If you’ve seen my Instagram account, or really the Instagram of any racer, you would think the World Race is pretty easy, that it’s all fun and games. It is fun, but it’s only half true. I’m here to tell you it isn’t easy. It’s not fun and games. It’s not even enjoyable a lot of the times. My teammate and amazing team leader Molly once compared it to being in middle school- awkward and tough.
What we show you and tell you are the fun things- cliff jumping in Greece, traveling to foreign cities, eating new foods and meeting new people. We show you the nice encounters and free donuts. Growing with amazing teammates and diving into our faith. Adventure and excitement is appealing, so that is what we show. Yes, we do experience that, but it certainly isn’t the whole picture.
What we don’t show you is how we eat carbs and only carbs for almost every single meal, there are spiders galore, scorpions in the showers, no personal space, we shower every 5 days (and freezing cold ones at that), and you can never be alone. Or when a someone isn’t that supportive, and you deal with past baggage again and again, unable to move past it. I’ve been told more times than I can count to “give me your money”. I’ve been laughed at. A girl told me “she had heard enough” when I started telling my life story, and walked away. Some of us have been harassed by drunk men. Some have been pick pocketed. All while being away from home and family, support systems and anything familiar.
James 1:2 says to “count it all joy, despite various kinds of trials”. Count it ALL joy? How can you be happy about eating carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, being scared of black mambas that live in the trees above my tent, or when I am so sick I can’t get out of bed for days and the closest doctor is an 8 hour bus ride? If you read it closely, it doesn’t say count it joy to be doing those things. To be particularly thrilled about never cooling off, missing my cat, or not being able to communicate with my family for months at a time. It DOES say however, to be happy despite those things. Even when everything goes awry, to remember your purpose and where your true joy comes from. Paul writes “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13
Yes, I miss all the comforts of home. I miss my family and friends…and ice-cream. I especially miss Dr. Pepper. But although I miss that stuff, I love this more. I love seeing children laugh. I love getting dirty in hopes of sharing the love I have received. I love manual labor and feeding hungry people. I love being able to share Jesus to those that have never heard his name before. I’m in awe that I was chosen to be the one to share this love. And that awe is what makes it all worth it.
Here’s some actual footage of what we really look like:
