I Am A World Racer
This last
month marked the half way point of my journey around the world. My journey on
this crazy, awesome adventure all started in January 2010 last year. After a
long day at work, I was sitting in my house alone watching TV; I began to
really look at myself that night, taking a closer look I asked myself, “Who am
I?� What I found that night was a scary reality, one that made me want to
change, to cry out for help. So I did just that, I began to pray and ask God to
show up. I prayed that God would take me on an adventure around the world with
him, and that along the way he would break me, shape me, and guide me. I wanted
to abandon my material possession; I wanted a fresh start. I wanted to give
away all I had, physically, financially, mentally, and spiritually; to trust in
Him to fill me back up. When I got done praying I went on Facebook, and found
an advertisement that read, “11 countries 11 months….The World Raceâ€� It
immediately got my attention. With the click of a mouse my life was then
forever changed! Here I stand a year later, forever grateful that God answered
my prayer the way He did. Here is something I wrote to help you understand who
I am. Who a “World Racer� is:
Imagine
Imagine that you had
a crazy dream, and you stepped out in faith to follow it.
Imagine that you have
left all your comforts in life, and now choose to live uncomfortably.
Imagine leaving all
your family and friends to live with 40 strangers.
Imagine a life of
abandonment.
Imagine living
simple.
Imagine grieving a
death from 5,000 miles away.
Imagine your name has
changed to “Mzungu.�
Imagine going days
without showering.
Imagine that your
friends are now strangers, and strangers are your closest friends.
Imagine living with
the homeless, broken, hurt, lost, orphaned, and sick for an entire year.
Imagine celebrating
every holiday for a year without your friends and family.
Imagine that the
world no longer revolves around you!
Imagine that you
start to care more about other people than yourself.
Imagine facing all
your biggest fears head on!
Imagine living
everyday as though it were your last.
Imagine waking up at
7:00 am is “Sleeping in.�
Imagine totally
relying on God for all of your needs.
Imagine being
supported financially by strangers from all around the world you have never
met.
Imagine preaching
everyday to people that don’t even speak English.
Imagine praying for
people who just stole from you.
Imagine everything
you owned fitting into one backpack.
Imagine that you only
had 1 pair of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, 6 shirts, and 6 pairs of underwear for
an entire year.
Imagine being
terrified of water but going snorkeling and white water rafting.
Imagine being afraid
of heights and bungee jumping.
Imagine a life with
no fast food or drive-thru’s.
Imagine a spiritual
calling on your life that seems impossible, but with God it becomes reality.
Imagine being in an
African hospital sick, and being able to say, “It’s just malaria, I’ll be
fine.�
Imagine no dating for
one year!
Imagine living
everyday as a new adventure.
Imagine not being
hugged or touched for a year by your family and friends.
Imagine praying for
miracles, and seeing God move!
Imagine sharing your
complete testimony with people, and seeing it change their lives.
Imagine learning to
walk in FREEDOM.
Imagine losing
yourself, only to find who you truly are.
Imagine trying to
help the world, although it seems to always be against you.
Imagine being
misunderstood for a year.
Imagine learning
parts of 11 new languages.
Imagine seeing an
elephant walk down the street as you eat, and it doesn’t even phase you.
Imagine living in the
jungle.
Imagine eating things
that would make most Americans’ stomachs flip.
Imagine what was once
“crazy� has become “normal.�
Imagine that you life
would be changed forever.
Imagine living in
community with people that fight for you, in love, to help you become better.
Imagine a life of
constant feedback.
Imagine finding a new
way to love people.
Imagine finding Gods
love in a deeper level.
Imagine making
friends all over the world.
Imagine that there is
“something more� out there.
Imagine that God is
faithful, and wants to show you how.
Imagine coming home a
different person than you left.
Imagine saying Yes.
Imagine that excuses
are removed from your vocabulary.
Imagine being “A
World Racer.�
Love you all
Ryan Hughes
