Month five. Because this month felt a little like month one all over again – new culture, new team, new language, new uncertainties – it has made me think a lot about where I was back in January.
Five months, really? I’ve lived a lot of life since January. Shouldn’t it feel longer than this?
When I was getting ready for the World Race – the 9 month period between when I found out it existed and when I launched – it was all I could think about. And always, in the back of my mind, was a self-conscious little thought nagging at me.
11 months is a really long time.
As soon as I recognized that thought, I’d justify it with this one.
Sure, but it’s going to be so great coming home after a year like this.
Nervous future World Racers, I have news for you. It’s so great LIVING a year like this.
11 months is a lot of time. It’s a lot of time to learn things about yourself. It’s a lot of time to let God love you, and figure out how to love others. It’s a lot of time to see some bad things in the world, and to be amazed time and time again by all the good. It’s a lot of time to be denied things you would choose for yourself. It’s a lot of time to do/see/taste/feel/experience things you would never be able to at home. It’s a lot of time for adventure, a lot of time for spiritual growth, a lot of time for new friendships. It’s a lot of time to live with abandon and let yourself fall into the abundant life God intended for us.
It’s also a lot of time to let slip away.
There are days on the World Race that are hard to get through, and sometimes you’re tempted to wish the time away and just get through it.
Sometimes you spend all night throwing up because you ate something bad, and you really wish you weren’t sharing a bathroom with 6 other people.
Sometimes you spend half the day crying because something’s going on at home and you’re not there, and suddenly you wonder why you’re half a world away from your family.
Sometimes you really want a few hours without teammates or foreign languages or the buddy system, and you just want to stay in one place long enough to really settle down.
At some point, you’ll have a moment when you’re tired of community, tired of change, tired of being confronted with new and uncomfortable things. Every Racer experiences moments like these, but I can honestly say that not once, in the 142 days I’ve spent on the World Race, have I wanted to be anywhere but serving God in this mission field with my team.
There’s a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
I know God called me here for this season, and I’m not going to miss any of it. The thing with seasons, even 11 month seasons, is that they will ALWAYS pass. The World Race is just life, but it’s life we’ll never quite be able to replicate after this year. I really can’t figure out how I got from that anxious girl in January to a missionary almost halfway through with my year away. My teammates and I frequently look at each other and ask, “What is this life, and how in the world did we get here?”
I believe that I dove into every month on the Race and experienced life and growth in each country, and it still seems like each month is gone before I know it – I’ve decided I really need at least two months in each country. I’ve had to learn how to make my peace with what time I have so that I can move on without constantly grasping after what I’m leaving behind.
At the beginning of the Race, it’s easy to think about the end. It’s tempting to think that if we can just make it past those first months of adjustment, or the breaking points in the middle, or that final push at the end, then we can step off that plane at the end of month 11 feeling fulfilled, satisfied, and ready for home.
At the beginning of the Race, it’s easy to think about the end. In the middle of the Race, all I can think about is the beginning. Can I have it back? Can I relive those first five months and squeeze a little more life out of them?
No, of course not. So I’ll just keeping thanking God for the first half of my journey, and trying to slow down and live in every moment of the second half.
World Racers, don’t wish month one away. Dive into your team NOW, don’t tell yourself you have plenty of time. Your first team might only be for a short season, so love them well from the start.
Try not to rush through month two. You may still be on a high for all the exciting things to come, but make sure you’re living in the exciting things that are here.
Hold onto your excitement in month three. Pat yourself on the back because you’re starting to figure out this World Race thing, and don’t be sad if the newness of it is wearing off.
Don’t be complacent in month four. You’re still serving God in big and little ways, even if it feels more commonplace. Continue to let Him show you new things, and look for ways to dig in.
Give yourself grace if you’re tired in month five – then keep going. The halfway point can feel like your Race has gone in the blink of an eye, and at the same time like home is a very long way away. Stay joyful. Being a missionary on the World Race is an amazing chance! You will probably never get to live life quite like this again. There is so much to enjoy in every day. The Race is exciting, it’s challenging, and it’s fun. Acknowledge that it’s hard, but don’t forget to love each day.
I’m about to enter month six. I’ve spent the last five months traveling, learning, serving, and adventuring. I’ve spent them digging ditches, playing with kids, worshiping God, and figuring out community living. I’ve spent them feeling happy, sad, frustrated, excited, at peace, and everything else you could imagine.
When I was trying to decide on the World Race, I kept wondering if it would be worth all the hard uncertainties of this type of ministry. Trust me, it’s worth it. And it goes so unbelievably fast.
