everyone else, but you cannot imagine how amazing it is to see their face light up when we tell them they can just be normal with us. No shows, no seducing necessary. Just hang out, we'll buy you a drink (thats bar protocol) -- and let you see a different love. I loved it!! And i know the Holy Spirit used all of us to plant seeds in those girls hearts. He planted the seed, and i know He will be faithful to watch over it!! Bless God.

www.nightlightbangkok.com

Thanks for reading. And I really hope you are encouraged to know that God is showing up over here in so many ways. I know He is doing deep things in my heart -- that's what he does. If nothing else, I am leaving Bangkok with something I didnt have prior to being here. I am leaving here with a deep precious confidence in God's faithful love -- His mercy that covers and redeems anything! My heart explodes with gratitude, it really does. I am so thankful that God uses a broken and pretty quirky person like me to show His spectacular love -- in the process, He allows me to grasp His deep love. Bless God. (3000 x)

Many smiles with joy

hannah

Ps. i didnt proofread, and i apologize for the awkward picture sizing... i was experiamenting

"Ain't no holla back guuuuuurl"... Happy Birthday, Sissy.

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This blog is primarily for my exquisite 'sissy' (below). smile.

Aug.19.2007. GWEN STEFANI

in BANGKOK, Thailand!!!!

WE WERE SOOOO THERE!!!!

... and it was also my sister LISA's birthday, so the TRibe 61 'gurls' joined together outside the show to spell her name with our arms... "L-I-S-A(-N-A-S)" .... (kinda like "B-A-N-A-N-A-S", : ) wink. Get it? hahahaha. ( I was always and ever thinking of you.)

So, with all my heart...... HAPPY THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY, SISSY!!!! Thanks for being there for me all my life. : ) Thanks for also being so beautiful and funny and dear!! You are worth a whole blog!! Winks.

(and for those of you who really want to know about the ministry side of what we are up to here in Bangkok, check out my wonderful teammates and Salt-teammates blogs... they have captured it really well:

stacyutecht.theworldrace.org

candicehill.theworldrace.org

morganmckeown.theworldrace.org

emiliejanson.theworldrace.org

katiebischoff.theworldrace.org

(Tribe 61 gurls flashin' the 3 0 for Lisa.)

"Get it, gurl! Get it, get it Guuuurl!!" (Katie, Stacy, and me in the moment with Gwen.)

above: Us with Gwen before the show

below: Us with 'Gwen' after the show... big smile.

"B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!!" While we were in queue for the show, we found this lovely backdrop-- a giant, lighted beer sign -- as the perfect photo op. : ) We made a moderate scene, but 'the picture is always worth it' ... is what i always say.

Jesus led me to this little hot pink tank amongst the mounds of clothes in Bangkok --- (i really think just for you, SISSY!!) For your birthday!

Love your sister,

the Banana

(p.s. this blog also goes out to my favorite Uncle -- wish you were there with us. Love ya, UNK.)

A little flashback (lots of photos!!) in no particular order. : )

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Cusco, Peru. April 07

Found in a coffee shop in Pana Jatchel, Guatemala on Lake Atitlan. Feb. 07 laughs. : )

Misol Ha waterfall. Chiapas, Mexico. Jan. 07

Arroyo Palinque, Mexico. Jan. 07. (My clothes have since improved since those first grundgy days... gray on brown accented with purple. wow. What was i thinking. Take special notice of the camera case cleverly attached to the stretchy belt. THis was my all-time accessory in mex. Winks.)

Arroyo Palinque, Mexico. Jan. 07 She was my doll!! o how i loved this girl.

Palinque, Mexico. Those first days of the race (jan). Oh my, those were rough... but these men (Seth Barnes, Andrew Shearman, and Gary 'Dark One' Black - not pictured) helped me through. Much respect and appreciation. : )

San Juan, Guatemala on Lake Atitlan. Feb. 07. From left: Katie, Morgan, Becca, and yours truly. This was an unforgettable day of girl bonding on the beach down the way from our hot pink hotel. I love us!! ; )

Arroyo Palinque, Mex. Jan.07. These were some of our river buddies. We splashed around in the afternoon together. These were some of my favorite little friends from that village. Pardon the mascara mess.

Lima, Peru. March (?) 07.

Becca and i and our shark friend. haha.

Palinque, Mexico. jan. 07. Training days. Some of the girls camped on the roof, many of us (me included) got flooded out when it rained for three days straight. : (

San Juan, Guatemala. Feb. 07. Our living accomodations on Lake Atitlan. God heard my cries after mexico!! I love God. : ) I didnt even think to ask specifically for hot pink, but He knew. wink. : )

Lima, Peru. March/ April. 07. Becca and me on the beach. We loved doing ministry on the beach; it honestly was fruitful. No lies. : ) The little sun-kissed glow was an added perk.

Cusco, Peru. April, 07. All the Racers debriefed here for a few days before visiting Macchu Picchu. A group of us went on a 5 hour mountain mudding ride through the mountains on one afternoon off. This is me and Andrew (Jake coming up next). This was awesome, so awsome we went through again. woo Hoo.

Cusco, Peru. April 07. The brave girls.

Our fine men.

The whole awesome crew.

Macchu Picchu, Peru. April. 07. I know, almost not believable. So beautiful.

