October 6th, 2018
It’s Saturday morning 4:30am and WHYYYYYYYYYYY is the alarm is going off ?
OH Yeah ? Today is the day we drive eight hours to Atlanta, Georgia to learn more about this Adventures in Missions (AIM) organization and spend twenty-four hours with our second daughter, Summer Jane, before she leaves on an 11 month, 11 country World Race (WR) (#11n11 for those Millennials reading this). At least, that’s what I thought she had signed up for.
Being a businessman and entrepreneur for 30 years, I should have known something was different when I asked her a few days prior: “What’s the agenda at your first stop in Belize?” and she replied: “Dad, they don’t give us an agenda.” WHAT? What are you going to do when you get there? She said, “we’ll figure that out when we get there or even better God will direct us,” Jeremiah 29:11.
Back to Saturday afternoon, we attended our first AIM session in the airport Hilton where we actually heard from the organization’s founder Seth Barnes (he literally had just gotten of a plain from Spain), a few of AIM’s current leadership and several testimonies from previous WR participants and WR parents. This is where my paradigm really got rocked! I thought these young adults were about to embark on an amazing journey, travel the world, help those in need and would all come back changed for the better. While I kept hearing the words “Managed Risk” over and over, all my brain could really focus on were the dangers, trials and tribulations. My twenty-two year old daughter was headed to some of the most remote areas of third world countries to experience orphans, widows, drug addictions, diseases and muggings, sex trafficking and one parent even said the “Kidnapping” word. WOAH!!! It got worse in the next parent session when they talked about the challenges of re-entry 11 months from now. All I kept hearing were symptoms of PTSD. Then a clear voice inside my head and my heart said “Be Anxious About Nothing,” Philippians 4:6, and this supernatural peace came over me!
We were split up from our daughter for most of the weekend as they too were going through in depth training sessions. I realized about half way through our sessions that we were about to embark on this World Race too, emotionally, physically and definitely spiritually! Later we got to have dinner and Worship together. After a couple of hours of Spirit filled Awesomeness, we said good night.
Sunday was another early start, we had a really nice breakfast and quality time with Summer. Hearing her speak so confidently really brought me even more peace of mind, even though I still didn’t think she understood the magnitude of what she was about to do.
The next session separated the moms from the dads and this was really powerful for me also; especially since 86% of the World Racers were female. That meant there were a whole bunch of daddy’s girls about to leave for a year, Ephesians 6:4. I’m confident and comforted that David Reeves with AIM and this group of men will become a great support group in the future.
Next we had the pleasure of having lunch with Summer and her entire P-Squad Magic Tree House Team (Hannah, Meagan, Ré, EmJay & Summer), along with Meagan’s parents. I have to admit that lunch experience was a bit surreal. I’m not sure anyone could truly put their finger on or articulate how they were really feeling. This is where the “Kingdom Journey” and the discipleship program that AIM truly is became clear to me. Five young women, 21-24 years old, are about to embark on this journey; abandoning their comfortable lives, aware or maybe not of the brokenness they are about to experience and most of all become truly dependent on Jesus, Our Father God and The Holy Spirit to direct them. Psalm 119:5
Well the time had come for us to say our goodbyes. My wife, our sixteen year old daughter, Summer & I all circled up for a group hug and a prayer. I held it together for all of a couple minutes until I uttered the words, “It’s time for us to let you go”, which is when the Holy Spirit welled up in me with more joy and sadness than I’ve experienced in a long time. What a Powerful weekend!
Our continued prayer for our daughter and the other 96 World Racers around the world…Col. 1:9-11. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with Joy.
Love You Summer Jane Conneen
Your WR Dad
