The entire first month in Albania, I kept repeating over and over, “It doesn’t feel like we’re really on the World Race.” We were working with kids, which I have done millions of times. We were living at a camp not too different from ones I’ve stayed at before. The only indication that we were in another continent was the fact that we didn’t speak the same language.
So I assumed that once we were out of Europe, somewhere totally unknown to me, then we would really be on the Race. I considered Albania, Greece, and to some extent Romania, as warm-ups to the real deal. And then Malawi ended up being about the same, in terms of both the ministry we do and the comfortable living situation we have.
The other day, my teammate Whitney shared something with us that has really stuck with me. She was reminded of someone she knew at home who did some of the things we’ve done – visiting the sick, bringing people groceries, etc. This woman hadn’t waited to start ministering to people until she could travel across the world; she saw a need in her community and filled it.
In one instant, my whole perspective flipped. Life on the World Race is not this crazy, magical experience totally foreign to everything we’ve done before. It has its moments of awestruck wonder, of course. No trip around the world would be lacking in those.
But life is ministry and ministry is life. In doing things differently for a year, we’re learning how to be different for the rest of our lives.
I have this precious gift of a team, with whom I can grow in the Lord, building up the habits of spiritual discipline. I see the work of the Kingdom happening in these other countries, sparking ideas of how I could’ve been doing similar things at home.
I spent so many weeks not “feeling” like I was on the World Race.
But as it turns out, the point is to feel normal but do something radically different.
Pre-Race, I tended to put aside doing things for others in favor of crashing in front of the TV when I got home from work. Three months in and I’m realizing just how unsatisfied I am with that being the focus of my free time (although I will admit, I am looking forward to catching up on a few favorite shows once we’re back in the land of fast wifi).
Focus.
That is my “theme” for this year. And I can see that through all of these things that I am learning and experiencing and trying, I am already becoming who I want myself to be at the end of the Race.
We’ve heard many times from our leaders and mentors, “Training camp prepared you for the World Race. The World Race prepares you for the rest of your life.” So even if you don’t have such a major pivot point as this journey, I encourage you to find a way to be who you want to be, to live your real life now.
