1. The application process is not as hard as you think it is. Be honest and God will work the rest. When they talk about working out your baggage before you go they know that you won’t have it all worked out, and that’s okay because they know that you can’t do it alone. But get ready for Training Camp.
2. Read other Racer’s blogs but don’t expect for your experience to be the same. It couldn’t be, God’s taking you somewhere else. Both literally and spiritually.
3. You’re going to hear about something called “feedback” don’t be afraid of it. Adventures in Missions, and through it the World Race, is a culture of growth. Feedback acts as a way in which you and your team can call each other into greatness. It is awkward at first but after you’ve given and received some feedback from a place of love you know it is so worth it.
4. Do not look at the cost of the Race and think that it is unattainable. If God is calling you to go on the Race He will work things out in a way that will allow for you to go. He is the same God that owns the cows of 1,000 hills. I know you just read that and are like, “Yeah, but it’s thousands of dollars!” I’m here, month three. I know what that intimidation feels like but I also know what it feels like to look at your account and praise God for making you completely funded and what it feels like to land in a new country with 47 of your new closest friends. The good SO out ways the intimidation.
5. If there are things that you cannot handle in day to day life you will be confronted with them on the Race. In my about me I mentioned that I hated peanut butter and fish. Month one I ate peanut butter each day at least once. Month two I ate fish a few times. Don’t read that and worry. When you are in the Race your life is being lived with different expectations than comfort. You become okay with the uncomfortable. You realize that you can sit on a bus for 18 hours with three bathroom stops and it’s okay. Something in you changes, the things that used to matter the most seem to take a different place in your life. Do not let those inhibitions hold you back.
6. You will feel like your life motto is “it’s an 11 month mission trip that takes you through 11 countries”, even after leaving home. Especially after leaving home.
7. You will miss home. A lot. But if you go you will gain a new family of people that are growing just like you. People that want to see God more clearly in their lives and who will call you into greatness. Don’t judge them by their Facebook profiles or the number of comments they leave on the squad Facebook page, those people are so much more amazing than you can even imagine right now.
8. Do not look at the Race as something that will make your spiritual life better alone. Even on the Race, especially in the Race, you are in charge of your pursuit of God and what it will look like. God doesn’t just see that you are serving in another country and just start speaking to you like He did with Moses. You still pursue Him and seek to hear from Him. You must be willing. What does happen is that the Race will put you in a place where you need to depend on God completely, a place where you desire to be in community with Him and you long to hear His voice.
9. Pray. Hard. I want to tell you to just go but I would be a hypocrite. I prayed and read the blogs of other Racer’s for years before I was at a place to go. I’m also on a squad with people that found out about the World Race a few months before leaving. Either way you need to pray hard about if God is calling you here.
10. The number 11 will haunt you. It may start off as a joke but it shows up in so many situations, especially when making lists.
11. Ultimately, you need to realize that in applying to the World Race your life is not your own. While that should be something that you live with the knowledge of in daily life, sometimes we forget it. The Race won’t let you forget. You need to be willing to have your life be changed because you have given it over to Christ.
