http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!! - Traday Caufield en-us Mon, 8 Sep 2008 13:32:23 GMT 30 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=is-this-really-happening http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=is-this-really-happening hey there yall!! well, here we are, our last night here in nicaragua. i went and had dinner tonight with megan, pam, danny and colleen at a place called "pasta pasta!" we had a great time sitting and thinking back over the course of the year and cuttinup, laughing and having a great time. ive said it before, but it seems like just yesterday the squad and i (although we didnt know each other at the time) were on our way to swaziland, africa. how the time has flown...and now its time for us to go our way, to take what weve learned and live our lives in the knowledge and fullness of God. whether it is to rest, to hit the ground running, or somewhere in between we have been equipped to a degree that will help to lead us into the next season of life...whatever that may be. it has been quite a journey! and to be honest, some of the days in this journey were a dread...i must admit that. but at the same time, most of the days i wish would have never ended. as there Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=46-years-and-counting http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=46-years-and-counting Hey there Family!!   This is a note to my dad!!   Tomorrow (Sunday the 20 of July) is a special occasion!! I would like to take the time to tell Daddy HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! It is an honor to have you as a father, a friend, a fishing buddy!! I look forward to seeing you and hanging out with you!!!! I pray that this year is the best year of your life...atleast until next year!! Be blessed!! I love you!!   See you soon!! xoxoxox Traday   HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=in-gods-eyes http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=in-gods-eyes  Hey there Everyone!! Had a little time so I thought I would let you know how the day went today... Some of the other racers have already been to this dump...but today was my first time. I had heard how the experience was, but as we walked into this dump land, filled with trash heaps taller than most of us...some of them burning, some of them smoldering-putting off all kinds of terrible fumes, and the rest just sitting there, wet and most likely being a home for breeding bug creatures, all I could think about was the people who called this place home. All I could think about was how a person could survive in a place like this.    We took the opportunity to go around, meet some people, pray with them, sit with them, hold their kids and bless them. Which all of this, for me, was a blessing to do. There was a lady we went to pray for. She wanted prayer for her health, for her economics, and for her family. We took the time to pray for her and talk to her and let her t Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=you-win-some-you-lose-some http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=you-win-some-you-lose-some It was a sad day indeed... I was messin around with my camera, pushin buttons and trying to figure out some of the other features that it had (without reading any directions)...and as it would happen...   are you ready to know what happened???...   are you sure???...   yep, you probably guessed it...I deleted all my pictures...from the time I left El Salvador a few weeks ago up until 2 days ago. But all is well...to be honest, except for pictures from the 4th of July, I really don't have a clue what I lost so the day that this happened, my real response was: 'oh well, you win some, you lose some'.   But all is not lost. I suppose I still come out on top of the situation... We have about 2 more weeks and I have about 2055 pictures that I can take...   So I guess I'll get to snappin away.   Peace and love to you all!! Enjoy the Journey!! Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-used-to-think http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=i-used-to-think Hey there Family! How is everyone?!?   Well...just wanted to have a chat with ya. In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about some of the things God had been teaching me at the time: His faithfulness in keeping His promises whether we choose LIFE or DEATH.   Well...since then, I have not stopped learning. I have not stopped seeing. I have not stopped hearing. I have not stopped reflecting on my life and how He has carried me and brought me to the place I am today.   I would say that the things I'm learning now are still on the topic of His faithfulness, but I guess from a different perspective. Before coming on this race, it was so easy for me to fall into a state of worry...even to the point of unconciously worrying. It was easy for me to conciously or unconciously dwell forever on something that was bothering me. And although I would pray concerning these things, I never would actually give these worries to God in exchange for His peace. And natur Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=worth-it-all http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=worth-it-all Hello Family!! Another new day indeed. We are here in Jinotepe, Nicaragua going back and forth from here to Diriamba to minister. We have been here for a few days now...somewhere around 5 days or so. But more about that later. I wanted to share some pictures with you of some of the other things we did while in El Salvador.  Hope you enjoy them...         