I was super blessed to be able to raft the Nile yesterday! I am here to say that we all survived and there were no major injuries. As we were floating down the river I began thinking how similar the World Race is to rafting the Nile. So I’m gonna hit two birds with one stone, what it’s like rafting the Nile, and what it’s like on the World Race.
I was nervous but so flipping excited! Well I wasn’t excited about flipping but I heard that it happens quite often. I couldn’t sleep the night before; it was like the first time I was going to Disneyland all over again. I got up early, got the right dry fit clothes to wear and made sure my camera was charged.
When I left for the race I had the same feelings. I was so excited but I was also so nervous. Nervous about what to expect, nervous about making the right decision. When it came down to the week before I couldn’t believe I was selling a majority of my possessions and putting the rest in boxes. I was excited for the journey ahead and knew that this is where the Lord was calling me. So the very last day I gave my parents my keys, handed them important documents to have “just in case” and made sure my pack was all set. I wore some comfortable clothes for the flight from L.A. to Guatemala and made sure my camera was charged.
I got a helmet, life vest, and paddle. The essentials.
I only got to pack the essentials, as my dad would say “no extra fluff.” I brought my pack, my tent, and only the essential gear I needed for the year. Of course I got to bring the most important thing, my sword (the bible duh).
We had a raft guide that knew exactly what to do. He’d been down the river a hundred times before. He knew exactly how to guide us. Paddle forward, Paddle backward, and stop.
Our original Squad Leaders were like our raft guides. Yes, they’ve been on the race befire and are a part of this squad but they aren’t world racers, they are Squad Leaders. They’ve been down the river before. At times I was frustrated and stressed but they always spoke wisdom and peace. They’ve done the race before and gave me incredibly insight, advice and more importantly prayed over me for the journey I was going on.
After we went through the first rapid I was a lot less scared. I got the motion down of paddle, duck, and lean.
After the first month I was lot less nervous. After the first couple of months you get the rhythm down, pour in, do ministry, pack up, move forward. You get the hang of it and it becomes a lot less scary. Traveling with no phone, in a country you don’t speak the language is no big deal anymore.
When I fell out of the boat someone was there in a heartbeat to pull me back in.
Your team will be there for you when you hit a rough spot. Your team will be there to pull you up, speak into you, encourage you and speak truth. You might need this at the first rapid, you might need it at the last, but either way your team is there for you.
I never wanted be floating down the river by myself. Floating down the river by yourself is a dangerous, scary situation.
On the race it's same same. We aren’t allowed to go anywhere by yourself. It is a safety precaution that works wonders. The race believes in the buddy system.
The photos were only of the epic parts but there is a lot of river between those shots. We didn’t take a lot of photos of us just floating down the river, but that is honestly where the majority of the time went.
Yes, we get some epic photos, but that doesn’t mean the whole trip is sunshine and roses, or in this case huge 4 class rapids. There are some really really hard moments and there are normal everyday moments.
The photos didn’t give me an accurate representation of what “rafting the Nile” is actually like.
There were a lot of parts that no one really gets to see but your team. You can try to explain to people what it was like but they will still never really get it unless they have done it before
(Shout out to all the alumni racers!). There is a bond that us, B- Squad, will always have that no other squad, can ever have. There is a bond with your team that you will share from doing life together and typically, the closest moments have no documentation, they come with conversations on the way to the bathroom, sharing moments in a packed truck, and eating dinner together.
Thankfully, moments of rest came right after some of the most intense rapids. There was enough time to get everyone in the boat, take a breath and keep moving forward.
Debriefs could not be planned at a better time on the race. I found myself getting into debrief right after some hard moments and Debrief is just enough time to get poured into, take a breath and keep moving forward to impacting the Kingdom.
After flipping in the water and making it out okay, I breathed a lot lighter. I had the confidence that we could do this together and it wasn’t that bad. Flipping, in a way made us closer as a team. Together we got back in and kept going.
Flipping in a raft and good feedback are pretty similar. We have positive and constructive feedback that we give each other at team time almost everyday. The first time you give someone constructive feedback it might be a little difficult but it makes you closer knowing you can conquer the hard things and call someone up into the person God has created them to be. Don’t fear constructive feedback, conflict breads intimacy.
The last rapid was the hardest for our boat. It wasn’t the same for all of the boats. Some had a hard first rapid, for others the 3rd was the hardest.
Each team is different and on a different journey. Don’t compare teams. God has you where he wants you and is taking you on a journey. Some teams have a hard season the first couple of months, for some it comes near the end.
Rafting the Nile was one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had. It was hard and challenging but it was incredibly fun. I got flipped out of the boat twice. The first time I came up right by the boat and was one of the first ones back on. We were all checking on each other, giving thumbs up, counting, and making sure that 8 helmets popped back up. The second time we flipped it was a lot scarier. I got stuck under for a bit and we were still going down some rapids. Paul fell out first, and then all of us flew off when the boat flipped. All of us were scattered and calling out to each other. Though the second time was scary at first, it was also fun getting to float down the river. It was an experience to remember.
I’ve still got a couple of months to go but this journey has been an amazing experience. It’s been hard and incredibly challenging but really rewarding. I’ve been learning so much about myself and many cultures around the world. It’s been amazing to see how God created all of us so differently but desires for us to be united in his Kingdom. It’s been awesome to get to share the love of Jesus in so many ways and to so many people. I’ve made some amazing friendships but have also seen things that were incredibly hard. It has been one of the best experiences of my life and I am still excited for that last part of this journey. Bring it on.
Love,
ASH