WynaPicchu overlooking Macchu Picchu. Having a moment of closeness with God ...or posing. I cant remember.

Buenos Aires, Argentina. April 07. Pidgeons at the fountain. Dtown BA. I couldnt believe i took this pic. I might frame it, Im so proud. Jeannine and Daniel, if you are reading this, i thought a lot about you in this city. I did love it, as you said. : )

Buenos Aires. April, 07. Tribe 61 at a Boca Jrs. Futbol game. Jimmy and Katie not pictured.

London, England. EUROPE!! (yes, we squeezed in an extra continent for 12 hours). Becca, Spano, Andrew, and me in front of Buckingham Palace. My Reefs broke minutes after this photo was snapped.

I am out of time. Gotta go.

More to come soon!! I love you all in a big way! With joy. your hannah

WILDFIRE at the farm, etc. etc. : )

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Ok, I hope you all are as excited to actually SEE pictures as I am to POST them... The connection here is slow but fast enough to upload about about 3 pictures per hour. Woo Hoo!! : ) I wrote captions for each of these pictures under 'Browse My Photos' because I don't have time to compose a long lovely blog today. But, yes, we girls of Tribe 61 as well as Ginger from team Yeti furiously fought an actual Wildfire the other day!!! Here are 2 pictures that can tell a better story than I can right now.... I love you all dearly!! Wonderful things are happening for us here in Swazi!! Enjoy these fresh pics. Hugs. Hannah

Family and Farm ; )

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It is always a glorious thing to happen upon an internet opportunity!! Today, we Tribe 61 girls came into Mbabane, Swaziland's capital, for the day... and i didn't want my small slice of time here to float by without sending a piece of my heart to you all, whom I love much and miss. : )

(Below is the only pic I could download today.... me and Em looking sassy in Swazi ; ) Lisa, I am working on downloading our fun shot together. Love you much my sistas!)

As you may remember, quite a large number from my FAMILY and some dear Colorado Springs friends were together with me and the other Racers in Manzini for the month of June. Well, they have since left -- sniff. sniff. That was almost too surreal for words to wake up each day and see my sisters, neices, nephews, etc. here in Africa.... however, it has been nice to rejoin my team girls again (Jimmy is scouting Asia for our next leg of the race so he isnt with us. We miss him. "Jimmy! Jimmy! He's our man!!" : ) But, worry not. We girls are in good hands. Gary Black and Tom arranged for us to spent the remainder of our time in Swazi working alongside probably the most successful endeavour to redeem the lives of abandoned orphans here in Swaziland. Lighthouse Ministries works together with Teen Challenge (as I understand it) to create homes and families for 37 HIV/AIDS affected and some infected children. They grow vegetables here, raise bunnies, run a pre-school, have Bible lessons, etc. Its a FARM in the mountains. We love it!!

Yesterday was the first day I really got to know the kids here... we were occupied with painting, sorting clothes, and other random tasks for the first few days. But Kevin Ward, the Director of this project, intensely inspired us that we really have the opportunity of leaving a significant impact on these kids despite the briefness (sp?) of our stay here. These children have a Swazi mother figure and some of them a father figure that live in their home with them, but they need to feel and know that they are WORTH IT!! Worth what? Worth our time, worth us remembering their names, worth helping them with math problems and English (which I am doing in the evenings -- I get to be a tutor, which is I think a consistent sweet spot for me-- woo hoo : ) Those sort of practical, hands-on ways of loving children are what make me come alive, you guys! Many of you are, once again, not surprised by this. Maybe I need to be a teacher in some capacity. Maybe here in Swazi. I'm praying about it. But who knows. Smiles.

These children are special. They have been severely rejected and yet are persevering and even THRIVING. I personally understand some of what they are up against. And so I just ask you all to pray that my actions towards these children will be bursting with God's healing love and acceptance. How can I so thoroughly adore children I've just barely met? It must be God's heart already alive in me!! So thank you for remembering me in your prayers, you all. Your prayers are being heard and honored, and they go far beyond me. Praise God!! He is a genious!!

And I have come almost to the end of my furious unedited typing escapade. : ) It's not my best blog, but I wanted you all to have a glimpse of life for us here. Bless the LORD!!

Sending a huge hug your way.

Swaziland and Support Update : )

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello All.

This month is Swaziland has flown by much too quickly. It has possibly been the MOST unbelievable month of the Race so far... maybe I say that about EVERY month, but i really mean it each time. Smile. My family, the Irwins, the Blacks, and many other friends from home got to experience Swaziland together, and I am just so over-full of sweet and bittersweet memories from such a unique time of side by side ministry with some of the ones I love dearest in the world. My 2 older sisters, Lisa and Emily, and I got the joy of dressing countless little orphan children in new clean clothes the other day at a really desparate carepoint over an hour outside the city. Praying over their lives as we slipped a pretty new dress or a pair of pants without holes on their cute little bodies. I watched my nieces and nephews jump right in and start picking out outfits for the kids, as well. Picture that! : ) It is still a bit surreal. And there are scores of stories like this one.

