Dear Future World Racer,
Oh. Sweet. Lord.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!
Juuuust kidding. Hi. Welcome to the Vortex [which is what my teammate and friend Rachel likes to call the World Race sometimes…].
You will not find a packing list here. Sorry. There are just too many variables to try to give you an exhaustive list [although this is a pretty decent summary, if that’s why you came to this page in the first place]. The only non-negotiables in my mind are Haviana flip flops, a sleeping bag liner that you love, a good pillow, extra USD, an external harddrive, enough Sharpie pens to last the year, and a pair of jeans that make you look gooood for when you want to feel like a normal human every once in a while. And maybe some actual, physical pictures of your friends and family at home – you’re not always going to want to pull out your Macbook to show kids in Africa pictures of your family. And boom – you’re packed.
You’re welcome.
So. That is my non-spiel about packing. What I really wanted to tell you, though, is a bit bigger than will fit in your pack. I have some thoughts for you [and a couple bonuses for your family and friends at the end] that might help you on your journey.
Read through and ask Jesus what He thinks and
then stop talking and listen to Him.
These are just a handful of the things that I’m taking away from this whirlwind of a year… I hope something resonates with you.
1. Enjoy the process – there is beauty in the process. Jesus had to explain this one to me my first week – oh, who am I kidding. I was crying in the bathroom of JFK fifteen minutes before we even left the country because I felt like I wasn’t where I was “supposed to be” spiritually and emotionally… that whole “supposed to be” notion is a lie. Don’t let it touch you. Be honest with God and with yourself about where you are and let Him do the rest. Like I said, my first week on the field, Jesus had to pull me aside and have a little talk. “Carly,” He said, “this year is not about insta-results or immediate gratification. There is no speed setting on My refining process… but there is beauty in the process. I am glorified in the process – and I need you to trust Me.” Can’t really argue with that, can I?
2. But seriously – no expectations. Step away from the expectations. They’re just going to mess you up and piss you off. Want to expect something? Expect God to show up big time – and He will. Expect Him to stretch you. Expect Him to show you love and affection like you’ve never experienced before. But don’t expect your teammates to make you happy, don’t expect your contact to always make sense, and don’t expect your ministry to bring you deep and lasting joy every day. Walk into every month expecting nothing more than the power of God and a sleeping pad on the floor. You won’t be disappointed.
3. Pursue God’s truth and your time with Him above all else. Just because you’re a missionary now and living in a community of people who want more Jesus does not mean that your Jesus time is just handed to you. Fight for it – it’s your food and energy and love and patience allotment for the day. God has called His children to sit down at a rich banqueting table and to be filled to the fullness of Him. If you’re passing by that table and just grabbing a granola bar on your way out the door instead, you’re going to be tired and cranky by 11 am. Let the Spirit feed you every single day.
4. Don’t worry about what comes next as far as traveling and ministry placement goes. As a former team leader, I can borderline guarantee you that your team leader, God bless him or her, is not withholding information. He/she genuinely does not know where you are going next month, because they have not been told, which means that the squad leaders most likely do not know, because they have not been told, which means that things are still getting figured out Stateside. So cool it. You’ll get to your next country and you’ll have a ministry site and you might be paired with another team, or not. There’s legitimately purpose in all of it though – God does not waste anything.
5. Every team I’ve ever seen looks perfect on paper, because it assumes the best in people. They are made in faith that each individual will pursue Jesus first and put others before him/herself, that they’ll choose in to the month’s ministry and, simply put, live a life of love. Unfortunately, not everyone lives up to that all the time. You cannot control or manipulate your teammates’ actions, but you can control your own. Do your part, even when it sucks and you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. Know that every single person on your team is on your team for a reason – you have things that they need and they have things that they need. So share. And figure out how to laugh together, because I am convinced that laughing is the key to joy and peace between teammates.
6. If you’re called to the World Race, then God wants to teach you some things about authority and community. Go with it, it’s good. It also means that you’re being called to come under AIM’s authority for a season and spoiler alert – AIM is not a perfect organization. It’s because there are humans involved. There will be policies you do not love, decisions that do not make sense to you, little things about the way things are run that might drive you crazy. But here’s the thing: If God called you to the World Race – which I believe that He did – then He has called you to AIM for a season. That does not mean that you have to do the World Race, then go back out to squad lead, then move to Gainesville and then work for AIM until the age of 65, when you can retire and spend your old age reading WR blogs and flying out to debriefs for fun. I mean, it might mean that and in which case, awesome. But all you need to focus on is today. So do yourself and everyone else around you a favor: respect authority. Don’t complain. Don’t grumble. Feedback and be honest, but honor the season that God has called you into. I promise that God has bigger purposes in calling you out here than just to frustrate you; He is not a trickster God who enjoys seeing His children annoyed. He has called you out here to grow you, to refine you, to make you look more like Him. So lay your pride and any sense of “I know best” down on the ground and just let Him do His work. He’s good at it – I promise.
7. Now, for the good news. The really delicious, too good to be true news that you will come to fully believe and operate out of this year. Are you ready? God does not give His children dreams that He does not intend to fulfill and surpass. Do you know what that means? It means that God created you perfectly – perfectly – and your gifts and skills and passions are from Him. He is a good Abba who gives good gifts. So approach this year like the adventure that it is. Try lots of new things – and not just weird food and bungee jumping. Get to know your teammates’ passions and ways of worship. My friend Rachel is an absolutely beautiful artist and her influence has led a number of people on our squad to start painting. We have a couple of photographers on A-Squad who have ignited others into looking at the world through the lens of a camera. Writing, guitar-playing, singing, dancing, preaching, prophesying, praying out loud – try it all. And figure out what you love. And then ask God why you love it and what He wants to do with it. Chances are, you came out into the world with some type of secret hope or longing, something about you that you thought would inevitably be lost in the process of joining the real world. Think again — God did not give you those dreams only to make you watch them waste away. Your dreams are a gift. Unwrap them and run with what you find.
8. Now, to you people who love a World Racer from home… welcome to the World Race. Believe me – you’re in this just as much as your son/daughter/brother/sister/friend. And they need you. Remember when you were in college and you would check your mailbox every day, hoping that your mom or grandma sent you a little card, ideally with $20 tucked inside? Right. That’s still the case. WRITE EMAILS. COMMENT ON BLOGS. You will never, ever fully realize how much your encouragement, love, and support really mean out here. I have gotten random emails from friends of my parents who I don’t even know since I’ve been gone and they make me smile and laugh. Support checks are pivotal. Personal money is a bonus. But communication is key. Keep in touch at the beginning, when everything is new and weird, and in the middle, when it feels like you’ve been writing emails for years and there is no end in sight, and especially at the end, when it’s so close to home, you could almost just save all of the stories until your Racer is physically sitting with you. No. Write the emails. He/She needs them badly.
This year has been crazy-making, but I wouldn't trade one minute of it for something different. If you come out here with the right attitude, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to say the same thing at the end.
PS: I'm compiling a Q&A blog about this year, my experiences, best/worst etc… if you have any questions, please ask in a comment, email, or Facebook!! Twenty-four days until America!!
