And as I look back over the past 11 months, I can’t believe all that I experienced! Talk about amazing – PRAISE THE LORD!!
Many of you have followed my journey and some of you have not. I am not sure where you are at in life right now, but I do know that if you are willing, eager, and following Christ,
YOU SHOULD DO THE WORLD RACE!!!!
Here’s why…
Reason 1:
When is another time in your life you can travel the world with such purpose?!
I love traveling! I love exploring and learning new things about different cultures. So a huge draw for me to do the World Race was knowing that I was able to travel to many different countries BUT that I would be serving the Lord while being there. Having experienced the race I can tell you it was AMAZING to meet Christians around the world, serve along side them, experience the CHURCH in each country, and see and be a part of what God was doing there…..WOW! Each day I thanked God for the opportunity to have nothing else to do but be there, serving Him and others, and growing deeper in my faith too. In addition to the ministry each month, I was also able to do a bit of exploration and travel with my squad….Mt. Everest, Victoria Falls, volcano boarding in Nicaragua, no big deal!!!
On our church rooftop – I woke up to THIS sight!
Just trekking for Jesus in the mountains of Nepal – NBD!
Reason 2:
The community you develop is one of the strongest you will be a part of this side of heaven. The people you do the race with are the most real and become your family if you want.
One of the boundaries or rules if you will of the World Race is the rule of 2….you always have to have a buddy!! This is obviously for safety reasons but what it can do is deepen friendships and relationships with those on your squad and team. You also are on a team and are doing LIFE with that team each day of the race…. God in His sovereignty places specific people on your team just at the right time (mind you my team changed after month 3, after month 4, and after month 8) to impact your life and faith. Each day you set aside time for meeting together purposefully to check in, do a devotional or some type of group activity or just hang out. This time allows for vulnerability and processing through all that God is teaching you – in a safe place where you can get support and prayer from your team. You grow to see these people as your family as you share much of your life with them for 11 months! (I will say that you also can choose NOT to invest in these people, which will make for a long 11 months!)
Team Radical Pursuit – love you ladies!!!!
Some time within the team time you will do something called FEEDBACK. Feedback is something you learn about at training camp and practice but let me tell you – IT WILL HAVE SIGNIFIGANT impact on your life during the race IF YOU LET IT! Feedback is a way for you to be sharpened by others to be more like Christ (Proverbs 27:17). Your team comes along side you and affirms (positive feedback) and encourages (constructive feedback) your life and the ways your living to point you towards Christ in every area of your life. AMEN!!! If you want an example of how feedback can change your life – just EMAIL ME and I will share ways with you!!!
**I was fortunate to have one person by my side the ENTIRE race (I’m pretty sure this is some type of record or something) but TAYLOR NICOLE WHITE and I were race buddies and now life buddies!!! God kept her in my life for 11 months for SO MANY reasons and I praise Him for our friendship! We both experienced life transformation because of the community and teammates God gave us….we also memorized the entire book of James and are moving on with more passages in the Bible! (Psalm 119:9-11) Way to go Tay!
Reason 3:
The race will take you to places you might not ever experience because you would not necessarily travel there yourself….
As I look back over the countries the race took me too, I can’t say any were on my top 10 list of MUST SEE PLACES…. (India, Botswana, Ukraine, Montenegro, Philippines, Thailand) – some of these countries I had to look up where they were on a map! But I am SO glad that I was able to live in each of these places and experience the Church and culture there.
An Indian village with the ice cream man!!
Not only did I get to travel to some amazing countries but I was fortunate to live in cities that I would not have traveled to even if I DID travel to those countries. See when you are traveling as a tourist you pretty much just see things from that perspective. As a World Racer, you are NOT a tourist! You become part of the community and really experience the culture of where you are serving.
For more on this check out these blogs:
GUATEMALA – Bienvenidos a Guatemala
THAILAND – A Taste of Chiang Mai
INDIA – Living in Bible Time
MONTENEGRO – Yes this is where I live
Reason 4:
On the race you experience things and do things you never thought possible!
For this reason, I will redirect you to read Taylor White’s blog called Limitless! Here’s a little bit from it!
“Before embarking on this crazy journey, did I ever think that I would be standing up in front of a church congregation on my birthday and preaching the message? No.
Did I think I would go from bar to bar in the middle of the red-light district in Chiang Mai and spread God’s love to the prostitutes working there? No.
Did I think I would visit a prison in Granada and do crafts and talk about Jesus with the inmates? No.
Did I think that I would teach English as a second language everyday for three weeks without a lesson plan, having to come up with my own ways of teaching? No.
Did I think I would lead a team of women for 6 months? No.
Did I think I was capable of standing up on stage at church and sharing my testimony as so many people stared at me? No.
Did I think I could go 9 days without a shower and carry everything I needed for two weeks on my back? No.
Ok so I know there are MANY more reasons I could share (like you get to see wonders of the world, attend some AMAZING church services, and see God first hand), but for now I will leave you with these 4 reasons….in hopes that you will get on your knees and talk to God about His plans for you to maybe do the WORLD RACE!!!
Lauren
><>
(Taylor White contributed as well!!)
Interested in learning more about the WORLD RACE?
Check out their website: www.theworldrace.org
