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Questions To Ask Me When I Come Home!

HEY FRIENDS! So I’m coming home soon after nine months of being out of the country. Coming home comes with a lot of fears, anticipation, and excitement. And I wanted to let you in on all of it, especially my friends and family! 

DISCLAIMER: To be completely honest, this entire trip was about God and the incredible things that He did. I personally believe it would be selfish if I came home and the people I love & the people who love me didn’t feel prepared to receive me. I’m going to make a whole list of more specific questions for anyone to ask in order to love me best! 

As you all know, this has been nine months of my life. I know a common question will be “How was your race?” It’s a good one, but practically impossible to answer. SO MUCH has happened! Obviously, it’s okay if this happens! But you might catch me a little flustered lol. Specific questions are better!

I would love to grab coffee or lunch to talk about these experiences! So let me know when and I’ll be there:) 

Gainesville (training camp) September, October

  • How was tent life?
  • Who were your tent neighbors?
  • What was the food like?
  • What were the showers like?
  • What was doing laundry like?
  • Your camp site flooded?
  • Your sleeping pad popped on the first night? Who helped you fix it?
  • What did an average day look like?
  • Who became your best friends? Why?
  • Were you homesick?
  • What’s the funniest porta pottie story?
  • What did you learn about miracles? 
  • What was the greatest thing you learned about the Lord?
  • Who was on your team? 
  • What is feedback?
  • What is team time?
  • How did you break the ice with your team?
  • What did you learn about worship? 
  • What did you learn about prophesy? 
  • No phones for majority of the day?
  • The gift of healing?
  • Your countries got switched. Why?
  • The principal walk?
  • Fried rice fridays

Samaritan’s Purse in Louisiana (2 weeks of October)

  • What is Samaritans Purse? 
  • You did manual labor for 2 weeks?
  • What was your favorite house you worked on? 
  • What did you learn from this experience?
  • Really good food? 
  • You slept on a church floor for 2 weeks?
  • You found a Catholic Mass? How was it?
  • Who was Gary? 

Guatemala (November, December, January)

  • Why was Guatemala so difficult?
  • You helped start a ministry? What did you do? 
  • What is refinement and what did you learn about it? 
  • Did your team get along?
  • What is ATL?
  • You heard the Lord a lot here? What was he telling you?
  • You had a lot of dreams. What were they and what did they tell you?
  • Ask me about the friends I made in Guatemala! 
  • What made you realize that the hardest seasons are when you grow the most? 
  • You hiked a volcano? 
  • How was having a language barrier? How did you communicate?
  • You went into strangers houses? Why?
  • Ask me about the chicken buses and tuk tuk’s.
  • What did you learn about spiritual gifts? 
  • Who did you become closer to?
  • Christmas Cheekies
  • You ate tortillas with every meal?
  • What was the market like?
  • What was the meat like?
  • There was a lot of sickness? Parasites?
  • Why did you walk so much?
  • You learned you were a verbal processor? 
  • Ask me about the Bible. What made you fall in love with it?
  • What is speaking scripture over yourself? 
  • You became fully funded? How? 
  • What was thanksgiving like? 
  • What was Christmas like?
  • What was New Years like?

South Africa (February, March)

  • South Africa was your favorite country? Why?
  • Why did this place feel spiritually light? 
  • You leaned to surf? 
  • What is Beats and Books?
  • You were an English teacher? 
  • Why was this ministry so difficult for you? 
  • Your squad was supposed to spilt into two countries? 
  • How many girls shared a bathroom?
  • What is a “baefy”?
  • Ask me about allll my walks. 
  • You lived on a high school campus? 
  • Ask me about the sunsets. 
  • What did you learn about legalism? 
  • Your parents came? How was it? 
  • What did you learn about patience?
  • What was a new hobby you learned you loved? 
  • Ask me about our bunk beds and the slanted walls. LOL
  • Ask be about indecisiveness. 
  • What did the Lord reveal to you the most in this season?
  • Ask my my favorite memory/day from South Africa. 
  • Who is Wendy and Anri?
  • What did i say to my teammate when i was sleep talking?
  • What was Valentine’s Day like?

Ecuador (April, May)

  • Why was this country so hard for you? 
  • What is Camp Hope?
  • You walked to ministry and back to base from ministry every day? How long was it? 
  • What kid changed your heart the most?
  • A new team?? How was it?
  • How did you learn to trust the Lord in this season? 
  • How did the Lord provide for you?
  • Spiritual warfare?
  • The squad being split up Monday through Friday? 
  • Ask me about Mabe and Fabi. 
  • The healthiest you ate the whole race? 
  • You picked up certain characteristics of the country? How does that happen?
  • A spiritually dark place? Why?
  • What did the Lord teach you about the desires He’s given you? Why was this so important in future decision making? 
  • What did the Lord reveal to you about your growth over these last 9 months? (My words have power)
  • What did the Lord teach you about being slow to speak?
  • A lot of people got COVID? How did that negatively effect ministry? 

Months 1-9

  • What was your golden rule and the greatest lesson learned from this trip?
  • How did you change the most?
  • What is going to change for you going home?
  • What was living in community like? 

These are just some of the many questions to ask! Obviously, there are so many more questions and many pictures to be shared. 

Truth is, it’s all about love. And if we don’t love, is any of this worth it? SO, with all this being said, please be kind and please love well. I promise I will do my best to be kind and love well too:) Leaving these friends that became my family is going to be really difficult. Please be patient with me as I transition back home. BUT I truly am so excited to see everyone at home. You guys are rockstars and I can’t wait to give you the biggest hugs. Thank you again for all of your support, sweet messages, and prayers while I have been on this journey. Please continue praying for me and if you ever need prayer, please reach out! 

ALL MY LOVE,

Celia 

2 Comments

  1. I CAN’T WAIT to see that sweet dimple face! What a journey you’ve been on and I feel honored to have journeyed along side you virtually and 5 days in person. What a wonderful 5 days it was experiencing the Word Race with you in South Africa. I am forever changed. Life seldom gives us a chance to know someone who can influence us so deeply. I’m lucky to have a daughter that can do that! I love you sunshine and look so forward to you coming home. XOX

  2. Celia, I know this is just the tip of the ice burg, but what a wonderful list to start with! Thanks for the reminder that specific questions are better than broad ones, and for sharing so many specifics for all of us back home to begin conversations with. Can’t wait to hug Katherine and hear story after story after story about these past nine months – live and in person with no video/audio call bad connections! You are a blessing! Love you, girl!

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