Parent Vision Trip (PVT) is a week in the World Race, where parents that have been invited by their racers, visit a specific country for a week of ministry alongside their racer. Recently P-Squad 3rd Gen, had our PVT in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through Lighthouse Ministry. For PVT, my mom joined me! It was really exciting to have my mom in Thailand but it was also really difficult at times.
P- Squad was in month 7, finally getting into the groove of the race ( we are P-Squad, we had a few hurdles during our route that challenged our groove of the race!), our minds were fully on living the race life, then our parents arrive, and there was this instant challenge placed before some of us. We had our parents that know us in our non-race life, now in our race life and the struggle was real! But, I can really only tell you the story of Dorothy Coleman and I!
When I left for the race, I invited both of my parents to Launch. My parents are divorced and have been since I was 7 years old. Neither of my parents remarried, but are both friends still. In inviting both of my parents to launch I was hoping for some quality time with both of them, and for them to gain a better understanding of what I was going into for this year. During the time, I was really worried about my dad, because he has different beliefs than I do about faith in Christ and Religion in general, where my mom has a very similar belief system. I spent the free time I had with my parents and can say, I did focus more of my attention on my dad out of fear of him being uncomfortable in the environment of Launch with him not agreeing with the philosophies of the Race. I also was logistics during the first part of the race, where in Launch, comes with extensive trainings, and gives less time to enjoy quality time with parents that others have with theirs. So, by the end of Launch and as I prepared to leave, my mom was neglected of time with me and the attention she deserved before I left for 11 months. I left with my mom and I on really rough terms, and it took us awhile to get to a comfortable place again.
Then in March, I went home for 2 weeks following a motor bike accident in Bolivia, that resulted in an injured knee. But, before the knee injury happened I was already in a tough place with the race, which came from a tough team and starting the race off in a rough way. While I was home, I took time to spend some quality time with my mom, and got to talk about how the race started and seek forgiveness for my behavior at Launch. I left back on the race for the second time, with a restored relationship with my mom and a healthier place spiritually than the original Launch into the world.
Now in Month 7, my mom is in Thailand, and she also has 6 weeks of travel planned following her visit with me. I have never really done ministry with my mom, and so I didn’t really know what to think about how it would be when she arrived to Thailand. My mom had a lot of stressors before she left on her extended trip, with selling the house, having trouble with family and planning her trip. When she arrived she seemed to be at a much better place having things finalized at home. I was worried for another Launch experience, and her leaving hurt again, and us starting over in a tough place for the remainder of the race.
But, after a few days of trying to feel things out in PVT with my mom, and finding things to be frustrating, I chose to take my mom on a date for one on one time with her away from the hustle of ministry and the crowd of people we were usually around. I found a cafe that had cats roaming around the cafe as people enjoyed their coffee, for my mom and I, it was a great choice. We love cats, and have had them in our family for most of my life! Mom and I got to talk about the things that we were struggling with during our time together in Thailand. Once we talked our time together was transformed. We talked about how the race had changed me, and we talked about what she enjoyed about the ministry we were involved in. I learned in that week to look at my mom differently, to look at her heart for ministry and listen to her about what the Lord is teaching her.
The overall week in Thailand of ministry was full of prayer walking, visiting homes to rescue women from the bar life and worshiped together with the other racers and parents. It was neat to spend time with other parents and racers, sharing in such a neat experience that only the race could provide! We even had the opportunity to go out to Remember Nhu, to show the parents of team victory, what our ministry of the month had been! That was my favorite part, seeing our parents loving our kids, talking with our hosts and eager to share in what our month held! We got to play board games with our parents and the kids and show our parents the pit we cleared of a jungle!!
PVT was only a week of the entire World Race, and one of my harder weeks on the race, but it was a week for me to view my mom in ministry, in the World Race, and her heart for the Lord. It was a week to see how she views me, how she sees my Heart for ministry, and her heart for me as I grow in the Lord and finish the race out!
