On every World Race squad, there are 2 logistics leaders, which means it’s your job to get everyone on the squad to each country in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner.
My role on A-squad is serving as one of these said logistics leaders. As you can imagine, it’s not an easy task to be in charge of arranging travel for 50 people across foreign lands you’ve never been or where you may not know the language. And did I mention we are missionaries on a budget?
Logistics is challenging to say the least. My co-leader, Zach and I are given tasks each month, which can be anything from scheduling busses to get us to the next country or booking a hostel for 50 people in a country you haven’t arrived in yet.
The latest task we took on was planning our squad debrief here in Costa Rica. Debrief is a time for our squad to regroup and meet with our squad coaches and mentor to reflect on the last 4 months. So we were asked to find a spot for all the racers to stay that offered a large meeting room. We were also asked to find a place for the coaches and mentors in close proximity to the squad.
I know this lingo may not make sense to you so imagine planning a 4-day conference for a small business. All your employees need to stay in a specific city on specific dates at a specific price. It was not easy. Don’t worry, I am not complaining. I was a bit overwhelmed when we were initially asked to get this done. Even more overwhelmed when all the hostels we found were TWICE the price of our world race budget.
All we could do was pray hard about planning debrief. We prayed specifically for God to give us a good place to host debrief at the price we needed. And He showed up! Just when we wanted to give up trying to find a hostel within our small budget, the Lord came through and opened up doors. We found a great place that’s going to work out just fine. And I am confident it will be a great week.
If I could offer any advice from the experience I’ve had serving as a logistics leader, it would be to pray the impossible prayers and be specific in your prayers. If I need to find a hostel for $7 a person, that’s what I am asking the Lord to provide! This role has increased my faith in so many areas and I have seen His provision is many different ways.
Yes, it’s hard a role, but it is extremely rewarding and I love logistics! It is a ministry of its own. Although it may look a little different than typical mission work, we are serving our squad and ultimately serving the Kingdom.
This debrief begins in just a few days and then we’ll be moving on to the next chapter of the race in Thailand!! It will take us about 4 days to get there, but it will be totally worth it. I am going to miss Central America… It will always have a place in my heart, but I know the Lord has so much for us waiting in Southeast Asia. I am ready for what is to come.
Meet Zach!
