I was recently asked to give a pros and cons list of going on the World Race by a dear friend of mine and I want to share what I came up with.
[Disclaimer: Everyone who goes on the World Race sees and experiences their journey differently. This is simply how I have seen it so far.]
“I have to tell you honestly that this trip is not for the faint of heart. It will get hard and push you to limits you didn’t know you had. There will be days that you wish you were back in America with all the comforts of home surrounding you: mom’s home cooking, childhood friends, your bed, etc. Eleven months is a very long time and you quickly realize that life back at home goes on even if you’re not there. The closest you come to celebrating joys or empathizing trials with your family and friends is through a spotty Skype call (if you’re lucky enough to have wifi). You also feel like you’re in a pressure cooker that is constantly refining you mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. There will be things you see in this world that make you ask God hard questions that usually start with “Why?” Quite frankly, the Race will definitely pull out all sides of you, the good, the bad and the ugly. BUT I have to say that the hardest things that have been a part of my journey this year have turned into the cracks of my brokenness that allow His glory to shine through me the brightest! When I have days that I don’t think I can be separated from my little sisters for one more minute; I have been forced to place them in His capable hands and I have found freedom in doing so every. single. time. When I get fed up with people (it will happen) and think that the introvert within me cannot stand being constantly around humans for another moment, that’s when He shows me just how much He loves me through the very specific people He has placed around me at that time. When I see that I have yet to reach my next financial support goal and don’t know how it is going to be met, it now creates an excitement in me to see how He is going to come through. When He chips away at something in my heart that is not of Him, the pain reminds me to trust Him because He has yet to fail me and never will.
While on the Race, if you are willing you will come to a place spiritually where you have practiced relying on Him for literally EVERYTHING and it is then that it seems to become second nature. Such dependence on Him makes having grace for yourself and others so much easier. It frees you to see the world with His eyes. It makes your heart overflow with His love that is constantly being poured into you each day through the orphans you teach English to, your squad mates that show you they will do anything for you or incredibly intimate moments with the Holy Spirit during a worship service at a church in the middle of a village… I could keep going.
I think that there is truth in the statement “The World Race isn’t for everyone”; but those who do choose to go come back home looking more like Him.”
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Thank you for reading!
