It is hard to put a sufficient ending to the last 11 months. Let me begin by saying that I am so incredibly grateful to all of you who have followed my journey on the World Race, and who have supported me financially and through prayer. I would never of had the opportunity to come on the Race if it wasn’t for you, and I would never have made it this far. You have been a constant source of encouragement and love over the last 11 months and I am so grateful to all of you.
The World Race is an interesting experience for certain. It changes a person and I can honestly say that I will never be the same as I was in August of 2016. I am grateful for that. Although re-entry into American culture after 11 months abroad may be a little difficult to adjust to, I am excited for the opportunity to go back to college and “regular life” with the viewpoint I have now.
I have been given the incredible blessing to see and do things that many people never get to experience. I have circumnavigated the globe. I have played cricket with kids in India. I have seen wonders of the world including Everest and Angkor Watt. I have gotten to paraglide overlooking the Himalayan mountain rage. I have swam inside of a volcano crater. I have done a lot of things.
Thinking back to when we started the World Race there was a list of things that I was afraid were going to happen at home while I was away. I was scared that the Cubs would finally win the World Series and I wouldn’t be there to see it; that happened. I was afraid that some of my favorite musicians would come out with new music or go on tour and I wouldn’t be able to listen or go see them; that happened. I was afraid that I would miss big moments in my friends lives; that happened. However, I have not suffered at all.
There are also things that have gone wrong along the way. I could have died in Laos. My squad was without money in India and I had to walk miles through the city of Hyderabad daily trying to find a working ATM or a place to exchange money. Teammates and friends have had to leave the Race and go home. Although I would have loved to be present for all the things back home and would have loved for some of the things not to have happened along the way, I have not suffered anything. Things have gone wrong and there have been a lot of bad days along with the good, but I have gotten to serve others and glorify the Lord in 11 different countries.
Most of all I have gotten to do ministry around the world. I have gotten the opportunity to love people across the globe. That’s what has been most special about this last year. That is what has been most unforgettable. When I think back on the World Race I will think back on the amazing things I got to see and do, but I will mostly think of the people I got to meet, work with, the relationships I got to build, and how I got to see the Lord move in so many peoples lives.
And I have learned so much over the last 11 months. I have learned what it looks like to live with the mindset of missions at all times. I have learned the blessings that come from faith and obedience. I have learned even more what trust in the Lord looks like, even when others would call it irresponsibility. I have learned the power and blessings of prayer. I have learned the much more active and equal part of the trinity that the Holy Spirit is, although He is not recognized as such in many churches. God has shown and taught me so much from allowing me to work for His glory. Because that is the kind of Father He is. He doesn’t just want to sit with us, although He does love that, but He wants to take us places, to go with Him, and to have experiences with Him so that we can learn more about Him while being with Him.
And it has been hard. The World Race is not an escape from responsibility. I have actually had a lot of responsibility on the Race including handling thousands of dollars for teams of missionaries and hosts. The World Race is not a vacation. If it was a vacation then I have been vacationing wrong for my entire life before the Race. The World Race is not all sunshine and good times. Sometimes the World Race is pretty awful, because it’s life. It’s just life under different circumstances doing different things.
But I still trust that the Lord lead me to this trip. I know the Lord had a purpose and I trust and pray that He was glorified. Even if the whole point of this 11 months away from home was just to talk to one person in Ghana for 30 minutes and the other 9 months didn’t matter, it was worth it. Even if the entire 11 months was about me picking up a piece of trash on the sidewalk somewhere in Asia and me never knowing why, it was worth it. It was worth it because that is what the Lord asked me to do, and if He asked me to do it He had a reason even if I will never know the reason. “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angles of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:8-10. Even if the entire point of all 50 members of my squad coming on the last 11 months of this journey was so that one person may know the love of Christ, it was worth it. It was worth it because my life is not about me and this last 11 months has not been about me. My life and the 11 months of the race has been about God being glorified and people coming to know Him, His grace, and His love.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7. Looking back at the Race, this verse comes to mind a lot. Though to a much lessened extent than what Paul was feeling when writing that verse, I feel that I have finished the World Race well. Ministry will continue after the Race is over. We do not go on mission trips but our lives are mission trips. We are called to glorify the Lord no matter where we are. Caleb, at the age of 85, says in Joshua 14:11, “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” That should be our attitude as well with ministry and the call that the Lord has given us to glorify Him. I am still just as ready and passionate to do ministry, serve, and glorify the Lord when I return home. I have definitely learned to live with a mindset of missions at all times. I am excited to enter the United States with the mindset of missions there in what I do everyday. I am not leaving the mission field because I have never actually entered the mission field. I am only now continuing on in the mission field or now entering again in another place. That’s probably weird and uncomfortable for a lot of people but Jesus did not call us to a comfortable life.
There is no, and shouldn’t really be, any big reward for finishing the Race or doing what the Lord asks us to do. We do what the Lord calls us to do and that should be more than enough for us. However, the Lord looks to bless us anyway. God says in Revelation 22:12, “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” It is the same as Isaiah 62:11-12, “See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. They will be called a Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.” Being called children of God and His redeemed is our great reward. God is our reward. Living how Jesus has asked us is our purpose and our reward. The promise that the Lord made to Abraham is the same to us, “Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”-Genesis 15:1
Thank you so much again for all you have done for me during my entire World Race experience. You have all been an example of Christ to me and inspired and allowed me to be an example of Christ around the world. Your prayers and encouragement have helped me so much along the way and I could not have done any of this without you. My squad mates and I have our final debrief and then we will return to the United States on June 23rd. Please continue to pray for us as we come home. Please continue to pray for all the countries we have visited, all the ministries we have partnered with, and all the people we have met. I love you all; God bless you!
Glory to God!
