This specific blog post has been in the works for a couple of weeks now.
One of the posts they recommend us writing is to share what our expectations are for this trip, what we think is going to happen on this incredible adventure.
As I sit here and think about what my life is going to look like in just 8 months, it’s hard for me to even wrap my head around it, let alone try to put into words.
It’s hard to imagine what something like the World Race is going to be like. I read blogs and watch videos of Racers who are on the field now and to be honest, it’s hard for me to believe that I am actually doing it. It’s not just a dream anymore but real life. I’m no longer just talking about wanting to go on the World Race. I’m actually going.
So what are my expectations of this trip?
I really don’t know. And I don’t think God wants me to go into this trip with a lot of specific expectations but rather an open mind and an open heart. I don’t want to miss out on anything that He would have for me.
After reading countless blogs I do have an idea of things I might get to do, places I might go, and what life on the World Race might look like.
Here is what I know:
- I will be leaving all the comforts of home, leaving my dear family and friends, and going into the unknown for 11 months.
- I will be pushed out of my comfort zone probably on a daily basis, doing things I would have never dreamed I would get to do and never thought I was capable of doing.
- For 11 months I will be carrying all of my belongings on my back. Which also means I need to get in shape before I leave! 🙂
- There is a very high possibility that at least one of the 11 months will probably be spent taking nothing but bucket showers and my toilet will be a hole in the ground.
- Showers on a daily basis will probably be a thing of the past. And so will hot showers!
- My home for a month could very well be my tent.
- The chances of me finally getting to ride an elephant are very high!! (Yes, I am ridiculously excited about this!)
- My diet will be nothing short of…interesting. I can only imagine all the different foods I will get to try! Some months I may eat more than others!
- I will have amazing opportunities to work with ministries that are already established doing things like feeding the hungry, praying for the sick, working at orphanages, building homes, and etc.
- I am going to get to meet some pretty incredible people all over the world. I love the thought of that!
- I will get to play with and love on some pretty cute kids. I can’t wait to hold them in my very own arms, hear their voices and their laughs. And yes, I will probably want to bring them all home with me!
- I will be left saying “goodbye” 11 times.
- There will be a lot of culture shock.
- Throughout the 11 months, I will probably be using just about every mode of transportation there is. Car, plane, train, and so on.
- I get to travel the world with a group of like-minded people who have the same heart for missions as I do. We will travel together, live together, work together, laugh together, cry together, pray together, encourage one another, challenge each other, learn together, and grow together.
- I will see and live among the poorest of the poor. The hungry. The hurting. The lost. And it will break my heart.
- But I will also see healing and restoration. Joy. Peace. Hope. Love.
- My life will never ever be the same.
These are just some things I have gathered from other Racers experiences. With that being said here is what I expect during my time on the World Race.
I expect to be roughing it for 11 months, truly learning what it means to live a minimal life.
I expect to learn what it really means to live in community and what it really means to love people.
I expect to experience Jesus in ways that I never have before, going deeper in my relationship with Him.
I expect to go into the world, taking the Gospel wherever we go, furthering the Kingdom of God.
I expect my world to be changed, flipped upside down, and turned all around. It will be hard. It will be heart breaking. But it will be beautiful and wonderful in every way.
Lastly, I expect to meet some pretty amazing people along the way, creating friendships with people all over the world.
These are things I expect but I don’t know what that will look like for me. Of course I will keep you posted though! 🙂
But that’s what I love about the World Race. Hundreds of people go on this mission trip every year but every single Racer has a different story. We go to different places, have different experiences, connect with different people, but at the heart of the mission is Jesus. He is why we do what we are doing. He is why I’m going on this trip.
I don’t know what the details of my story are and I have no idea how it will end, but it’s exciting to see it unfold.
I will go into this trip giving up everything I have and giving everything I am. These 11 months will probably be the longest but fastest months, and they may very well be the hardest but some of the very best months of my life.
