I think all of us were caught off guard by the speed and extent of changes in the last two weeks. We’re grateful all of our Racers are home from overseas. We do believe they come back needing time to process and debrief. The return home from the Race is always hard and unsettling. And they had to leave quickly, without proper goodbyes to their in-country friends or their team and squad mates. In addition to all the “normal” feelings, they have an additional layer – a big one – to deal with. In addition, the America they are returning to is a very different one than the one they left.
Some Racers had just 3 months on the field. Some had ten. Some were beginning to think of “what’s next” and others were still diving into “fully present here”. There is much to grieve in this season being cut short.
Does this change the heart of our mission?
No.
Our goal is to be sending missionaries to the nations again as soon as we can – while operating within the wisdom of the experts we have consulted throughout the process.
In the meantime, we are excited that over 500 missionaries – equipped and passionate about Jesus – are now back in the U.S. and will have opportunities to minister here to a culture that is increasingly struggling to find peace in the midst of uncertainty.
Life is ministry and ministry is life – that core value of the World Race is needed now more than ever.
So, what’s next?
There are going to be a lot of steps. Here are a couple of big ones we are starting with.
We have a team (including some of our best disciplers and some of our counselors) working on a strategy to debrief returning Racers from a distance. For most Racers, I suspect they will be hearing from squad mentors and coaches soon if that hasn’t already happened.
Parent Ministry will be offering some resources to you as they become available.
Our Senior Leadership team is assessing the financial implications and working with program heads to determine options. We expect that it will take at least 30-60 days to sort through most of that.
For now …
Read Michelle’s blog “Before and After” (link is also in the newsletter).
Subscribe to the Hope Rising blog – a new blog created by World Race to tell stories of hope. It also includes links to daily worship times that our worship leader is doing for the Adventures in Missions community. Much of what is in this month’s newsletter came from this site, but it will continue to be updated regularly with new content.
Stay connected with the others who have been on this journey with you. Check in with each other on how your Racers are doing. Pray for each other.
Reach out to Betty ([email protected]) or Michelle ([email protected]) if you have questions, concerns or just need to hear another voice.
