Today was our first day off while on the Race. Our team decided to head into Tegucigalpa, the big city about an hour away. Our contact gave us a ride up to the main road, where we caught a bus and rode into town. After grabbing some lunch and walking around a bit, we asked some people where we could get free wifi. They pointed us toward a Pizza Hut and we all crammed in to check emails, catch up on facebook, and text family.
As soon as we all sat down, we pulled out our tablets, kindles, iphones, ipods, whatever we had to get online. At first, I was almost disgusted. Look at all these Americans, desperately seeking wifi and submerging ourselves within seconds to this other world. Here we are, claiming to be ready to leave everything we have, houses, phones, families, the American way of life, and yet, whenever we have the chance, we desperately seek it out. Have we really walked away?
And then I realized….none of us are trying to connect with America. None of us are trying to take back our old way of life. What we are trying to do is connect back with people, people who have supported, people who have encouraged, people who have sponsored, people who have been walking this journey with us, people who care.
There is not a single Racer who can say that they have started, walked through, and finished this crazy journey alone. And I will not be the first. Nothing I have done has been of my own accord. The finances, the decision to go, the encouragement to step out in faith, the thank you cards, the bracelets….it’s all been through you all. And as much as this is my journey, this is your journey too. I want this to be your journey. I want you to grow and be stretched through my walk around the world. I want you to see the people I interact with, to feel the pain, the hurt, the unconditional and compassionate love of Christ, even if you are not in Honduras or Guatemala or El Salvador or wherever I am.
So as much as my American soul seeks to communicate back home, it is for your sake. It is so I can bring you along for this journey, to help you walk the journey yourself of learning, growing, and understanding the passionate and ceaseless love of Christ.
Will you come along with me?
