Ever since I applied for the World Race and started preparing for training camp back in 2017.. I started noticing parallels between the World Race and the Military.
I’ll start out by saying I served four years in the US Air Force. Those four years of my life FLEW by in some of the most beautiful and hectic ways. I separated in June of 2017 and launched on the Race that August.
But let’s cut to the chase.. these are some of those parallels:
ACRONYMS.
Some of the first things you might notice if you partner with Adventures in Missions is the [not so] excessive use of ACRONYMS.
“LDW is next weekend and I can’t wait to sit down with the SQLs and talk about ATL last month.” Uhhh.. say what?
If you think you won’t catch on.. you will.
If you are enlisted or prior service, you’re used to this by now.
CHAIN OF COMMAND.
Not so similar to the military’s hard set standards, the WR still has a chain of command as far as who to ask questions to and who to talk to for specific issues to make sure the proper individuals are notified.
BMT/ Training Camp
I don’t like spoilers, but let me just tell you that you can relax and enjoy TC.. it’s nothing like Basic. I honestly went into it expecting to be thrown into some wild scenarios, woken up in the middle of the night, and expected to do crazy hikes that were incredibly demanding after only eating rice for three days. LOL Training Camp is actually pretty practical.
VACCINES.
The World Race doesn’t mandate* any vaccines but there is a list of very highly recommended vaccines that you’ll need according to the CDC depending on which countries you go to. Most of which, I had already gotten in the military during that assembly line you walk through at Basic Training! Those ones were not optional then.
“I HAVE A COUSIN IN THE AIR FORCE”
If you’ve served in any branch of the military, I almost guarantee you’ve heard someone describe a family member or friend who also served in that branch, almost expecting you to know them. It happens almost everywhere you go on the WR “You’re from the United States!? I have a cousin in New Jersey!! His name is _______…?” You then have to gently explain that you’ve never been to New Jersey and/or you just simply don’t know their cousin.
DRESS AND APPEARANCE
In the military you have grooming standards and uniforms. You can’t show most tattoos, your hair looks a certain way and you wear this specific uniform.. On the Race, it’s not quite so strict but there may be certain countries you have to take out piercings, cover tattoos, cover your ankles, etc. and there is a specific dress code regarding the length of shorts, the type of tank tops, and other things for regular day to day life on the Race.
BASIC ALLOWANCES
On the World Race, you’re not given a set amount of money for things like housing and food, but occasionally you will be handed your food budget for the day or maybe even for your whole team, depending on your role within that team.
INSURANCE
In the US Military… you’re insured! You have a pretty sweet deal, you just don’t really have a say in it. Same with the World Race! No, you’re not covered in America, but you are set up with really great travelers insurance and a pretty low deductible that covers you the whole time you’re on the field! Whooo!
TAX FREE GROCERIES
Okay, only at the commissary for you military folk. But in a lot of places overseas you don’t have to worry about tax being racked on to the goodies you buy on the Race.. especially if you’re buying “fat cakes” or peaches out of a van.
HURRY UP AND WAIT
I didn’t understand this phrase.. but I caught on pretty quickly in the Air Force. You’re told to hurry up to get somewhere and you’ll likely wait half an hour before anything actually starts. (The good ol’ 15 minutes prior to 15 minutes prior) On the race this is usually known as “Africa Time” or “(insert name of country) Time” where you will rush to be on time somewhere and the people you are meeting to serve don’t show up for another.. sometimes few hours. Either way, you always want to be on time to honor your host and for the off chance that everyone is running on.. what they like to call “American Time”.
HARD DRIVES
Almost everyone brings a hard drive full of movies and favorite tv series on a deployment. It’s the same for most World Racers. I don’t highly recommend this because 1. Most of everything is illegally downloaded nowadays and I’m just not down for that and 2. It can really take away from your time with your team or the community living just outside. If you are going to bring one, be wise about it! It can come in handy to have a few videos to watch with the youth. We watched Case for Christ a few times and other movies with some of the teens in different countries. Oh, and maybe your favorite Christmas movie.. it may come in handy!
