Home. My concept of it has evolved over this last year. I have spent the night in train stations, hostels, with locals, on the desert sand, rocky beaches, with Mongolian nomads, and about everywhere in between. The idea of routine and regularity ceased, replaced with flexibility and adaptability. My home because conversations about Christ, time spent in prayer, acts of service, whatever my path was laid out to be. Now I find myself in the home I left for a year, with the people I missed so dearly, and stepping back into the life similar to the one I left. I am changed, but not different.
I have been home just over a week now. It has been, and will continue to be, a whirl wind of a time. I have thought deeply into what I wanted to say regarding my year. How to tie the year up in one blog and encapsulate the gravity of my time away is a daunting task. A blog post does no justice to what an impactful year it has been and it is almost impossible to put down words to express it all, but I will try.
My one line response when asked about the year is as follows, “I feel as if I lived an entire life in one year”. I experienced toil, trial, triumph, victory, defeat, glory, redemption and every emotion on the spectrum. I saw God undoubtedly show up and at other times asked myself where he was or why has had abandoned his people, often in the same day. I pleaded with God, spoke with Holy Spirit, and trusted in Christ when everything looked to fall apart. I laughed from my belly and cried from my heart. I learned to listen and trust and be kinder and chase the model of life in Christ. I doubted my faith at times, questioned everything, and had to often fight my own mind for what I know is the truth. But I count it all pure joy. This has been the hardest, most important year of my life, and I would not change one moment from it. I’ve been asked time and again if I would recommend the World Race to someone else, and my answer is of course. Just know it is not easy.
It would be easy to rattle off stories here. Spin the tales of my last year like some white knight coming home to claim his prize. Sure I was blessed to be apart an array of incredible experiences, but there isn’t a difference between me and you. There is nothing special about what I did this year. There is nothing special about serving others or dropping what you have to go. What is special is not anything to do with us but everything to do with how God is at work, everywhere and always, no matter what façade we see or curtain that is drawn, God is completing his work in the world. As believers, we are called to be a part of that. To be a missionary doesn’t mean flying to Uzbekistan and starting a non-profit (though it can). To be a missionary means striving every moment so that the person sitting in front of you knows Christ more intimately. We are all called to be missionaries. In Haiti, in America, in China, in Azerbaijan, wherever we are. God will tell us where to go and what to do, all we are asked is to do the work at hand.
Lastly I just want to say thank you. The support this year has been unlike anything I could have imagined. For an entire year I have felt and seen the impact of prayers, words of encouragement, and commitment to walk this journey alongside me. At times, I felt worn and beat down, but it is the belief in me from those back home that constantly renewed my spirit. I am undeserving of the outpouring of love all year, and I assure you the support and funds to make this year a possibility went so much further than I could have even imagined. I love you all so much. I’ve seen this year the lengths in which the simple love of Christ can go, and I’ve felt it from each one of you all year. What a wild ride it has been, and here we are. Keep the faith, endure until the finish, run to win the prize. The adventure we call life is only made perfect when we align it with Christ and strive to show that to others.
We out,
Parker