This is a Friday night with Silvia and her family celebrating her mother's birthday. This was our first night here in San Salvador, El Salvador. Victor, the guy in the white shirt, Silvia's friend, picked us up and brought us to the restaurant. Little did we know that this was only the first of all the acts of service Victor would do for us.         So this is day two in El Salvador. They thought that after so much traveling we needed to take a break and have a little 'R and R'. So once again, Victor picked us up from the Tica Hotel, we had all our beach going things Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=ten-days-and-you-have-a-family http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=ten-days-and-you-have-a-family Whats goin on Family?   Well today is a brand new day...Sunday. Its about 4pm now, and since I have the time, I want to tell you how my adventures in  El Salvador went. First, it was Molly, Jeanette, Heather and I who chose El Salvador while the others in the squad split up and went to wherever they felt like God was leading. The most thrilling news went through my ears upon arriving in El Salvador. You want to know what it was? Alright, Ill tell you..   The news was from Silvia, our friend from Costa Rica and our contact in El Salvador..."Yall (meaning the four of us) will be split up and will be living in separate houses with 4 families that I have chosen. They are my friends and they are very nice." That was all I needed...you should have seen the kool-aid smile I had. We all had one. We were filled with joy and laughter at the thought of us with our minimal Spanish living in the homes of people who we thought only spoke Spanish.   As f Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=just-on-my-heart http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=just-on-my-heart Hello to All!!   We are fast approaching our last month here on the race. As a matter of fact our bus will be here in a few hours around 5am. Right now it's a little after 2am here in San Salvador, El Salvador and much has been on my mind and heart lately. When I go to bed, I find that in my heart there are lots of questions, lots of ideas, and lots of concerns. I'm not overwhelmed by them, they are just there.    To name only a few, it seems that a day doesn't pass where I don't think about the experiences God has blessed me to have and  to thank Him for them. A day doesn't pass where I don't think about my family (not only my biological family, but my family at ECF). And lately the days have not passed without me thinking about how God knew the day I was born He would put me in a place like this at a time like this.  The Word of God says, "The plans of the Lord stand firm forever; the purposes of Hi Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=panama-highlights http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=panama-highlights So here we are back in Costa Rica for a night before catching the bus early in the morning. As we move forward on to the next country, (whether or not I post a blog about it) I always take time to remember the things we did in the previous country. These memories are a range of things really...the weather, the people, the ministry, the sunsets and sunrises, the bathroom conditions, the laughter and conversations with my team, the time we take to pray together...anything. I love remembering these things and going back through the scenes of them. I love to look at the faces of the kids, see them laughing and remembering what triggered these hilarious moments. Life is too short...I can see that as the time is passing by so quickly and the months that I have spent with my team  are dwindling to weeks. So we have to make the most of these times, doing our best not to forget them...atleast that's how I feel about it. But you can ask my team...I usually don't remember Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-i-appreciate http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-i-appreciate Back in May, during the Mother's Day holiday, I didn't get to post a blog saying how much I appreciated my mother--Petelia Caufield-- or all of the mothers in my life. But I was blessed to call and talk to some of them. I want to take the time to write this blog for the Father's Day holiday. I know it's early, but I don't know what I'll be doing when the actual day gets here. I don't know where I'll be. Also, for every spiritual father, thank you for being a part of my life, for depositing nuggets of gold within my spirit, for praying for me and supporting me as your own. Thank you for lifting me up when it seemed I was in the valley of death. I love you all so much and think about you daily!! So, I was laying in the bed...still am...when I began thinking about how the Father's Day holiday is coming up. Right now it's about 4am. I'm not terribly tired so I want to take the time to thank my dad--L.A. Caufield, Jr--or what I call him--Chalie--and tell him how much I appreciat Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=kuna-yala http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=kuna-yala How are things going with ya, Family?!?I pray all is well with you and your families.Here's the latest update of what's been going on and happening since I last wrote...So here we are back in Panama City...it's pouring rain, not quite dark yet, and we're planning to go grab a bite to eat shortly...something you could never do on the islands we were on for the last nine days. To be honest, I missed not being able to just walk to the store...not being able to walk anywhere, except to the other side of the island... But...it was