SHOWERS
On the Race they typically look like having the cold water on only to get wet and rinse off, some times you simply have a faucet, a bucket, and a scoop to pour the water yourself. But, of course for my AF family.. you’re usually treated to nice showers. In that case, you’ll have a month or maybe even a few on the World Race that you’re blessed with hot water! ENJOY IT!
DEBRIEFS
We actually debrief quite a bit on the World Race. It’s good to keep teams on the same page as to how you are as individuals, how you’re doing as a team, and how well you’re accomplishing the mission, the big mission of sharing Jesus and making disciples 🙂
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Most people join the military with at least a little bit of that good ol’ American pride and enthusiasm for serving their country. And….. typically that excitement fades. Some people sooner than others, but at one point in your career- however short or long- you’ll have to remind yourself why. Why are you really there? What do you actually care about? What is the bigger picture? The same thing will likely happen on your Race. Eventually, the excitement of life as a “missionary” will begin to fade and you’ll wonder if you are actually going to eat that hundredth bowl of rice, pap, or sadsa and if you will survive another day with the person that’s making it an actual necessity to pray without ceasing. That’s when you get to choose to press in. Choose to acknowledge those feelings, take them to the Lord and remember the bigger picture: lives are being changed. You are sharing the love and the good news of Jesus Christ.. plus the locals have been eating that same dish their entire life and you’ve seen people hungry, thank God for your white rice!
In the military there is that option to press on without pressing in and becoming a crusty SNCO.. or you could get out and become a bitter vet.
On the World Race, there’s also always the option to go home (on your own dime) But I promise, in either case, it is not worth it! Find Joy in Jesus and whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:13)
“GOODBYE”
There are a lot of goodbyes in the military. It starts in saying goodbye to your family for Basic Training, then to your flight at BMT, the friends you make at tech school, the family you find at your first duty station, and so on. On the WR, you only have a month in each country and at the end…. you say “goodbye”. You have the option to continue choosing love. Choose love when your heart is still broken from saying goodbye to the community in your last country. Choose love even though you know you’ll have to leave in a few weeks. Again, it’s worth it!
REINTEGRATION
I heard the most about reintegration when separating, referring to integrating back into life as a civilian. That may sound a bit dramatic for the civilians out there, but it really is a different world. Same with reintegrating into America after 11 months overseas. Being back in America is just different.. even the toilet situation isn’t the same. Thankfully, the WR also acknowledges reintegration and your leadership will likely talk through it with you. It’s not something to fear but it’s definitely something to pray through and talk about.. it’s good!
“TOUGH”
This is more of a personal insight:
I was a relatively sensitive Airman but transitioning into life as a civilian, I found myself pretty hard. Not only did certain things not phase me that effected others, it was as though I was expected to be extra tough because I was in the military. I was fine with it, but I found it feeding into a fake identity that I walked in for quite some time. I hated asking for help and you better be joking if you think a man would help me carry something.. I would have rather fallen over and broken my arm.
Yikes. That, my friends, is pride. My time on the mission field with the World Race has uncovered a lot more sin in my heart than just that and it has also provided me with a space to process, abandon, and work through the aftermath of it
If you are prior service, you’ll probably find even more parallels, but I’ll cut the list off there.
You’ve been through quite a bit in any branch of the military if you made it though your Basic Training. You likely won’t be in any situation as demanding and exhausting on the World Race, but you WILL be given multiple opportunities to grow in ways you would never expect. It’s going to be difficult in ways that you can’t prepare for and you will be pushed in ways that the military never pushed you. You’ll likely and hopefully be in an environment that is going to shine light on that stubborn pride and encourage you to grow. And it’s so, so good.
Want more from my perspective? I invite you to check out a blog I posted on my Race: Easier To Serve My Country where I shared about why I thrived in the Air Force and why I struggled on the World Race.
Uffda