On the car ride home after one such day I was having the thought, 'Oh, I think this is where my life is changed forever.' It was a funny moment for me because, of course, I've heard some form of the phrase 'Your life will never be the same after this trip' about a hundred times from all of you. But it is true, i really think you were right on there. :) We have held AIDS orphans; many of the children we have have kissed on the forehead are infected with HIV, or blind, or crippled in some way, or just abandoned to roam around all the day long. There are so many stories. Thanks for listening to me share. I love that about you all! Wink. ; )

OK, on to less earth shattering news. : ) I just wanted to send a quick reminder to my amazing SUPPORTERS that I am running a bit behind on my pledges (so I heard from AIM last week). I know it is hard to remember with the scores of bills each month, and so I thank you for adding me to your pile. Wink. But i am slightly concerned about getting stranded in Thailand. ; ) Email me if you have any questions; And I will respond whenever I get internet access. Also, my heart is bursting over with thanks to all of you for making this trip even a possibility for me. I feel blessed and grateful beyond what I can express.

I love you all. Remember that God is fabulous! winks. Love from SWAZILAND.

Hannah Banana

A slice on Mozambique.

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It's me again!! Hello from SWAZILAND to all my dear readers. It has been a while. Know that I miss you all. And, by the way, thank you all for your 'Sweet Things' you left on my last blog from Mozambique: ) We were truly out in the villages with very very scarce internet access for the month of May, and it was unbelievably encouraging to be recieved back into BLOG-land with all those lovely words from all of you!! Some of you were first-time-commenters (sp?). Yay. WooHoo. Especially thanks to my 'long lost' ACU friends and roomates (Kirk and Susan : ) some friends from past employment (Marilyn and the Monbergs... say a warm hello from Hannah to the others) and an old shopping acquaintance (Peggy... I have thought of you, my dear Marshall's friend!! You'll be seeing me nearly as soon as I arrive back in the Springs, no boubt. Winks). Anyway, that was very heart-warming. Big Thanks to you all.

I want to write a minute on Mozambique. Later Swaziland, because I am so far behind!!

Mozambique was really TRIBE 61's (my team) first experience with orphans!! And that was the most difficult place to say goodbye to because of it. Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, South Africa.... I honestly left those places without any real challenge at all. Call me heartless, but I dont think my heart has sunk once from leaving a community... not the way it did when we left this one village in Mozambique. AHHHHH.... i can still feel that ache. Sniff. Sniff. It is a good ache though. Its the kind of ache that lets you know you have a heart. Smiles.

Imagine this. All 25 of the Team A Racers arriving in into Vilanculous, Mozambique after a heinous 26 hour travelling nightmare (even on Dramamine ; ). Our jam-packed pickup pulls into out first host Village and we are greeted by about 20 orphans singing these lyrics (sound it out): ' We ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh... we ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh. OOHHH!! We ahh heppy, heppy... We ahh heppy, heppy... We ahh heppy to be to-ge-duh." It was priceless. I love working with orphans....AND MY RIDE IS LEAVING... so I will have to leave you with that!!

I love you all. Amen.

Winks. And Smiles with JOY!! Hannah

While I'm out... Write sweet things Here : )

Wed, 9 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

As I mentioned in my last blog, we will bew in Mozambique for 3 weeks. But you can make sweet comments here for me to read when I get back. Smiles. Wink

Princess Hannah

3 Continents. 3 Days.

Fri, 4 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

ALAS. My dear readers. I have missed you all. I want to start by sending a huge hug...mmmmm MMMM. Squeeze. That was from my heart. Now I want to thank you all for reading my blog today. At least this far. : ) Im sincerely impressed. We are all so jammed for time. What's wrong with us!!? (More on that a few paragraphs below :)

Ahh. At this moment, I and the other Team A Racers are in Johannesburg, South Africa!! Last time I wrote was from LIMA, I think. Maybe I wrote from Cusco, Peru; nonetheless, COUNTRIES, yea even CONTINENTS have been traveled since my last blog. I can't recount everything for you right now (sniff. sniff), but you can catch a feel of some relatively recent events by going to 'Browse my Photos' to the left of this blog I think. Check out my pictures; I loaded a few more while we were in Buenos Aires, but I am still not caught up. Read the captions; they will tell you more. I do have some amazing pics though that I can share with you all someday. : ) I dont mean to be a tease; this is one of the hard facts of Racer life. Internet is weird here. And fickle. Sometimes it deletes your blogs and sometimes it doesn't. : ( Downloading pictures is really hard. Dont let the big city Johannesburg title fool you.... we are way outside the city. Only 5 computers at this little cafe about an hour's walk from Alabanza campus (where we are staying until Team B arrives and we can get our Visas to Mozambique). Then we are off.

Mozambique, from what I hear, will almost certainly be Internet-free. So it will be a while before I can update you all again. Just dont forget to pray for us. : ) And I will pray for you as well. We are doing relief work in what used to be a tourist city called Vallenquelos (check the spelling on that). Then GoogleEarth us if you can : ) That area was hit be a hurricane about a month and a half ago, leaving thousands of families homeless. We don't know what to expect. It's going to be awesome!! Smiles.

