Timing is flying and I cant believe its already been two weeks since my parents (who have never been out of America) flew to Romania to be a blessing to me and those we were serving. Although I would love to go on and on about how absolutely amazing my parents are (which they are), I decided to write this blog for all future world racers and those who maybe on the field deciding if they want to invite there parents to the Parent Vision Trip.
Some of the things I’ve heard from racers on my squad were:
My parents and I don’t have a great relationship…
I want this to be a journey separate from the security of my parents…
We don’t have the money (this was my reasoning)….
I just don’t want them to come….
Although these are valid reasons not to invite your parents to come i’d like to propose some of the pros to inviting you parents:
If God provided 16,000 for you to come surely he can provide for your parents…
Great time from reconciliation with your parents…
Chance to spend time and serve with the people who care for you the most…
Opportunity to show your parents what you have been and will be doing for the last couple of months….
If your parents have never been on a missions trip (like mine) great opportunity to show them that it’s not as scary as it may seem….
And many more reasons….
I have an amazing relationship with my parents and I was so grateful they were able to come out and serve with me. God did some amazing things in such a short time. Not only in myself but my squad mates as well. I was able to show my parents what I was doing on a daily basis and as believers what we are all called to do “making disciples of all nations”. They did an amazing job and impressed me beyond what I was expecting. From passing out New Testament bibles, to home visits, to playing with over 100 Romanian kids in a park. They got a chance to see how others live across the ocean and learned a new appreciation for the things we have in America. It was cool for me to see my parents pray over families and encourage them with the word of God. I grew up going to church so this was not completely foreign for me but I was highly impressed because of there openness. It was also very refreshing to see my parents praying together. I haven’t seen that in years and it was encouraging to see them feeding off each other’s energy and letting the holy spirit do his thing in and through them.
For a couple of my squad mates the week was not quite as easy and relaxing. There were conversations that needed to be had and things that needed to be brought up. As uncomfortable as it may have been the conversations were had. I don’t want to tell anyone else’s story but lets just say the reconciliation that came from that week of ministry was life and relationship altering. I know that sometimes we as racers think “Ill just deal with that when I get home”. But God words say….
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. “Ephesians 4:31-32
“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. “Colossians 3:13
We are called to reconcile any conflict or quarrel we may have and being on the field is probably one of the best environments to do it in. We have a body of believers around us to support you. We have a very small squad so we all know each other pretty well. We also have two former squad leaders who we can reach out to back home in America who supports us 24/7. We also have a squad mentor who works in the AIM office and is here to support us in anyway 24/7. Last but certainly not least we have squad coaches. These are older saint (or seasoned saints as I like to call them) who are older and can give us a larger perspective. The support system we have on the race is phenomenal and is alot stronger then what most of us have at home. This is hands down the best time to reconcile any issues with your parents.
Even after all of this, some of you may still be thinking for some reason or another your still weary about your parents coming. I would challenge you to pray into it and reevaluate your reasoning’s for not wanting your parents to be there. I pray in favor of them coming and I pray blessings over your experience. Love you all. Shalom
