On of the AIM staff members spoke today for our debrief session. I walked away with a few main points. We are responsible for the impression we give other people. When something happens in our lives we either ask, “Why is this happening to me? Or the correct response, “What is God trying to do through this experience and me?” A few other world racers and I had the opportunity put these points of wisdom into practice this afternoon.
A group of us decided to go horseback riding in our free time. A travel agency set us up for a tour through some sights and ruins then sent us in a taxi up to the ranch. Our driver took us to the same entrance I encountered yesterday where we needed to buy tickets that cost $25 in order to enter. Our driver then asked us to pay for the ride. There were two problems with that, first of all we were not supposed to have to pay to enter. Second of all transportation was supposed to be included in the cost of the horseback riding. So basically we had the chance to be really frustrated with the mishap or roll with it and keep our calm. We eventually got everything sorted out and made it to the ranch without having to pay anything extra. Looking back I realized that my attitude was more on the side of, “Why is this happening to me?” In the heat of the moment it is easy to get frustrated, but I need to remember that God is in control.
My only horseback riding experience in my life occurred when I was 4 years old. I rode with my dad and was terrified. I believe I cried for a large part of the ride. In spite of my lack of experience, horseback riding through the Andes mountains sounded too good to pass up.
My second time on a horse did not involve so many tears, but it did involve fear. No lesson or instructions were given; rather we headed up a steep rocky trail accompanied by a guide on foot. The horses moved at a slow pace, but occasionally would speed up to a trot.
We rode to the top of a mountain where we could look out over ruins and the city of Cusco. As I looked at the grand mountains I marveled at the work of the Creator.
On the ride back down I felt a little more comfortable, but he horses started to nip and kick each other. One of the World Racers commented, “They must spend too much time together, kind of like on the World Race.” In our teams we do occasionally nip at each other or sometimes even kick each other with our words and actions. That is why debrief and a time of slowing down is necessary in order to survive as individuals and teams.