all good. Being surrounded by the saltiest water of my life, sand, bamboo houses and trashy shorelines was an amazing experience. Why? You'd have to experience it yourself to know why. Nights on this island, if not cloudy and raining, consisted of stars overhead, lightening in the distance and peals of thunder resounding across the skies, vibrating thoughout the narrow 'streets' of this island. Usually it was pitch black and there Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=kuna-yalapart-2 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=kuna-yalapart-2 Alrighty...here's the rest of this amazing journey... So, here we are on this tiny island that literally takes only a few minutes to walk from one side to the other, that has around 900 people living on it, and that's filled with people who do the same thing day in and day out...fish (for food), take care of their families, look out for one another, do their creative craft works, and live in community that seems to be full of peace and love towards one another. It was hard from the perspective of looking for the outward signs that these people "needed" us. Really, it wasn't us they needed, it was the GOD in us. These kids seemed to be well taken care of...living the island life of their culture, and having fun doing it. The things we got to do with these kids were things like, coloring, teaching them, singing songs and doing skits, playing games, taking them swimming on another nearby island, picking them up by the arms and swinging them around, taking photos with/of them, Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=forget-me-not http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=forget-me-not Howdy Family!!!Well here we are in Panama, after spending a good month in Costa Rica. Our journey here has just begun...and really, I'm not sure exactly what all will go on while we're here. I'm not sure what God will do in this place while we are here. And at the same time I'm not worried about it. Ministry ideas and things set in place are being tossed around and talked about and we're doing them, but the biggest thing is that I want to be doing whatever brings life, whatever brings joy, whatever brings peace, whatever brings change to a situation or circumstance in a person's life...even at the cost of my own will and desire...whether it's the lives of one of my team mates or squad members or my family back home or people here, I want to be available to minister to them in a capacity that brings them to a change in their lives. I want God to use me in a capacity to plant seeds in peoples lives, and whether I see the fruit of it now or not makes no difference to me. Seeds take time t Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-ive-learned-so http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-ive-learned-so Whats going on Family?!? I do pray all is well with you all!! Its been a joy getting to talk to some of you by phone!!! Well...just wanted to share a bit what Ive been learning while being here on the race and being here in Costa Rica. Everyone knows about cause and effect.... You stick your hand over a fire, youll get burned... You eat nothing but sweets your whole life and never brush your teeth, youll get cavities... You just live life on this earth, youll experience ups and downs, mountains and valleys, joy and sadness, etc. It rains on the just and the unjust alike.  But one thing Ive learned...even before this race was that what we do in the natural realm affects the spiritual realm and what we do in the spiritual realm affects the natural realm. Although I knew this...more and more the Lord is opening my eyes to see the reality of these affects working within us as a team and squad and working within humanity. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that "our Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-time-to-fast http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-time-to-fast Hey there Family!!! Here's a blog written by Jeanette Wheeler, one of the girls on my team... Take some time to read it and consider the importance of the burden on her heart concerning the men/boys that surround you. Love to you all!! Enjoy the Journey!!!   A couple of weeks ago I was fasting and the Lord clearly asked me to pray and fast again.                      "Pray and fast for the men of all ages and generations" Within those few brief moments God revealed to me a real burden, concern, respect and love for my brothers in Christ. The whole vision then began to unfoldA call for all women of all ages and from all generations to rally together for a day of fasting, repentance and interceding for the boys and men in our lives, in others' lives, and in the world. Men are created to be Godly strongholds, pillars and towers for their families and for future generation Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=coming-from-mozambique1 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=coming-from-mozambique1 Wassup Family!!! Well we made it back from Mozambique this morning (April 14, 2008)! It was nice being there. New experiences...new first-timers... Much went on while we were there...so much that I don't even know where to start really. But one thing I can say...atleast speaking for myself...there was much laughter...much exhaustion...much joy... The events in this week of the journey ranged from working hard, to relaxing, to break-ins and theft, to those items being returned, to sickness, to being without water for 2 days, to remodeling portions of Don Fosters house, to killing snakes, to ministering, to traveling from city to