Hello Friends!
Since being on the field for nearly 9 months now, I’ve picked up some good tips about the do’s and don’ts of being on the mission field! I’ve compiled a list of things that could be helpful to future racers, or anyone is just curious. Maybe you won’t be going on the mission field anytime soon, a lot of these things are helpful for traveling.
List of Do’s:
– Pack less and buy more in the countries you stay in. This way you’re packing light for travel days and you’re not ruining the stuff you love from home. With this being said, there are always those nonnegotiable items that you love and they don’t sell over seas. Which brings me to my next point.
– Stock up on those few nonnegotiable items that they may not sell over seas. My two items were Crest 3D White toothpaste and Pepto Bismol. I’m an oral hygiene fanatic, and tummy problems are no fun on the mission field. They don’t sell Pepto anywhere, so I would bring a large bottle of it, I helped a lot of people out on my squad.
– Eat what the locals eat! Don’t just go to the places that tourists go to. They may be a little nicer, but the whole point of being on the race of adopting the ways of the locals so you can reach them. We met so many awesome people at the places that all of the locals go to! It’s also a lot cheaper than those nice restaurants with good wifi. Markets are great to go to!!
– Go to the thrift shops! You end up finding stuff that the locals wear, and its super cheap. In Cambodia I found two outfits for less than $2. A blessing if I ever saw one.
– Go places on your adventure days! Beaches, lakes, craters, waterfalls, cities! Remember that the likelihood of you seeing the things around you again is very slim. Your weeks will be very focused on ministry of course, but also take advantage of the fact that you’re traveling.
– Take your sabbath seriously. This is a good life tip, not just a good World Race tip. Your weeks will be exhausting and its good to take the time to rest with the Lord on a regular basis! This is where I spent a lot of my time processing the weeks as I go along so I didn’t get super overwhelmed at the end of each country.
– Do spend time investing in your team! It’s the safest environment to fully choose in to. You’ll learn a lot about what loving others looks like through your team!
– Pour into locals sooner rather than later.
– Dive into ministry headfirst. Be bold. Be outgoing. Take the initiative. Get the ball rolling.
– Choose into the discipleship that you receive!
List of Don’ts:
– Don’t bring everything you own and love on the World Race. Your pack will be so heavy so your travel days will be miserable. You end up dropping things on the way anyways because stuff gets ruined and you can pick things up in each of the countries.
– Packing medicine for any scenario. I’d pack an antibiotic and Pepto—maybe ibuprofen.
– Complain. It breeds negativity. Your whole team will be very aware of how hot it is outside, speaking it out doesn’t change a thing.
– Avoid the things the Lord may be bringing up. He likes to walk you through hard things because he wants to grow you and you chose to grow when you chose to do the race!
– Avoid processing as you go along. Biggest mistake ever. You don’t want to be grieving your month 3 country at month 9! I like to process weekly so I’m able to fully take in the next week.
– Isolate yourself. Church means community. Church means people fighting for one another and encouraging one another.
– Ignore your sabbath and make yourself busy. A lot of people will talk about how burnt out they are, but they’re not spending their sabbath day actually sabbathing.
– Bring anything super valuable (watches, jewelry, electronics). Things get stolen and things break, that’s just reality. Make sure you’re not bringing anything that would leave you devastated if it didn’t make it back home with you.
– Bring super expensive gear (tents, hammocks, sleeping pads, etc.) without doing some research of each country. I sent my tent home month 3 because I never used it! And my super expensive $150 sleeping pad popped on day 10 of the race.
I know there are so many more things I could list, these just scratch the surface! Happy to share some of the things I’ve learned! Let me know if there are any other lingering questions 🙂
Steph
