Month 11 of the World Race…wow. Have I really done this thing for almost a year?
So the questions begin.
What did I learn? What have I experienced? How have I changed? What has this year meant to me?
As you can imagine, I have a million answers. A million stories. A million memories.
As I process this past year, I have come up with six critical lessons I learned that I want to share with you. Six things that begin to communicate the immensity of what the heck has happened in this crazy year I've lived.
So here we go!
1. A Lesson in CULTURE: The World Race- 11 countries in 11 months- means CONSTANT transition. We change countries, continents, ministries, living situations, and even teams on a regular basis. One question I received often before going on the Race was "what is the benefit of going to so many different places? Wouldn't it be more effective to stay in one place?" That is a fantastic question. My first response would be that the World Race follows a discipleship process similar to what Jesus had his own disciples do. They were constantly moving to new towns, new people, sharing and teaching and performing miracles in His name. The value is this- because you are never in one place or season long enough to become consumed by the culture- you are forced to establish your own culture. My team and I discuss this often. Every 30 days, change happens. Sometimes, we don't even have that long. We stay somewhere long enough to build relationships, to become accustomed to where we are- and then we leave. What this means is that our "culture"- our habits, world views, ways of living, relating, loving, being- all of it comes not from our surroundings, but from the one we are following. Jesus. Our culture becomes His culture. Our heart becomes His heart. Our ways of surviving and living depend on Him, not on our surroundings. Transition may shake us, but it doesn't destroy us. Our lives depend on Him, because He is literally the only constant.
2. A Lesson in IDENTITY: Before you go to the sick, hurt, broken and dying- which you inevitably experience in a capacity you can't even comprehend before traversing the world- you MUST understand who you are. You must know who you are and believe in the value of what you have to give away. If you don't know who you are or don't understand the one who lives inside of you, it will become apparent very quickly (which hopefully will move you to more freedom). Sometimes you will work with ministries you struggle with or simply don't like, and other times you will feel you have no way to relate with the people you are working with. When working in the red light district in Thailand, some of my teammates struggled with feeling like they had nothing to offer the girls trapped in prostitution. I also pondered over this while preparing a sermon for the memorial day of the Rwandan genocide. But the truth is, the most important thing is not where you've been, but what you have. If you are filled with hope, with the love of Christ, with peace and joy- then you have an abundance to give away. And the world is hungry for it.
3. A Lesson in CONTENTMENT: Month 1 of the Race, I began praying God would show me what He showed Paul in Philippians 4:11-13- the secret to contentment. This is a secret I desperately wanted to have. The secret to contentment in any and every circumstance. When I am brought high, or when I am brought low. When I am in want, or when I have an abundance. For me, the World Race has been a journey in beginning to discover that secret. I have slept in everything from an apparently not so waterproof tent in the rainy season, to a tree house with lots of little mice friends, to cold train station and bus station floors, to a quaint little guest house in Romania. I have spent a month bathing in grey, cloudy water that unidentifiable creatures lurked in. I have eaten some of the best food I've ever had, and some of the worst (confession: sometimes I see bugs in my food and keep eating). I have been hospitalized and had malaria. I have worked with ministries that have made me come alive, and ministries that made me question my usefulness. I was brought in and out of leadership. I have had multiple team transitions, and seen several teammates go home. The process of abandonment on the World Race- coming out of everything you know and stepping into the complete unknown-reveals to you the secret, reveals to you the understanding that no matter where you are or who you're with or what you're doing- your home is found in Him, in His heart. And that is where you find contentment and rest, no matter what the circumstances look like.
4. A Lesson in GOODNESS: In Moldova, at our English club graduation, I did a presentation to the students about my experience on the World Race. Afterwards, a student came up and shared that he was an atheist and asked me the infamous question, "After everything you have seen, all the suffering and horrors and poverty, how can you possibly believe that God is good?" At other points in my life, that question might have terrified me. But after traveling the world and seeing unimaginable pain and suffering- I have never been more sure of God's goodness. Crazy, right? But I have seen people around the world who by most standards have no reason to live flourishing in the promises and hope and grace of God. Some people might argue that they are using religion as a crutch, but I would argue that these are some of the bravest people I've ever met- to have joy in spite of all they've faced. I have seen His light shining in the darkest corners of the world- in children abandoned by families and suffering with disabilities in Guatemala, in victims of genocide in Rwanda and Cambodia, in the darkness of the red light district in Thailand, in survivors of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, in orphaned teenagers and children from the streets of Honduras and Kenya. Sometimes, God allowed me to actually BE His goodness to people. What a humbling honor! My view of God's goodness is no longer based on circumstances, but on His character.
5. A Lesson in COMMUNITY: One of the most important and foundation shaking lessons I learned on the Race was my absolute, unchanging need for community. It's part of the reason I chose the Race over other mission opportunities- I knew I needed the hard lessons and revelation I could only gain from living in biblical community. Fun fact- the top reason missionaries leave the field is because they can't get along with their fellow missionaries. Crazy, but true. It's one thing to love the starving orphan, but can I love the people right in front of me? Living in community with the people who see you day to day, who see your actions and motives and heart- that's where you test yourself to find out if your foundation is really love. My team, my squad- these are the people who drive me crazy, tell me things I don't wanna hear, give me encouraging and constructive feedback, push me into greater things, never leave me alone, and love the hell out of me, even when I'm acting completely unlovable. They see beautiful things in me and believe beautiful things for me. I have learned about honest communication and what it actually means to "speak the truth in love." While living in this community, I have learned to love people in a way that "endures all things, hopes all things, and believes all things." Before the Race, there was a limit to how much I would love. There was a point in which I would back off, shut down, and refuse to let people hurt me with their own issues. But now, my heart seems to know no limits. I have also had a crash course in vulnerability and transparency- and I now have the ability to choose to entrust my heart to others as well without fear. Freely I receive, so freely I give.
6. A Lesson in REWARD: Jesus has to be the prize at the end of the Race. Not simply the World Race, but the Race of life. The Bible tells us to "run in a way as to receive the prize." Well, something I've learned is that if my prize is a successful ministry, or marriage, or a host of other good things, even good things that are from The Lord- what happens when it is all taken away? Am I disappointed, discouraged, disheartened? What foundation am I standing on, really, if my trust and hope is in anything except Jesus alone? During this past year, I have spent a lot of time meditating on the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son who held the promise of the blessing of God- and Abraham was willing. Amazing. If everything were stripped from me, everything that defined me, except being His- is that enough for me? Am I willing to lay anything and everything down on that same altar? Jesus is the only reward worth running for.
