After 11 months full of adventure, John Harbold of 2014 G Squad has re-written his definition of what the word means: a life characterized by faith.
What is adventure?
In Nepal: Riding on top of the bus to surrounding villages.
In India: Fitting 10 people in a 4 seater auto while driving 30 mph along the highway.
In Thailand: Elephant hunting in the jungle with a nearly insane teacher turned elephant guide who wanted to take us to see wild elephants.
In Cambodia: Taking a tuk tuk to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat (one of the seven wonders of the world).
In Swaziland: Going on a safari and seeing lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, etc.
In South Africa: Going shark diving with great whites. Or shaving a UK symbol on the back of your head.
In Botswana: Getting a free safari then border hopping through Zimbabwe and Zambia to see Victoria Falls. Then doing the canyon swing off the Victoria Falls’ bridge.
In Romania: Staying at a house in the village on the weekends with no heat or running water but with wifi. Having an outhouse with snow covered toilet paper from the 8 inches of snow the night before.
In Moldova: Deciding to save our off days to take a mini spring break to Istanbul, Turkey.
In Guatemala: Roasting marshmallows at an active volcano. Or getting a tattoo.
In Nicaragua: Traveling to Little Corn Island where there are no ATMs and going snorkeling and paddle boarding. Then getting stuck there because the water is too rough for boats to take the 6 hour trek back to the mainland.
When the word “adventure” is thrown out, the first thought that crosses my mind is doing something crazy like shark diving or bungee jumping. But this month I realized truly what adventure looks like.
My goal for the last few weeks of this month was to seek adventure and find ways to have fun doing crazy things I wouldn’t be able to experience in the States. But as I reflect on this last month of my Race I have found an even deeper meaning of the word “adventure”.
As our team sat in Managua and wrestled over where to go for our month of finding Unsung Heroes. (ministry contacts) we decided on Bluefields. We didn’t have a plan. We didn’t have any leads or contacts but we knew God was leading us there.
This was a recurring theme throughout the month. We asked God, “Where do we go from here?” With no contacts we stepped out in faith and travelled to the unknown parts of Nicaragua for the World Race. We had no plan or schedule of what was to come, but we trusted God would guide us.
Along the way the Lord led us to churches, missionaries, and ministries that were perfect partners for the World Race, including a retired couple who let us stay with them for a week for free and an orphanage where children are being taught and discipled in Christ.
My brother and teammate, Kevin Cattaneo, says, “Adventure is found in the mystery of the gray.” It is moving when God says move, even when you can’t see where you’re going, trusting that the Lord is walking you through the process.
I want my life to be about adventure. Not knowing what the process looks like or where I’m going but letting God walk me through whatever may come.
I also encourage you to live a life of adventure. When hardships come, which we are promised, don’t lay down and give up. Press in. Let God take you on a crazy and life changing adventure. One that isn’t just about you or him. But it’s about both walking side by side through the gray and walking into the light.
Seek adventure.
Do you feel called to the adventure of serving God in 11 countries in 11 months? Click here to find out how you can go on the World Race.
