This past month in Thailand, I was fortunate enough to have my mom join me for a week of ministry. The World Race offers something known as a Parent Vision Trip (or PVT) where parents are invited out to spend a week as a World Racer and get a glimpse of what life has been like for us over the past 8 months.
10 members of Z-Squad had parents join us for 1 week in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our days were full and the reunion was good. We gathered for breakfast around 8am and didn’t call an end to the day until 11pm. The hours between were packed to the brim with worship and ministry and fun. We were divided into ministry teams and my mom and I were paired with my wonderful friend Chris and his dad, Carl. During the day, we spent time on prayer walks, doing ATL (Ask The Lord), attending Monk Chat and visiting the bars of the Chiang Mai Red Light District. In the evening, we gathered back together for dinner and a time of worship and prayer before we were released back out to minister together again in the Red Light District.
Throughout the week, parents and racers alike were stretched and drawn out of their comfort zones. This World Race culture has become almost commonplace to us. We’re used to long walks in high temperatures. Subpar hostels are seen as luxurious in the eyes of a typical Racer. And, if you are allowed a shared space with less than 6 other people, it’s viewed as nearly miraculous. We’ve become accustomed to being uncomfortable. Gathering together for an ATL and hoping that the word you’ve received is from the Lord and not just your own thoughts is normal. Striking up conversation with strangers is typical. We’ve spent 8 months forming our own little family among our squad. As with any family, it comes with it’s own unique language and set of stories. Needless to say, it was a bit surreal to have these two very different worlds colliding.
Working with the parents was amazing. Parents jumped right in and were willing to be uncomfortable and go deep and have their thoughts and ideas stretched. They were willing ministers, humble servants and enjoyable friends. We shared lots of laughs and smoothies and Rotee. We indulged in $6 massages and bartered hard for elephant pants. We mutually encouraged one another. We lived this strange life together for a few jam-packed days and it was good.
One day, we took a longer than expected walk to Monk Chat and my mom faced some challenges with it. When we arrived at the temple, she broke down. We walked over to a bench and sat to rest and talk while the others trekked ahead. I was given this amazing opportunity to share with my mom truth that I’ve been pushed in again and again on the Race: self-care is important and ministry is everywhere. Sometimes, you just have to know your limits and when enough is enough. On the Race, you are literally never allowed to be alone. While that’s sometimes frustrating, in those moments of breaking, it can be really beautiful. There’s almost always someone incredibly nearby willing to process or pray or just listen. You almost never have to endure a struggle alone. In Malawi, my truth for the month was “ministry is the person sitting in front of you”. Whether it’s your friend or a stranger or your own mom, you are called to love that person the way that Jesus would. In the past, I would have allowed that moment to be frustrating and lived in fear of missing out of some really great, glamorous ministry that would certainly happen if I could just drag this lady a few steps further. Instead, I felt the grace well up inside me and felt words that were soaked in mercy and truth flow from my lips. And, it was so much better. When I gave my mom the space to be where she was at and the allowance of “it’s ok” it was such a good reflection of my freedom to extend that same space to myself.
PVT gave me a new awareness of how very different home will be from the Race and I’m thankful for the gift of that realization three months before it will actually be reality. It also gave me a wonderful, once in a lifetime chance to be on the World Race with my mom and I’m unendingly grateful for that. I was able to see the ways that I’ve personally grown in the last 8 months and implement those things in the context of our real life relationship. It was somewhat of a midterm exam that allowed a few more months of study before the looming final.
I’ve used a lot of words here to try and capture what the week of PVT looked like but they just can’t encompass it all. Check out this recap video from my friend Micah for another perspective!
