It’s been almost 2 years to the day since I got back from my World Race and I began to think, “What would I have done differently to get more out of my Race?” Well here ya go, 11 things I would do differently or better if I did the Race again.
1. Live in greater abandonment by limiting my budget ahead of time. $100-150 per month is plenty to get lunch and a cup of coffee on your day off and a tattoo in Thailand. (No joke. Got 2 hours worth of ink done and was only charged $45 in Maesot, Thailand.)
2. Be more intentional in getting to know and pour into our hosts. Try to leave the blessed and refreshed, not drained. Watch their kids so they can have a date night, find projects that need to be done around the place your staying (Weeding flower beds, painting fences, etc.) and just go for it. On your dime. You’re there to serve them as much as the community they’re serving.
3. Be more outspoken in my team and help set the culture of our team(s) early on. Discuss what we were gonna value as a team and decide to fight for those things i.e. interruptibility, unity, group prayer, giving space and grace to people in their mess, etc. Make it happen. Don’t wait and hope that it’s gonna happen on it’s own ’cause it won’t.
4. Don’t sacrifice physical and spiritual/emotional rest and recovery for recreation. (Sometimes they’re the same thing. Sometimes they’re total opposites. Know yourself.)
5. Spend time in prayer and fasting before launch and seek the Fathers heart, asking Him to show me what His desires are for me on this trip, what He wants to do in and through me, what He wants to teach me, etc.
6. Spend a day praying and fasting before we got to a new country thanking God for His blessing and protection on us and asking Him for insight on what He’s doing in the next country.
7. Gather our team together once a week to spend group time in worship, prayer, and reading of the Word.
8. Be more intentional in seeking out my squad leaders, squad mentor, and coaches. Get to know them better, sooner. And ask them to pour into and disciple me. They’re free, more experienced and spiritually mature resources to help you grow closer to Papa. Take advantage of your time with them.
9. Find closure and do my final goodbyes at final debrief. Get all the feels out before you get back to the states. Don’t wait until baggage claim in the New York airport to try to get final goodbyes in and leave.
10. Decide BEFORE training camp to fast romantic relationships for the duration of the Race. ALL that emotional energy will be directed to knowing God more. And when I do start having feelings for someone, be quick to talk to Papa about them, NOT the other men on the squad. #nosecretsonasquad
11. Upon reentry, DON’T go straight home. Have some money saved up so I can spend time and go somewhere with a squadmate or two for a 4-5 day “vacation” to unwind and seek Papa’s heart for the next season (Vacation meaning, for me, go hiking or camping for 2-3 days spending time with God and a couple squadmates if I could. Then spend a few days together in an Air BnB somewhere. Go to the beach, the movies, whatever you wanna do. Unwind and start to reenter into America…slowly.)
