This is just a short blog for everyone who is considering doing the World Race or is committed to do the World Race and doesn’t know what to expect.
So disclaimer, I have not yet completed the World Race, I am only just about to begin my 5th month. However, I find myself thinking a lot now, “Wow I wish I had known this during the 11 months I was committed to go on the Race and was preparing and pretended to my friends and family that I knew what was happening and that everything was fine.” Secretly everyone who is about to go on the Race is scared out of their minds and they have absolutely no idea what is going to happen next, what they are going to be doing, or what to bring with them.
So if you fit into that category, or you are just curious about what I think, then this blog is for you.
My first suggestion is that it is completely ok to not be ok. It is totally fine to think about the next year that you are about to embark on with excitement and all the awesome things you will see and do but then 5 minutes after that lay back and have a panic attack because you really don’t know how you are going to get from America to Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and home again. It is ok to be scared. Don’t give into the angst but allow the Lord to be your peace. Also don’t lie and say that you’re not scared. You are its ok we all are. Perfect love will cast out fear, but its ok to not be ok.
My next suggestion is that when you are talking to your supporters, friends, and family, and they ask the questions like, “How much money do you need?” and “Where are you going?” answer those. Knock those questions out of the park because lets be honest those are two of the only questions you actually know the answer to. When they ask you the more annoying questions like, “Where are you going to be staying?” and “What are you going to be doing when you are in each country?” and “What are you going to eat?” you could lie like I did and make up a lot of crap which you have no idea if it is real or not. I suggest that you say something like we could be doing this or this but honestly I’m not sure. There is a lot of wisdom in the statement that I don’t know and admitting that you don’t have all the answers. At the end of the day you are called to this so it doesn’t matter if you don’t know God will take care of it. Abraham had no idea where the Lord was leading him or what he would find when he got there but he went anyway. So its ok to not know all the answers.
My third suggestion is about gear. The single most important piece of gear that you will buy is a sleeping pad. You can get the other stuff that’s cool, more power to you. I did that and its alright. However, get the best sleeping pad you can find. Spend the most of your money for gear on that. Sacrifice the rest of the room in your pack for that. You will sleep on concrete floors and yea sometimes you will have a bed but those beds are basically just planks of wood so you will want a sleeping pad for those times as well. Get the sleeping pad that will make all the other sleeping pads feel insecure about themselves and all your squad mates think you are crazy. Get it anyway, trust me you want that sleeping pad. Also a super awesome pillow is highly suggested and will go nicely with your awesome sleeping pad.
Fourthly, reject every expectation you have about the World Race. This is probably the hardest suggestion to follow but if you can do it your Race will be way more awesome and you will be able to cope with things on the Race way better than everyone else. Just go into it with no expectations and I understand that is hard when you follow the World Race Instagram and World Race to be honest Instagram, and the latter is much more real than the former. But just don’t expect anything from any country. I promise you that things will not go anything like you planned or look anything like what you thought. Those moments will be few and far between and when they happen you can smile and say, “Yea this is what I thought the Race would be like.” For now just don’t have any expectations. Only look forward to serving people and seeing the Lord work for His glory. Besides that go in with an empty but happy mind.
My second to last suggestion is to prepare for the Lord to mess with your life. Something that Francis Chan says a lot that I really like is, “Most people do not want to know God’s will for their life because they are scared that He will make them do something they don’t want to do.” In other words, if you follow the Lords call for your life then He will mess with your life. When you go on the Race actually expect change and expect the Lord to tell you things you didn’t expect and just go with it. Just trust and obey because that is truly the only way to be happy in Jesus. And don’t get upset when your life gets messed with. It is not your life anyway. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” So know your life will be messed with and that’s ok because its not your life anyway.
Finally, everything will be fine. You are okay and everything will be alright.
Glory to God!
