Racers from July 2012 F and G Squads had a week no other World Racer has ever experienced. Parents of 16 Racers joined in on the World Race action for one week on the field in Kenya. Aubree Richardson shares her joy and awe as parents got a taste of their Kingdom Journey.
Trying to explain all we've seen and done within this week is going to be hard.
Before the parents came, our whole squad prayed continually.
What we've come to realize is that God knew this was going to happen.
He had this planned when we signed up for the Race that our parents would be joining us Month 9 in Kenya. Actually, he knew before we were born this was going to happen for us and our parents. He had this written in his plan the whole time.
I would have never imagined my parents visiting me on my Race, never in a million years.
We feel so blessed to be the first group to do it.
While on the Race, God shared with us a lot about our families back home. He gave us a new heart for them, a new joy and patience with them. This week, we were faced with what God had taught us and how God wanted us to be towards our parents. Families had been brought back together; they had reached new depths and new truths together.
Let me tell you, God moved.
He didn't just move in our parent's hearts as they watched us living as the new men and women we've become. He didn't just move in our hearts, rejuvenating us and bringing us new light to finish the rest of the 3 months of our Race.
He moved in the nation of Kenya.
This week was hard for the Racers because we didn't get much sleep and we were always going like you do on most short mission trips. Unlike most days on the race, we packed out the schedule so our parents could see in five days what we see over several months on the field.
In five days we torn down and built a house, worked at an orphanage, did door to door evangelism, and did ministry at an IDP camp.
Each night we would debrief the day.
Parents from all different backgrounds sat together, discussing our day and how they saw the Lord move through us and the people we encountered.
Our parents are Catholic, Methodists, Nondenominational, and some don't really even have a relationship with God.
We prayed for the Spirit to move within their hearts.
We wanted them to see what we've been seeing these past 8 months and experience the truth of Jesus' love for them. We wanted them to see the work we were doing for the kingdom.
They haven't just seen it, they've joined in. They've experienced it, felt it, and have been broken over it. They have been a part of the change in the nation of Kenya alongside their Racers.
During our debriefs, we didn't even have words. We, who were used to talking for hours during debriefs, sat in silence as our parents talked.
They cried at the poverty and rejoiced over physical healings. They've felt the freedom of living in community and worshiping freely. Standing on chairs, they even declared God's greatness over Kenya and over us. We were in awe of what the Lord is doing and how he's answered the prayers we spoke over this week.
They have experienced the Race and they get it.
They understand what it's like for us and how we can't just go back to normal life in America.
We're no longer alone in going home, we have our parents with us.
