The World Race is in many ways a giant mystery. Each month, we’ve known what country we’d be going to next. It wasn’t until a couple weeks–or even a couple days–before crossing the border, though, that we’d find out where exactly we’d be staying and what our ministry would be. Each team was given a document called a setup sheet in advance of traveling to our next country to give us a heads up of what to expect from the next month of ministry.
We learned within the first couple of months of the Race that the setup sheet is rarely a completely accurate picture of what a month will look like, and we never truly knew what our ministry was until we arrived at it and joined in for a few days. Even with all this mystery, though, there’s a sense of disorientation that comes with reaching the end of the Race and realizing that there’s no setup sheet to explain to us where we’re being sent next. So for all of us month eleven racers who will be flying home in less than a week, here’s our setup sheet for month twelve: the United States of America.
It bears as much relation to what we’ll actually be doing this August as any other setup sheet has all year long.
LOGISTICS
Squad: J
Ministry Start Date: July 26, 2015
Ministry End Date: Flexible
Ministry Name: Home
Ministry Host: Local church
Daily Ministry Host: Friends and family
City: Individual racers may select their preferred location
Country: USA
Language: English
Currency: US Dollar
Notes: This month, racers will be asked to operate separately from their team and will be sent to numerous individual ministry sites around the country. You will have the opportunity to reunite with your squad in the second half of the month at Project Searchlight in Gainesville, GA.
TRANSPORTATION TO COUNTRY AND MINISTRY LOCATION
Transport to Country: From Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, fly to LAX.
Visas Required: None required for US citizens
Cost: N/A (see above)
Initial Transport to Ministry: From LAX individuals will be expected to make your own way to your ministry sites. Planes, trains, buses and cars are all potential options for transportation. Ticket and/or gas prices may vary.
MINISTRY
Ministry Vision: To bring the light of Christ to this city, state and nation by building relationships that reflect Jesus’ love among our friends, family and strangers of all walks of life, and to see the United States of America transformed by the love and grace of Christ.
Ministry Summary: Potential ministry activities include:
Preaching in a church, small group, or informal setting. You will typically be given at least one hour’s advance notice for preaching engagements, but also be prepared to preach with five minutes of preparation or less.
Teaching English and/or tutoring and/or homeschooling. You may be asked to volunteer in a classroom at a local school, lead an after-school tutoring program, or homeschool the children of your ministry contact. Be flexible and ready to work with students of all ages at all levels of education. Some materials may be provided, but also come prepared to create your own curriculum.
Sports ministry with local children or students.
Relational ministry: that is, intentionally building genuine relationships with people in the community. You will be able to choose where you would like to invest. Suggested locations include your favorite coffee shop, laundromat and/or McDonald’s.
Loving on orphans at a local orphanage.
Volunteering in a local hospital or clinic. This may include praying for patients and/or impromptu preaching. If you are given the opportunity to speak for five minutes in a large ward, don’t forget the altar call. If you have medical experience, you may also be invited to participate in some procedures.
Visiting inmates at a local prison.
Manual labor, including but not limited to: construction, painting or gardening.
Door-to-door evangelism and/or house visitations to encourage members of the local church. Bring your Bible and come prepared to give short, impromptu sermons relevant to your listeners.
Behind-the-scenes support, including but not limited to: cooking for ministry staff and/or community members, cleaning, and organizing bookshelves and other materials to keep our ministry running smoothly.
Working with animals. This may involve feeding or pet-sitting your ministry host’s dog or cat, or it may involve feeding pigs every day at a local farm. The farm may be up to two hours away, or it may be in the immediate vicinity–that is, you may be asked to pitch your tent merely feet from the cow pasture. Come prepared to get smelly.
Other miscellaneous ministry, to be determined or developed after your arrival.
Ministry Sensitivities: This ministry does not have a dress code; you are welcome to wear shorts, tank tops and two-piece bathing suits. We do ask that you bear in mind that you are, as ever, representing Christ to the people around you, so please use your own discretion in dressing. Though not required, we recommend that you invest in some new wardrobe pieces that may be more suitable for this month of ministry; you may find that your clothes that are ripped, stained, stretched out, discolored, “modified” (that is, cut from pants to shorts, t-shirts to tank tops, sleeves to headbands, etc.) and resewn after eleven months of travel are atypical of fashion in this culture. You will find many options for clothes shopping in this country. Two popular locations are Target and Walmart. Be warned that with the 1:1 exchange rate, prices may be difficult to fit into a World Race budget.