Anyhow, life and times have been full. I suspect the same for most of you crazy (mostly) Americans back at home... we are all busy bees. It's hard to cut the habbit, even abroad ; ) Ahh. I feel like Im rambling. I am. But I hope you have read my title for this blog; it may explain why I am particularly loopy. : ) Team A is actually recovering from literally hitting up 3 continents in 3 days!! Buenos Aires on May 1st, London on May 2nd, and finally arriving in South Africa just yesterday, May 3rd. Maybe I'll make more sense when I figure out what continent I'm on. Haha. Smile. Truthfully, I cant even start to recount all that has happened. Even as I write this, there are Racers breathing down my neck to use this computer. : )

Just know that all is well here. God is continuing to do the work in me that I hoped would happen. To delicately take away my false self that is addicted to perfection and performance, so that He can free me to be the real me that loves others much more than I do currently. The Hannah He had in mind when He first thought me up. That may not make sense. I cant say it better : ) Maybe I can. It is just that I am really quite full of myself, but its not the realest ME. Are you following? I want to be full of God's Spirit; that is the genuine Hannah. The coolest Hannah, too. Wink. And that goes for all of you. : ) That principle is changing my life.

I feel pretty raw, guys. But it has been fun. : ) And Ive already lost part of this blog once, so Im about out of creative faculties. Maybe I'll leave it at that. Pray for my blogs. : ) (Laughing)

One last and lighter note: Africa is going to knock my socks off!! I can sense it. And my family's socks off as well -- in about a month. Woo Hoo!! I get to see Tom (brother in law) , Emily (gorgeous older sister), Hayden, Gideon, Gracie, Lilly, and Hudson (nieces and nephews) for a month in Swaziland after we are done in Mozambique!! Also my 2^nd oldest sister Lisa whom I dearly love and much resemble, and numerous other family friends who are practically family (the Blacks, the Irwins, etc.) So, anyways please please pray that my spirit is strong and that I have joy to share with many!! Already I am full of joy here in Africa. This is the land of the ghetto booty. Im feeling quite at home! Wink. I love you all tremendously!! Hannah

Eye candy. Enjoy.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Downtown Lima.

Sunset off the coast of Lima.

Villa el Salvador.

Lomo de Corvina.

Church at Lomo de Corvina.

Manual, Heiday, and Abuelita.

Bye . Love Hannah

A little 'crumb' from LIMA..

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

LIMA, PERU. 30 March. 07. Yes, I know it has been like a million hours since my last blog. Sorry. : ( I recently started hearing the rumblings from back in the states about my blogging negligence. That was the signal for me to steal one of the other Racer's laptops for the day and punch out a line or two. Winks.
So here's a very small SNACK. Mainly, I wanted to send a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.............

False alarm. No pictures. : ( This hyjacked internet connection won't let me do it. Sniff. Sniff. But hey, go to 'Browse my photos' and there I have added some fresh new photos from the rest of our time in Guatemala, our overnight layover in El Salvador, debrief in Nicaragua, and even a few pics of RACE DAY and various ministry days here in Lima. Smiles with joy. Love you all. H

'SALVAVIDAS': My (gorgeous Latin) Life Saver.

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello All. Today is Sunday is San Juan, Guatemala (on Lake Atitlan, above). February the 25th. Our day off. It has been a strange, dangerous, and sad week for Tribe 61 (I think our official name is actually 'TEAM' 61, but I prefer 'Tribe': ) As many of you may already know, we are now down one more team member. Due to some very sad situations from back in the States, Jen left on Friday to return back home indefinitely. (For the details, See Seth Barnes' Feature Blog). Keep her in your prayers; she is such a strong woman, and we are really going to miss her humongous laughter that kept a smile on our faces and her mmm mmm good home cookin' that kept all our cheeks nice and plump. : )

So, yes. It has been a wild, draining week for our team. I actually just got back from a really rustic Guatemalan sauna at a nearby hotel, so I am particularly relaxed and red-faced right now as I write this blog. In times like these, it's a real perk to know people Im quickly learning. The manager of Eco Hotel Ux'Tabil (where I was today) is a man named Gasbar, the husband of one of the amazing ladies we see every day at the school where Tribe 61 is teaching English for the month. I really really love saunas, so it was a splendid little blessing. On top of that, Gaspar let me use the hotel kayacks for FREE on 2 different occasions since we have been here. Woo Hoo. First with Lena and Julian on Valentines Day -- they are the German friends I wrote briefly about in one of my previous blogs, and second, with Becca this past Thursday, February 22, in the year of our LORD 2007. Oh Fateful Day. Here is the story.

After English classes on Thursday, Becca and I had our hearts set on an afternoon of gliding gracefully along the crystal waters of lovely Lake Atitlan in KAYACKS!! : ) We both love adventures, so off we went. I had brought my camera in a zip loc baggie so that we could snap some fun pictures of us rowing (you cant do something epic like this without getting a few photos). Snap snap snap...etc. We went a little snap happy, like 30 pictures in all, but it was fun. All the while, the sneaky tide had carried us completely backwards off our path. So we started rowing again, kind of irritated that we had to re-row some lost ground.

