I was 16 years old when my parents divorced. It's a big part of my story that God has redeemed and taught me so much through. It was one of those things I questioned so much of while I was in the midst of it but looking back can see how the promises of Jesus were and are always true–He was with me through it all and uses all things for good. His goodness and faithfulness never changes.
Since then my parents have lived fairly separate lives, only crossing paths at events like graduation or when finances needed to be sorted out.
I knew going into the race that an opportunity to invite my parents would come. Around month 4 was when I really started asking Jesus what in the world I was supposed to do about inviting parents who are divorced. I knew there was no getting out of inviting one and not other. I had no right to rob them of the fact that they are both my parents.
So I sent them the same email explaining that I was inviting them both.
Quite frankly, I did not expect them both to come.
But they did.
If I'm being honest, I had an entire list of concerns. Doubts flew wild in my mind. Maybe I had misheard God…
I had no idea how the week would go, how I would get through it all, but I always went back to the fact that I couldn't do it without Jesus grabbing my hand and walking with me.
The few weeks leading up to the trip I asked God a lot of honest questions, asked him what he wanted of me, and what things I needed to talk with my parents about.
During one of those days, I found myself journaling like a mad woman in the scorching heat of Thailand asking God all these things when he spoke to me and simply said, "Do you not trust me?" Ugh. I have no doubt my response was an eye roll. Go figure, I have an issue trusting the one who already knows the outcome because I'm worried He won't be with me through it all.
So the day came. Life collided very fast in our Thailand hotel and there I was hugging my dad for the first time in 8.5 months, and later that night was hugging my mom at the airport. Both were beautiful moments I will forever cherish.
I must say, the staff that came on the trip were fantastic in dealing with the situation. They always asked what I wanted/needed and I knew were very understanding with where I was at. My teammate, Kara, was in a similar boat as I was by having her mom, step dad, dad, and step mom come[champ status]. It was a tremendous blessing having someone with me who knew what I was dealing with. She was my lifeline (and roomie) that week…but not that those roles are different from any other day on the race;)
The week came and went. There were really beautiful moments. There were tough moments. There were moments that I knew I had to keep pushing through because I knew this was what God called me to. Sometimes it was with both my parents. Sometimes with each one separately. My parents [no offense] handledit much better than I had anticipated. It was really cool for them to get a taste of the race, do ministry, meet some of my squadmates, and experience fun and new things together in Thailand [like pet tigers and elephants, get $6 massages and pedicures, and go bungy jumping]. They met each other with grace and kindness and always tried to do what was best for me. I don't think they understand how much that meant to me.
Was it a hard week? Definitely.
Did I have tough conversations with each of them? Yes.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. And I got double the amount of goodies from America. PTL.
So maybe you're a current or future world racer who falls into the same boat of having divorcedparents and are unsure of what to do. If you are, here's my advice: just ask God what he wants you to do. See what he has to say. It may not be what you want to hear. You may not be ready to invite both your parents. Your parents may not be ready for it either. God's plan for you may be totally different than it was for me. And that's okay. Regardless, ask him and listen for his response. And feel free to ask me any questions:)
To my mom and dad: thank you. Thank you for taking off of work. Thank you for being humble enough to fundraise. Thank you for bringing me cookies, and dark chocolate covered almonds, and new clothes, and simply luxuries of home that I've missed. Thank you for leaving your comfort zones. Thank you for not putting your desires first. Thank you for sharing where you are at in life with me. Thank you for letting me ask hard questions. Thank you for listening to God's voice. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for loving me so well.