Notes: As with every month of the Race, ministry this month will be what you choose to make of it. You may find upon arrival that your schedule is jam-packed every single day, or you may find you only have half an hour of scheduled ministry one day a week. Whatever the case, you can choose to check out or press in. Some of the most rewarding moments this month may come from the times when you choose to step out in faith and follow Jesus without really knowing what He’s doing or what’s going on. Enter this month expecting Him to do great things, seek His face and His will day by day, and be willing to engage with everything ministry throws at you, and you’ll find that month twelve will be saturated with His presence.
FIELD EXPENSES/COST AGREEMENT
Lodging Cost: $5
Food Cost: $5
Transport Cost: $5
Misc. Cost: $5
Lodging: Lodging may be in a house, apartment, hotel or other residential building.
Lodging Notes: You may have opportunities to use your tent or hammock, but they will probably not be necessities. Lodging will typically include amenities such as a bed with sheets, running water, hot showers that spray water from above your head, air conditioning and heating, laundry facilities (washer and dryer), a dishwasher, a microwave, an oven, a stove, a fridge and a television. Buckets for showering, basins for hand washing laundry and a well to draw water will not be provided, as they will not be necessary.
Food: Sometimes you will have the opportunity to prepare meals yourself, and sometimes your hosts will prepare meals for you.
Food Notes: You will have the opportunity at the beginning of the month to share with your hosts any dietary restrictions you may have. However, we ask that you be gracious to your hosts as they generously share their cuisine with you. Be open to trying new foods you might not typically eat. Remember that this can often be part of ministry and a cultural experience in and of itself, and be willing to push yourself in ways that may be uncomfortable.
Local Transport: Your mode of transportation may vary, but will likely include catching rides with friends and family in their vehicles. You may also have the opportunity to drive your own personal vehicle this month. Depending on the ministry location, you may choose to utilize public transportation or walk to nearby destinations.
Local Transport Notes: This month you will have the opportunity to venture out alone for hours or even days at a time. There will even be occasions when this will be a necessity. If, after eleven months of inescapable community, you find it challenging and stressful to go grocery shopping or cross the street to get coffee without a buddy, keep calm, pray, and take baby steps towards a more independent lifestyle. When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed and downhearted that the teammates with whom you’ve shared the last year of your life are not around to join you in your every step outside your home, remember that you’re never truly alone, for Jesus is with you wherever you go.
Misc. Costs: Miscellaneous costs will vary, but may include expenses such as cleaning supplies, personal toiletries and clothes, and materials and supplies for various ministries (ex. paper for lesson planning during teaching ministry; small, thoughtful gifts for friends during relational ministry).
Misc. Costs Notes: Miscellaneous costs will be up to your own discretion this month. Due to the individual nature of this ministry, your funds will not be managed by your team treasurer; rather, you will be asked to take on that responsibility. Nor will your expenses be prescribed: you are free to purchase any items you feel would benefit you and/or those around you during the course of this ministry. You will not be required to submit your receipts to your squad treasurer at the end of the month, although we recommend that you develop a personal system for keeping track of your finances.
HOST RISK PREVENTION
1. Are there malarial mosquitoes in the area?
No. There is also minimal to no risk of Dengue fever, typhoid, or Japanese encephalitis. A Yellow Fever card is not required for entry to this country.
2. Have other missionaries gotten sick from food?
No.
3. Is there food that the team should stay away from: If so, what?
Overconsumption of fast food may have adverse effects on health, but we will not prohibit missionaries from eating it.
4. What will you do to help ensure that our team doesn’t get sick?
Missionaries are encouraged to eat healthy food and get good rest each night.
5. Is the water supply clean?
Yes. Tap water is safe to drink, and bottled water is readily available in stores. Missionaries may also choose to purchase a water purifier if they would like to filter their tap water.
So there you have it: month twelve of the World Race, because even though we’re flying home, in many ways the journey isn’t really over. To all my fellow racers heading into final debrief and then our final travel day, good luck and Godspeed. And to my beloved J Squad, thank you for a wonderful year of navigating this Jesus-led mystery together. It’s been a messy, beautiful, crazy blast, and I couldn’t imagine it without you.
