The term “mission trip” has different meanings for different people. Prior to leaving on the World Race when I would explain that I was prepping for an 11 month long mission trip, and got mixed reactions when the word “mission” came up. Since starting this journey, I’ve been able to explain the World Race to many people, and have changed my approach to explaining this trip. What I’ve experienced in the last 3 months is limited by a label of “mission trip.”
The World Race is so much more than a mission trip. The WR is community. The WR is doing life with people you met days/weeks/months prior. The WR is living outside of your comfort zone. The WR is growth. The WR is communicating. The WR is trusting in the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The WR is hearing heartbreaking stories and seeing a perspective shift after sharing how God is at work through trials.
The WR is learning to live without a schedule. The WR is culture. The WR is rooftop worship. The WR is family. The WR is powerful. The WR is a movement. The WR is intentional living. The WR is revealing giftings. The WR is action. The WR is stretching. The WR is finding rest in the Lord. The WR is taking advantage of every moment, every day, because the moments and days are fleeting.
The WR is being asked to sing for a church you are attending for the 1st (and probably only) time. The WR is revealing. The WR is developing deep connections with someone who doesn’t even speak the same language. The WR is breaking down walls. The WR is encouraging. The WR is pouring love and encouragement into those you see everyday, and those you see only once.
The World Race is so much more than a mission trip. It is sharing God’s love. It is being God’s love. It is living God’s love. It is portraying God’s love in a way that people see you and think “I want what she’s got!”
While it might be easier to intentionally live in this type of lifestyle while on the WR, it doesn’t take an 11 month long commitment to spread God’s love and exude his joy. Some of my most meaningful encounters have been with people outside of our intended audience, if you will.
I’ve felt God at work through conversations with people working the front desk at the guesthouse in Cambodia, people visiting the guesthouse, students accompanying us on a day trip outside of the city in Vietnam, a gentle old man who sat next to us for dinner and ended up spending several more hours with us in Indonesia, sharing smiles with people on the streets.
This can be done anywhere, anytime, y’all. Better yet, it can be done EVERYwhere and EVERY time.
How can you share/be/live/portray God’s love today?