Row. Row. Row. Wait. What's that? All of a sudden I hear a dull but ever nearing 'Wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....' sound from behind. I turned around to see a 20 passenger launch boat (called a 'Launcha' en Espaol) headed right for Becca and me.... wait... for ME! Like right for my face!!!! The green and white nose of the moderately huge propeller boat was high up in the air, so I couldnt see anyone. I yelled something really loud like probably 'Hey!!!' or 'STOP!!!' but I realized: I can't see them, they can't see ME!!!! Now 20 feet away. I didn't have time to pray, swear, nothing. At the last freaky second, I just dove out of my canoe and dunked my head and neck as far under water as I could. I felt the boat ride over my back... the bottom of the boat literally bounced off my back twice!! No lies. I was curled in a ball underwater waiting to get chopped. Meanwhile, Becca, from her canoe was waving her hands in the air to get the driver's attention. Which she did. Which probably saved my life we later found out. So once I realized I was alive, I came up from underwater flailing my arms and saw Becca in shock. I can't recall what we said (probably some choice words, honestly: ), but I finally found my bearings somewhat and climbed back into my canoe (backwards... haha.)

The boat driver was hyperventilating. I told him I was OK. But he didnt hear me like the first 5 times I repeated myself. He kept on exclaiming in his spanish accent and between american explitives, 'You need a drink!! She needs a drink!!! Someone!! Give her a drink!!!' I wasn't thirsty.

That's when I looked up at the boat full of passengers and saw what may have been my guardian angel that looked very much like an gorgeous, Latin Christophany (sadly not picture.) You guys, he was smiling at me, laughing possibly.... which was all at once inappropriate and yet oddly soothing to my jittery heart. He was really really hot, you guys. I can't lie. So this hot man with hair like Jesus and laughing eyes, gave the frantic boat driver the remainder of his 'SALVAVIDAS' bottled water for me. Translated into English: ' Life-Saver'. My life had been saved!! (Side note, I later heard multiple stories of fatal cuts to the throat and other lake fatalities due to launch-boat incidents with unseen kayackers!! Shivers.) It could have been a coincidence. You can laugh. But I wouldn't put it past God to assign me an amazingly hot, Latin Guardian Angel. Mmmmmm, honey. Yea, I'm pretty sure God loves me that much. (winks.) In all reality, my sister Emily said it best, 'There's nothing like almost dying to realize how much you want to LIVE.' I love You, God!!!

(The three pictures above.) This is the next day, while we were waiting for a connector boat in a nearby town, my teammates spotted the actual Launch that ran me over the day before. The 'Huracan'. Shivers. I had Jimmy take a few pics... I HAD to. ; )

Above is Stacy and I on our connector boat to Pana Jachel just a few minutes after the 'Huracan' sighting. It was really windy, and i'm pretty sure we got airborn a few times. That was enought for me. I had acquired a healthy fear of boats and water. We were sort of stupid looking, being the only two people with our jackets on. We didn't care. : ) Check out the guy laughing at us.

Anyways, other than that, Guatemala has been amazing!! I love these little darling brown-eyed kids. They have so much spirit and sass!! And they actually remamber the english words we are teaching them. I saw this little girl (below) with the orange bows at the market the other day. She pointed to her hair and said 'black.' Yes!! My life has meaning!! (wink.) No really, the best part about being a 'missionary' (I still can't get over that -- so odd) is the REAL part. Pinching the kids cheeks. Praying with a 4th grade girl who lost her mother about 2 months ago. Learning how to get along with an ever-changing team. Making meals. Hand-washing all your clothes at once. Giving thousands of high 5's. Being Hannah. Walking with God all over the world. Writing about it. (Paying millions of $Quesalas$ on Internet cafe fees. Yippee!!). Ahhhh.... sniff. Sniff. Wink. And as usual, more later. I love you all. amen. : )

Soy una Maistra!!

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It is established. My name on the streets here is officially Hannah Montaa... I hear it 80 times a day. But that is old news. Right now, as I sit on a plastic stool in my favorite Internet Cafe in San Juan, I have two little girlies snuggled up to my right arm watching as I type this update. Fatima and Clarita are cutie pies. They are giggling in my ear : ) Anyways, they are precious, but it's hard to concentrate. (smiles)

So I will keep it short. Below is me giving an English lession to Ms. Rosalina's 3rd grade class, my last of three different classes for the day. Ahhhh. I think perhaps today, as I was conjugating the verbs 'walk' and 'eat' with a classroom full of rowdy children who were not really even comprehending English verbs, my heart was the most ALIVE it has been since starting the World Race. Those of you who have always told me I should be a teacher --after today, I am forced to admit you may be right. : ) I could pontificate, but its getting dark, and my teammates will start to worry. (wink.) Really they will.

(Look Below) The girl on your left is in my 1st grade class -- we are learning to count to 10, colors, the days of the week, and short geetings. The girl in the middle is in the 3rd grade class that learned today how to conjugate English verbs. ; )

I threw this last pic in for poops and giggles. This is my new friend from the grocery store up the street. I got a good belly-laugh out of his mom. : )

That's all for now. Smiles with Joy from Guatemala!!!

Hannah Montaa...

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Thats what the kids call me here in San Juan, Guatemala-- Hannah (la) Montaa translates to 'Hannah the Mountain'... Im not sure if that's a compliment, a mean-kid insult joke thing, or maybe they think Im really the actual Disney teenie-pop-bopper... I might try to run with that... (winks.) Yea maybe not.