city... I had so much fun with my team. There wasn't really any experiences that were greater than the other that I can think of. And although there were a couple of times where we weren't so chipper...because of theft...these moments ended in joy. We were not overcome in these moments. There were great expericences here in Mozambique...a few first-timers Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=when-its-all-been-said http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=when-its-all-been-said What's going on Family!!! How's life??? Well...here we are the 8th of April. I remember arriving in Africa and stepping off the plane back in January thinking...Wow!!! Lord, what are we going to do here?!? I was so excited to be here...so excited to meet all the people i knew I would eventually meet...so excited to get the opportunity to think back the 4 1/2 years ago when I spoke with the Lord concerning coming here to Africa and to fast forward to the now time and think...wow!! God, You really brought me here!! These few months that I've been here have been a major eye opener on many levels of life. This journey has unfolded some of the most amazing happenings. Maybe they are not the big and grand things that come with the lights and huge announcements. Maybe they are not the big things that would make it to the 5, 6, and 10 news. Maybe they are not  the big things that would make the major headlines of major news papers. But my concern is not that what I Tue, 8 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=safari1 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=safari1 So...we took a couple of days...some of us...to rest. We went on a safari in Kruger, South Africa. It was a time where we could rest our bodies, enjoy God's creation and enjoy one another's fellowship. So here are some pictures! I hope you enjoy them!!!    He was among a small group of baboons...we had to hide our food because he wouldn't have hesitated to come and join us for a snack...         The Zebra... I don't remember what it was looking at...           Then you have Marc and Traday actin goofy...Marc with his candy and Traday with that goofy kool-aid smile!!!           The mighty rhinocerous ... He had a horrible itch under his neck...that branch was a strategic and vital tool in relieving the itch...       you should have seen how we all strategically climbed this tree and positioned ourselves to act this goofy. Fri, 4 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=thanks-team http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=thanks-team Well, today is a brand new day! I just wanted to take the time to tell my team (Ignite)...although I think they already know...what an honor it is to be a part of the team! I'm so excited to see the things God is going to do in each of us as he grows us up. And just think, we have about 3.5 glorious months of getting to grow closer, to trust in God, to live by faith, to serve and minister, to love, and to be. So, thank you for you acceptance, for your prayers, for your joy and goofyness, for everything you have done to make me feel welcomed and a part of who you are both individually and as a team! At this point, it goes beyond just "feeling" welcomed...and it goes to a "knowing" that I'm welcomed! SHANNANAH!!!! TRADAY Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-wind-blows-where-it-willpart-2 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-wind-blows-where-it-willpart-2      So...keeping with the illustration of the bird flying against the wind in mind, I realized, too, that if I wanted to fly with the Spirit of God, I could not get in a mode where I resisted the Spirit of God.     It's amazing how you give God the cares of your heart, all the pressing matters and as soon as He takes them, you reach out and take it back from Him and begin worrying, crying, snottin', and slobbering over a situation all over again. The way I see it, once you give a matter over to God, the enemy is quick to come and start whispering in your ear and taking your focus off of the fact that God will take care of you. It's crazy!! And it's what I done...for many years of my life. With this situation, not so much, but only because I have looked back over the course of my life and I realized that I done this waaaaaaay too much. I'm trying to get out of this. I needed to change how I think, how I saw God.     Since I've a Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-wind-blows-where-it-willpart-1 http://traceycaufield.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-wind-blows-where-it-willpart-1     Towards the end of February, I was sitting at a picnic table at Nisela Safaris down in Nsoko just thinking and praying about what my next steps would be once Gary and Lisa Black and their family were back in the United States. One of my purposes in coming to Swaziland was to serve and be a part of their family.    As it was most of the time in Nsoko, it was very hot, sweat was continually pouring and the wind wasn't blowing...or so I thought. I looked up at the trees and noticed the very tops of them were barely swaying and I was wishing that I could feel this small breeze. From there I looked up into the sky and noticed this lone bird. It was flying as hard as it could, but it was getting nowhere. For a few moments I watched this bird and it wasn't long before it decided to change directions and fly in the flow of the wind. A few moments later I looked back up to see this bird back in the air flapping its wings as hard as it could and yet remaining st Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT