About a week ago some of my closest friends and I were studying, eating pizza, and enjoying the night, when they suddenly bombarded me with all these questions about the Race. And it hit me that while I’m extremely excited for this trip and know as much as I can, I can’t expect everyone else to be on board if I don’t tell them what we actually do on the trip.
(For the record- this is pure speculation. Honestly I don’t know what we’re going to do on this crazy awesome trip because its not something you can plan out on a day by day basis. What we plan to do and even what countries we go to can change in an instant, but here’s the work I have seen other trippers do and what I imagine we will do as well.)
Hardwork. Lots and lots of hardwork. The World Race introduction video tells everyone that it is the hardest yet most rewarding thing you’ll ever do. On top of camping and backpacking the whole time, its also lots of physical labor. I’m not going on vacation with a group of strangers, more of a chance to improve the lives of the forgotten people of the world. I’ve seen this labor take forms in building trenches to put in running water, sewer systems, building schools for orphans, outdoor stoves so mothers don’t have to cook inside their homes and danger their lungs, and on and on and on. There are millions of things that these small forgotten people of the world need, and thats what we’re here to do.
I firmly believe in leading by example. If I were to go into these small communities and say, “Hey everyone, I’m awesome and please believe in Jesus”, people wouldn’t give it a second thought. Yet when we go in, really spend time with a community and learn their needs, thats where the big stuff happens. That is when I can say, “I’d like to share my story with you, and I’d love it if you really contemplated what I’m saying; but if not, here’s this great school for you and I hope you love it, because I love you and so does God.”
I really am beyond excited for this amazing opportunity God has given me, and I hope insight to what we’ll be doing helps everyone else get excited as well.
