Let me just start off by saying that I wish I had been clever and considerate enough to have come up with the idea for this blog myself. I wasn’t, but luckily Miss Cathy Carty was! This blog is just to clarify the meanings of a few words and phrases that you have probably heard me throwing around when I talk about the upcoming year of my life. I apologize for any conversations where you were left scratching your head wondering what the heck I was talking about and hopefully this will help with all the confusion!
World Race Lingo
Adventures in Missions (AIM)- The "parent organization" of The World Race. They are an interdenominational missions organization based out of Gainesville, GA. They focus on discipleship and offer a wide variety of mission trips for families, high school students, college students and adults. Trips range from a few days to 11 months (or more). Check them out!
World Race (WR) or Race- "A journey to 11 countries in 11 months to serve 'the least of these' while amongst real and raw community. It facilitates discipleship through the process of discovering into the abundant life He promised. It births partnerships with ministries around the world. It requires Luke 10-like faith."* *Taken directly from The World Race website.
Squad- A group of 50+ young adults, ages 21-35, who travel together to the same 11 countries in 11 months. Once a Squad reaches its country for the month, it divides into teams.
I will be traveling with 58 Squad mates and I wish you could get to know each and every one of them. They’re fabulous!
Team- A group of 6-8 people from the Squad who live together 24/7. They do EVERYTHING together….eat, minister, pray, study, laugh, cry, etc. together. They build each other up but also hold each other accountable. They get real and raw with each other in an effort to stretch, change and grow. After team building exercises and a ton of prayer, our first teams were assigned at training camp.
I’ve heard that many times teams change mid-way through the Race, but right now my team and I are known as Team IGNITE. You can read more about my teammates on their blogs which you can find if you scroll to the bottom left of this page. I promise before we launch in two weeks that I’ll write a blog about them as well!
Racer- An individual on the Race aka me.
Route- The 11 countries in which a Racer is projected to serve in 11 months. This can change at a moment's notice and for many reasons. Rest assured the Leadership of AIM stays abreast of current events in each country. Safety is paramount. If needed, AIM will remove Racers from a country or withhold them from entering a country to maintain as much safety as possible.
Our tentative route looks like this: Sept.-Zimbabwe/Botswana; Oct.-South Africa; Nov.-Swaziland; Dec.-China, Jan.-Philippines; Feb.-India; March-Romania (replaced Moldova because of scheduling conflicts!); April-Ukraine; May-Honduras; June (my birthday!)-Nicaragua; July-Costa Rica/Panama
Ministry- A Racer's assignment for the month. This will vary from country to country and can even vary day to day while in country. Ex: working in orphanages, mentoring street kids, befriending those trapped in human trafficking, door-to-door outreach, manual labor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, etc.
Fundraising/Support Raising- The act of finding financial partners to join a Racer's journey. This is accomplished in a number of ways i.e. support letters, garage sales, bake sales, 50/50 raffles, selling T-shirts, etc. This is an on-going process which continues until the Racer's support account has met or exceeded the cost of the trip. Although not required, many Racers continue their fundraising efforts until the entire Squad has met the cost of the trip. As soon as some donations go through that I’ve been told are coming, my support account should be around $8,300 or so, or about 53%. If you’d like to assist in my support raising, financially OR otherwise, click here to learn how!
"Fully funded"- The two words EVERY Racer LONGS to say. This is the moment at which a Racer has raised all $15,500-enough money to cover the cost of his/her mission trip. This is NOT to be confused with "launch funded."
"Launch funded" – refers to a racer meeting their first two deadlines, enabling him/her to launch with our squad. One must have acquired $6,500 to be LAUNCH FUNDED.
PRAISE REPORT: Despite many people, myself included, being $1,000+ away from being launch funded with just over a week to go before the deadline, EVERYONE on the I Squad reached this goal. This means EVERYONE who was at training as a part of the I Squad will be leaving for the nations next month! PTL!!
