First of all, I want to let you know that we did not make our May 5th deadline. The fundraiser that we had that day did not have the turnout that we expected, so instead of the $2,875 we needed to make, we made $280, thanks to the generous donation of someone we just met who wrote us a $200 check! (Thank you, you know who!)
So what does that mean as far as the Race goes? We are still kind of in limbo at the moment. We still want, with all of our hearts, to leave in July. Our teammates are like family, and we have been preparing for the Race for a year now. We have to get a hold of our mobilizer at Adventures in Missions to see if we can have a grace period to try to raise the rest of the money for the deadline, or if we will have to postpone to September. I will keep everyone updated as soon as we know.
Recently, someone I care about brought up some legitimate concerns that she had about Josh and I going on the World Race. I'm sure other people have some of the same questions and concerns, so I wanted to answer and clear up some of the questions.
Does any part of you think that you guys are not supposed to go on the Race, because you have had so many obstacles? What happens if you don't go?
At this point, Josh and I still feel very much that we are being called to go on the Race. However, that could change in a few months, weeks, or even tomorrow. What we do know, is that we will be obedient to whatever God is calling us to. If that is going on the Race, we will go. If that is staying home, we will stay. We have faced so many obstacles in our preparation, but with every obstacle, we have become stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually, and as a couple. We feel that the obstacles have been placed in our way by the Enemy, who is trying every trick in his book to try to get us to give up. If God was telling us no, we would know it was from Him.
As far as fundraising goes, if we decided not to go at all, the money that we have raised so far would (I think) dissolve into the organization. Because of tax rules, it is non refundable to the donors, and it couldn't go directly to the other Racers, but I think it could be used for general operating costs for those that work at Adventures in Missions. Which is still very important, because they are the ones that facilitate sending and maintaining hundreds of missionaries at a time. Again, we hope that this isn't what happens, because we have had so many people invest, financially and emotionally, in us, that we want to honor their sacrifice by completing the journey.
Emotionally, if we did not go, of course we would be upset, but life goes on, and God has a plan that is bigger than our understanding. Spiritually, I have grown so much during this period of preparing to go on the Race. If we did not go, the journey would have been worth it.
This has been a big part of our lives for the last year, but it is not the only part. If we don't go, it won't be the end of our lives. It will be the close of a chapter that we thought was starting, but the start of a new one. And that is ok.
Why the World Race? Isn't it kind of like a long short-term trip? How is that effective? Wouldn't it be better to stay here, and get things together to do something more long term and permanently?
Josh and I have known, since before we were dating, that we wanted to do something missions related as careers. Whenever we would learn about a missions opportunity, we would look into it and pray about it, but nothing ever really seemed right. We started the application process for career missionaries for the International Mission Board through the Southern Baptist Convention, but we got as far as we could with the application because we couldn't proceed until we had paid off $20,000 of our combined $40,000 student loan debt. Which realistically could take several, if not many, years, and by that time we might have kids, a house payment, etc. We wanted to take advantage of this time that we are relatively unattached.
When we learned about the World Race, it immediately clicked and felt right. We knew that we wanted to do missions, but we weren't really sure what that looked like. Josh likes Western Europe, and I like Asia, but that was about all the direction we had. The World Race gives us an opportunity to get our feet wet with many different types of ministry, as well as in many different places, so we can better figure out where we fit in.
Yes, the World Race is essentially a long short-term trip. I absolutely believe that long term mission work is more effective than short term. But that is not to say that short term is ineffective or unnecessary. If it is done right, it is absolutely needed. The two short term trips that I have been on, to Ukraine and Thailand, were primarily as support for the long term missionaries that were already there. The mission field can be a lonely place, and it is so neat to be a blessing just by being a familiar face, or to say, I am here to help. What do you need me to do?
Although I can't speak for their official stance on this, as far as I know, Adventures in Missions feels the same way. The World Race is only one of their programs. They provide the Race as an opportunity for young adults to jump in to a life of abandoment of materialism and selfishness, and to figure out what bringing Kingdom to Earth looks like in their lives. It is not looked at as the end all for mission work, but rather as a launching pad onto the next chapter of their lives. Many World Racers return to a particular place or ministry that they felt a connection or calling to, and work with the ministry or area on a long term basis. Many Racers go on to start their own ministries, domestic or overseas. Many return home to invest in their own communities and families, or go back to school.
So why did Josh and I feel that this was the direction to go, instead of working to pay off our loans now, and then doing something more long term? Like I said before, we didn't really have much direction on what exactly we felt like we should do. This gives us an opportunity to figure that out, before investing in a particular ministry or area blindly. We also would like to have children one day, and if we are going to move our family somewhere, we want it to be where we will be long term. It is not fair to make the kids turn their lives upside down, just to do it over and over again. We know that this life isn't for everyone, but this is what we feel that we have been called to.
With all of the focus and preparation that you guys have put into the Race, it almost feels like you are giving up your family and your cats for the Race itself.
We have given up so much to be able to do this. But, it is not for the Race. As cheesy-Christian as it sounds, we are making sacrifices because we are trying to be obedient to what God is asking us to do. Giving up time with family is HARD. One of the hardest things about the Race is the fact that I will miss the first year of my nephew's life. Not being here for Josh's dad's 50th birthday party, or his brother's high school graduation. We just dropped off one of our 3 cats at her foster home for the year, and we are looking for somewhere for the other two to go. These are all, and many others, things that I have agonized and cried many, many tears over, but when it comes down to it, God has to come first, even before family. When Jesus called the disciples, He told them to abandon everything. It is a high price, but one that is worth it.
Our families have supported us with love and grace. It is probably even harder for them, and their sacrifice doesn't go unnoticed. In the book Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis, who is a missionary to Uganda, she talks about how the heart of a missionary is never truly full, because one part will always be with your family, and one will be with the people that you love and serve. You will never truly feel at home, because there are pieces of your heart that are missing in each place. But that is ok, because this world isn't our home. Our hearts will never be full until we are with Him.
I hope this has cleared a few things up. I will probably add a few more as I think of them, but for now, it is 1:00 in the morning and my brain isn't really working right anymore. Please let me know if you have any questions about the World Race, why we are doing it, concerns you have, etc. You are as much of a part of this as we are, and we would love to explain, and learn about what you think about things.