The little lady to my right (your left) is named Hilda. She has snatched up my heart. I dont know her story yet, but she has latched onto me ever since our first day working at the school. My heart bursts with love for her, so I'm assuming that God wants this one special little girl to know His love. So I'll just keep lifting her off the ground with my gigantic hugs and scores of kisses on the forehead... She finds me every day before and after school, no matter where I am. Yesterday she found me in this Internet Cafe as I was uploading this picture of her. This morning she caught me with my glasses morning face before the school bell rang, she brought her friends along: 'Miss Rebecca' -- 'Miss Hannah Montaa' they yelled out from outside our hotel gates. Lots of hugs ensued : ) So, for now this is a ministry of hugs and repetitive 'sweet nothings' in whatever Spanish we know... 'hello beautiful'... 'very precious girl'... 'you have the face of a doll' (I picked up that one from a gentleman at Cafe Yara in Palinque Mexico ; )... and all those other things that girls love and i dare say NEEd to hear. Smiles.

Above is our 'home' for the month of February. Hot pink and canary yellow. When I first saw our hotel, I was right then able to settle in my heart that God did in fact love me!! (winks) Our rooms overlook the lake.

And then there was Valentines Day. (dun dun DUUUN... run for your lives!!!) Five fabulously foxy but feisty damsels fighting over one fine Valentine. 'He's mine.' 'No! he's mine, MINE all MINE!!' Well, some mild catting and clawing went on like such for a time until Jimmy at last announced that we were ALL his Sweet Hearts for the evening. There was great rejoicing in this news! And then our benevolent and dashing Valentine treated us all to a dinner filled with all sorts of wonders and amazements. : ) Jimmy! Jmmy! He's our man!! (wink) -- (that's sort of how the tale goes, maybe some very slight embelishments --- except for the 'foxy' part --- we ladies looked mmm mmm goooood, honey!! No apologies for saying so.) Winks.

So, Tribe 61's Valentines Day in Guatemala was special. We exchanged hand-crafted,purposely and awkwardly mushy Valentines with each other and our new friends from San Juan, including: our hotel manager (Don Nicolas -- who we even made a very loving, smoochie little pouch for (drawing lips is one of my special talents) -- see pic), some of the other hotel guests, and our two German friends (Lena and Julian, not yet pictured) whom Becca, Eric Retterbush, and I met at a dinner theatre in Antigua a couple weeks earlier. Lena and Julian met up with our team in San Juan, and we are even now planning how we can meet up again with Julian who will be in Johannesburg, South Africa when the Racers are there! Wild huh. He lent our team his 'Little Prince' book (a witty, intelligent childrens book that's fun really more for adults), that's to ensure we meet again in Africa. Anyways, I thought a lot about a lot of you... I dearly hope each of you had a smashing Love Day.... or at least one that will be tragically or awkwardly funny in years to come. You all know what I mean. Bad memories, in retrospect, can actually be some of the funniest memories. Grin.

Hearts and Smiles from Hannah, who always wishes she could write more.

PS Check out my pictures. There are a few more than last time. Some are duplicates from this blog, but the 'comments' might be fun and a bit more informative. Until next time.

Reminiscing Mexico over greasy chicken in Antigua

Fri, 9 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Antigua, Guatemala.

Hello to everyone reading this blog. Tomorrow Team 61 says farewell to this glorious tourist trap and hello to.... San Juan village at Lake Atitlan (sp?). I am currently sitting at a bright yellow and orange particle board table right here inside 'Pollo Campero' writing this blog.... it's the hot hang out here in classy Antigua. Not really. It's actually an oversized fast food chicken chain where tourists like me and my friends can buy a $.60 cent soft frozen ice cream cone and have a free wireless connection for the whole day. Yay. The environment is less than inspiring. Yellow and orange, muffled restaurant music. It's the price you pay to... not pay. My camera is dead but you can imagine. : ) Coldplay in my ears is taking the edge off.

So, rewind back to Mexico. By the end of our stay in Arroya Palinque, the locals had let go of their watertower suspicions of us and had really started to show us their beautiful golden smiles. They finally warmed up; I loved it. It was priceless. So priceless that I was about 20 minutes late to our farewell church service on one of our last nights in the village . I stopped to talk with a family sitting outside their home en route to the church. We started talking about trees for whatever reason, and how Colorado trees are different than Mexican trees. Communicating this point was challenging, so I used colorful markers and notebook paper to draw the typical Colorado scene (snow-capped peaks, log cabin with smoke out the chimney, burly bearded man in red and black plaid flannel with axe in hand, and lots of undecorated Christmas trees of all sizes.) I was intensely concentrating on my markers and failed to notice the throng of people that was gathering around me, watching the enfolding of this Sharpie masterpiece. At least 30 people were staring at me when I looked up; theirs is a culture that stares.... at EVERYTHING, however unexciting. I really was sad to go; I guess that was the point of that last story. The simpleness of their joy, the unabashed and unapologetic way they stare, their giggles when we would walk by, and the way they were wholeheartedly the people of Arroyo Palinque. That may not make sense. Essentially, we won each others hearts. It was a challenging yet very rich month of watching God do His genius work in so many hearts. For sure mine.

And then we raced. Now we are in Guatemala eating chicken and soft serve over our keyboards . More on Antigua later. Smiles with joy. : )

World Race Videos

Thu, 8 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hey, check out the latest World Race videos at:

http://www.youtube.com/theworldrace

Watertower adventures!

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hello All. This blog may be a little lopsided with the added pictures. But I thought it would be a nice next step in my blogging journey. Today was my first day of SKYPE, which I am sensing will revolutionize my life forever... and yours, if you will let it. International phone calls can be made for approximately 2 cents per minute. So today, our first day back in the city after another very rural week in Arroyo Palinque, I called home! It doesnt matter how "adult" you think you are, it still is like a tall drink of water to call home sweet home. (PS. This pic shown above is my friend Josh and I walking back from a remote village up in the hills where our team prayed for the most precious Abuelita, Guanna. I was listening to a tribal remix of Depeche Mode here, feeling very intentional about Im not really sure what. )

Have I mentioned that I ADORE Mexico!!? I by nature am partial to the big city (lots of texture to daily life, good coffee, more Spanish speakers, internet) --- however, the funky little vilages have their charm as well. For instance, river baths!! Freezing cold, but I love them!! This morning, I was rinsing off in the river, I turned around and saw a huge black swine ten feet upstream from me.

The spiritual world seems to me to be much more evident in the villages; people have fewer masks. We have encountered some crazy stuff here, but I say BRING IT ON!! I am grateful for a renewed zeal that God has endowed me with... Im not gonna lie, I was feeling very blah-zay (dont know how to spell that word : ) and distant from the things close to Gods heart. But God has been humbling me severely, and with it comes the blessing of an increased sensitivity to His Spirit.

This picture is from a few weeks ago. Me and my team at Misol Ha, cave exploring with our marvellous head lamps! Not very good resolution, but thats me in the middle with my very versatile Mexican scarf by land/ sarong by sea... or whatever.

Another pic of our team, sans Jen, at the caves. Me on the left... I dont think thats vain of me to point out where I am... I mean, if you are reading MY blog Im assuming you care!! Winks. Smiles.

OK. Im running shy in time here in Palinque. But this is yesterday, Sunday. I am preaching at our ministry church in Arroyo!! I was very hesitant to share my testimony, but I woke up that morning with a tremendous amount of peace about it. For those of you who know the story of my family, you may understand that I didnt want to wallup all the church members with sad stories. But it turned out pretty great. I cried, laughed, and gave God glory for His genius way of pulling together the brokenness of my familys past.

This is where we eat our meals. The slaughter house is that wooden edifice directly behind us. Thats where the chickens go before they are served to us with corn tortillas the next day. Ive already mind-over-mattered that concept, now I can talk about it freely with all of you.

Girls night with some of my favorite little ladies. We ll had "pello loco" (crazy hair), and then the Racer girls gave the little seoritas manicures and pedicures to the tune of Super Chick, and over mexican cookies and some seriously buggin popped corn (bugs were in the kernels)... I ate it, and then I pseudo-gagged and had to stop. Too much info... im sorry.

This is the street we walk daily in our mission to be Jesus to these amazing people of Arroyo Palinque. God has been ith us. We are all growing in love for each other, warts and all; and we are falling in love with the people of this village, despite some really obnoxious obstacles. For instance, one of the teenage boys took a pee on my reef flip flops while I was devoting myself up on top of the village water tower. Yes, peed. That stuff is nastay.... I put my feet in my shoes. Wet. Sick. Also, the townspeople were at one point spreading rumors that the American missionaries were "gettin jiggy" atop their tower and swimming in their water supply. Not true. You heard it right here. Winks.

Well thats all folks... for now. I love you all amen. Smiles with joy.

Watertower adventures!

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Another pic of our team, sans Jen, at the caves. Me on the left... I dont think thats vain of me to point out where I am... I mean, if you are reading MY blog Im assuming you care!! Winks. Smiles.

Well thats all folks... for now. I love you all amen. Smiles with joy.

Wrecked for the Ordinary

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here is something that some people back home have been working on. It is an online magazine that brings some of the radical stories from the World Race and other places, capturing the essence of a surrendered life to Christ, to challenge and awaken America. Please share this with your friends, family, and church members:

www.wreckedfortheordinary.com

Ill be Brief...

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hey you all!!! I know `brief isnt exactly what some of you want (ahem... Tom Davis : ) However, I wanted to give a fun little tippy tip to appease those who feel informacion starved due to my blogging negligence. (But first, take a good look at my last sentence and notice that my spelling is slowly but surely becoming Mexified!!! That was not planned. Weird... es muy estranje!!! Interpretation: Its very strange. More on that later.)

TIP: For now, the best way to follow my adventures is to Browse my Photos. Generally I will have downloaded a few pics even if I havent posted a Blog for a while. And Im pretty faithful at jotting down a quick explanatory comment underneath each photo. Its sort of like a yummy little appetizer from yours truly.

Now for a speedy update.

For the last week, my group of seven (Team 6, ) has been in a village outside of Palinque, Mexico. Arroyo Palinque is the name of the place. It can be confusing. Just remember that Arroyo sounds a bit like Rural. And, Yes. It is very Rural. Two languages are spoken in Arroyo: Spanish (which I somewhat understand and can speak) and Choel (rhymes with Troll, and I seriously cannot express how foreign this dialect is to everything Ive ever known). Naturally, Choel is predominate, but there are a handfull of locals who speak Spanish as well and can translate from Choel to Spanish. Think about that. We speak English and very little Spanish! So, I mean it when I say that Spanish to English translations have truly been an act of God!! Not to be-labor the point, but I have been amazed at how Gods grace has enabled his Love to transpose THREE language barriers.

Anyhow. This last week has been a very broken week for me. But joyful. So many things make me laugh. The other morning I had to kick through a family of ducks to get to the sink where we brush our teeth. The sink is outside. Animals are EVERYWHERE!! Another morning, I thought I was being charged by a very very large black hog I swear my heart stopped beating. I screamed and jumped up on the family sink. They made fun of me all day for that! Im certain every last one of you would have screamed like a little girl too had you seen and heard that freaky thing! : ) Ill try to snap a photo for my next blog.

Speaking of pigs. Last night, the main attraction was the pastors mama pig giving birth to 12 piggies!! I had to stop and ask myself, "WHERE AM I???" Anyways, I dont mean to rewrite Animal Farm.

As far a ministry is concerned, I am learning that my strong suit is in making every day acquaintences. The village barber. That little Abuelita (grandma) roasting coffee beans in the street in front of her home. The crazy little river kids. The young guys that would just assume drop dead before stepping foot inside the church (scores of them linger outside and stare through the windows during every services). Hey. Flirting can be a powerful evangelical tool, guys. "Flirt to Convert"... you may have heard it said. (Wink.) Im kidding. Not really. ; )

I realize this update has not been comprehensive. God is at work. Check out the blogs of my other Team(61)mates. Email me. Im very likely to responde. That must be it for now. En el Nombre de Jesu Christo, Amen! Much love. Many hugs.

PS I guess I was kidding about keeping it brief, eh. ; )

About my nueva amiga, Brianna.

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Today I'm not going to drone on and on about myself. I'm going to do something much more fabulous than that. That's why the subject of today's blog is one of my fellow World Racers, Brianna Caldwell. Why did I choose to interview and write about Brianna, you may ask. Well, she would never toot her own horn' so I feel honored to take the liberty to do it for a sister. (wink)

The very first thing I observed about Brianna (way back in September at WR training) was her sparkling joy!! She absolutely beams, you guys; so I wanted to know her better -- this beautiful gem of dazzling smiles : ) - my teammate Brianna. So I interviewed her. Here is what I learned.

Brianna is a Texas girl, which was exciting to me - also a Texas girl! (yee haw) Not only that, but we are both from the Dallas suburbs!! So, we got to chit chat about all that. Which was fun. Brianna has one sibling, Brent 24 yrs, who lives in NY (Brent I hope you are reading this - your sis is an awesome woman!). And her mother lives in Oklahoma (your daughter is something else! : )

After finding out the initial fun and relatively routine facts about my teammate's life, I still had not discovered where her deep loveliness had come from. And I really wanted to find out! Then she told me briefly about how her father had passed away during her freshman year of college, and I started to understand why this sister sparkled so much! She has suffered. Somehow I know that's only the tip of the iceberg with Brianna!! And I'm excited to know more about her as the year goes on.

One last thing that I want you all to know about Brianna. Her heart is for the hopeless, and dejected - for those who feel unworthy of love, unworthy of anything. She has deep compassion for hurting people because she has hurt! In her own words: "especially for AIDS victims and orphans in Africa. I can't wait to see her at work!! My gosh, it is going to be glorious!! I know it.

You can check out her own blog at http://briannacaldwell.theworldrace.org

Mexico is beautiful!!

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

My dear darling friends.

Humungous hugs and smooches to all of you!! Ahhh. My first internet access from Mexico is sweet indeed!! It has only been a few days since I left on a jet plane from Colorado, but there seem to be a million things jumping in and out of my mind. And I want them all to jump right out onto this page for you all!!

However, I want to start with a disclaimer that this right here is my first ever blogging attempt in the history of Hannah. (yipes!!) Let me describe my surroundings. Internet Cafe. Downtown Palinque, Mexico. I never imagined that so many sounds could crowd into one small "computer lab" (I call it that because that is exactly what it is, no coffee to be found -- believe me, I looked!! : ) We've got ghoul sounds and machine guns coming from about 8 different computer games, teenagers downloading American pop music everywhere, babies crying... its BEAUTIFUL!! Wink.

I have about 15 minutes, all you ladies and gentlemen, to get my thoughts into words; and so I will start off with my favorite part of my first 4 days. As many of you may not know, I arrived about a week after the other Racers. ( I had to be in Breckenridge with my fantastic family for a week... I know, boo hoo!!) But at last I arrived on Sunday. We went to church in a local town. It was precious. They "killed the fatted calf" for us literally, and we had the most heavenly beefy tacos, savoring of sheer southern Mexico goodness. (Im actually starting to fantasize about beef, but anyways back to the story now: ) I included a few photos (if I have time) of some of the cute kids we played with... they loved seeing themselves on our cameras. Anyhow, after church, our team loaded up and cruised on over to Agua Azul... a series of amazing waterfalls and swinning holes (check out the other blogs for some amazing photos). It was astonishing. We swam for hours. It was one more thing to cross off my list of "must dos" before I die. Not to be morbid. Eventually I will post a pic of me jumping off, but time is shrinking, and I need to wind it up Gwen Stefani style.

Guys, I wish I could write more! God has been rocking my face off.. By that I mean breaking me tremendously. Im getting what I asked for : ) I want to tell you all I love you and I will keep you posted from hear on forth as much as I can. Blessings.