Sidenote-PTL=Praise the Lord! (:
Financial Deadline- The words most Racers loathe. Each Racer must have a certain amount of money in his/her support account by a certain date. If a Racer does not meet his/her financial deadline prior to leaving on the Race, he/she will delay to a later route. If a Racer fails to meet a financial deadline while on the Race, he/she will be sent home. Do not pass go; do not collect $200. His/her race is officially over. Needless to say, these deadlines are extremely important to hit. Here are my financial deadlines:
$11,000- due Dec 1 (end of month 3 on the Race)
$15,500- due Mar 1 (end of month 6 on the Race)
Training Camp (TC)- A week-long period of instruction used to prepare Racers for the Race. This is the first opportunity for Racers to meet his/her new family for the year. This week stretches Racers physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I can't say too much in order to preserve the experience of future Racers. If you have any questions regarding TC, contact me or read my blog about training camp.
Launch*- The few days preceding a Racer's departure from the States. The Squad reunites in a select city (Chicago for the four routes leaving in September 2012). They spend time catching up, worshipping, studying, and preparing for the Race. Each Squad departs the States at the end of this 2-3 day period. *This is a rough guess on my part as I have yet to experience Launch.
Feedback- A sometimes joyful, sometimes grueling process in which each team gathers at the end of a day. During this time, the team recaps the day's events. What worked? What didn't? What caused our disagreement? Could we have avoided the situation? What can I work on personally? What can we work on as a team? Etc. This can be painful at times but leads to Racers being raw and real with each other. This forces each individual to stretch beyond preconceived notions and can lead to tremendous growth in the end.
Debrief*- A time in which the Squad will recap events over a certain period of time. This usually occurs at the end of a ministry or month. This can be as quick as a few minutes to as long as a few days. This is also a time in which the Squad can relax, recharge and encourage each other. *Again, this is a rough guess on my part as I have yet to experience a WR debrief.
Squad Coaches- aka "Squad Parents". This couple serves as Mom and Dad while the Racers are away from home. Who doesn't enjoy a warm hug from Mom and a "pep talk" from Dad? This couple spends months preparing to accept this responsibility and countless hours praying for their Squad before they meet at TC. This couple periodically travels to the field to check on the Racers. I am so blessed to have Tom and Joanne Rowell as my Squad Parents. They’re just the sweetest darn couple I’ve ever met! I’m really looking forward to getting to know them better.
Squad Leaders- Alumni Racers who travel with the Squad for the first 4 months of the 11 month journey. They assist the Squad in transitioning from life in America to life in the field. At the end of 4 months and after much prayer, they raise up current Racers to lead the Squad for the remaining 7 months. I am so blessed to have Alexandra Squyres and Ben Gagne as my initial Squad Leaders. They’re super grand!
Squad Coordinator- This is a behind-the-scenes person, based at AIM headquarters, who works to ensure all Squad needs are met (i.e. transportation??). If I recall correctly, this person is a link between the Squad and AIM. Shout out to Ryan Hughes for stepping in as our Squad Coordinator!
Squad Mobilizer- This person prepares Racers to leave on the mission trip. He/She ensures all needed information is entered into each Racer's profile. He/She ensures financial deadlines prior to launch are met and encourages those who may struggle. Our Squad Mobilizer, Micah Higgins, is SAWEEEEET! She is mobilizing more than 120 Racers!!
Squad Trainers- Alumni Racers who walk with us through Training Camp. They laugh with us, cry with us, listen when we need it and encourage us to "stay the course". They offer amazing wisdom because they have "been there, done that".
Team Leaders- A fellow Squad mate who has been chosen to lead 6-7 peers. He/She assumes great responsibilities when agreeing to lead a team. Although each Racer maintains an equal voice, the team leader is ultimately responsible. Squad Leadership uses Training Camp and tons of prayer to determine Team Leaders and their teams. At the end of month 4, 2-3 Team Leaders (??) are chosen to continue their Race as Squad Leaders.* *Another guess on my part. Team IGNITE’s leader is Alex Compton. If you haven’t ever chatted with Alex, you should. He is SO great, and I’m very excited to serve with him for the next year!
So, there you have it! World Race lingo explained!
Fellow Racers- feel free to comment if I forgot any words!
