It was the spring of my senior year of high school, and yet college seemed so far away. I was (am) afraid of change. I didn’t know what to expect, and so I did everything I could to push it from my mind. If I focused solely on the present, I wouldn’t have to think about the future. I was scared, so I shut it out.
Then, one day, another runner approached me at a meet and asked if I was running at UD the next year. She explained that her name was Lisa, and that she too would be running at UD. Now, I don’t remember any of this conversation, but I found out later on that I gave the impression that I had no interest in talking with her. Chances are I was still trying to avoid the future and any thought of college. A friendship with her could come later. I wasn’t ready for college yet. Thankfully, we actually got to be really close in college despite this brief encounter, but things would have been a lot better had I gotten to know her from the beginning.
So when I decided to go on the World Race, I vowed to do things differently. I called Lisa and promised I would make an effort to get to know everyone before the trip. Well, that was about the time I joined the WR facebook group. I was completely overwhelmed. I went away for the weekend and returned to over 75 emails saying people had posted on the facebook wall. I could pretty much sum up all of the posts into three categories:
1. I’m stressed about the money, I’m never going to raise enough!
2. God is great, He provides!
3. I need prayer
It was too much. Plain and simple. I wasn’t stressed about the trip until I started reading everyone’s posts and seeing how stressed they were. It was like a roller coaster of emotion. On top of the world one day, down and out the next. And they were calling everyone their family. Family? Really? We’ve never even met each other. I quickly turned off all notifications so I could catch a breath. Dear Lord, how was I going to spend 11 months with these people? I swore I would go crazy. I called Lisa back and told her, no way, I couldn’t do this. These people would just have to wait.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but one day I commented on someone’s post. Then I wrote my own post. Before I knew it, I was asking everyone for prayer. The response was overwhelming. These people whom I’ve never met were more encouraging, and more supportive than I could have ever imagined. They prayed for me, they encouraged me, they referred me to others in the group who were going through the same thing I was. Some even texted or wrote little messages to me periodically to see how I was doing. They understood, and they reached out to me. The comfort was overwhelming. This group, this facebook wall, is a comfort, a provision, straight from the Lord. Now, I’m hooked, and it’s only been a few days.
I feel a connection with these people. But better yet, I feel a community forming. A true community from God. I can only imagine how powerful the bonds between us will become during our trip. I have never met these people, but I know that from here on out, they will not only be a part of the rest of my life, but they will be one of the most important.
