Reflections from a Fully Funded Racer

You read that title right. After months and months of fundraising, praying, asking, and waiting, I have raised over $16,000 and my trip around the world is paid for in full. Honestly there were many times when I wasn’t sure if this day would ever come. I questioned if I would even make it to Africa. Yet here I am, and I have you all to thank for it. There aren’t words to express my gratitude and the wonder of actually being here. For sure this trip has been different that what I expected. As I reflect I can’t help but be amused at how different Africa alone has been.
My first month here was in South Africa, where I really didn’t know what to expect. When I was originally thinking about going on the World Race the African countries on my route were Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. I ended up switching routes and had to get used to the idea of South Africa, Swaziland, and Botswana instead. Of the three I knew the most about South Africa from studying the apartheid in school. I’d heard the nation was in good shape nowadays, well developed and very western.
When our teams arrived in Jeffrey’s Bay, to my displeasure it seemed to be a destination for a vacation, not a missions trip. For our first week of ministry my team and I went to the beach every day to pass out Scripture verses to tourists, surfers, and vacationing families. We got to talk to a lot of people and were able to pray for some of them. It was a good ministry, but not what I expected to be doing in Africa.

I soon learned that there was more to J-Bay than the sun and sand.
Our second week of ministry we left the beaches and took a ten minute walk to the Township. I couldn’t believe what we found. In the same town as multi-million dollar beach houses and suntanning masses there was a slum. Barefoot kids and stray dogs wandered through piles of trash while moms swept the dirt floors of their tin, cardboard, and plywood shanties. Here we passed out more verses, the same we’d been using on the beaches, and prayed for people, just like before. Except here the prayers were different, and the response quite changed as well. We prayed for a man with TB, an old woman with no family and nowhere to go, and a family that’s been trying to move out of the township for years. They blessed us, thanked us warmly, and waved from outside their homes as we walked off.

I’ve come to believe stark contrast between my first and second week of ministry really characterizes the nation of South Africa (and to some extent all three of the African countries I’ve visited). During my first month I learned that the gap between the poor, black, and oppressed and the rich, white, and privileged has not shrunk as much I as thought since the apartheid ended in 1994.
But both sides need to be ministered to. Honestly. I preferred the township ministry by a long shot, but I had to remind myself that the rich people on the beach need the love of Jesus too.
And that’s what the World Race is about. We travel and connect with different communities of believers all over the world, seeking to meet whatever needs they have in whatever ways we are able. And since every community has different needs, each month looks different. We don’t get to choose where we go or how we spend our time, and some months you might be on the beach when you really hoped to be in the slum. Ultimately it brings you to a place of trusting God to use everything, and He does! No matter where people are in their lives, we can be used to bring them one step close to their Father’s heart. And whether you live in a beach house with a view of the Indian Ocean or a shack with a view of a burning pile of garbage, I would be honored to play a part in that journey towards knowing God better and experiencing more of His love for you.

Thank you for being a part of my journey, whether you prayed, gave financially, or encouraged me. Your support means more than you know