You may have heard that the world is a dangerous place or have seen movies, such as Taken, that make you wonder why you should ever step out of the comforts of America. I would like to say the rest of the world has no dangers or risks or the World Race is a completely guarded path, but I would just be lying to you.
The chances are, if you go on the Race, you most likely will have something of yours break, lost, or be stolen. Chances are also likely that it will happen more than once.
And let me tell you, it doesn’t get less annoying as you go – in fact, the longer you go without having something broken, lost, or stolen, the more you ask yourself why it happened when it did.
I am half way through month 10 of this Race and just had my logistics phone stolen and my shoe break in the same night. Really, I wasn’t that mad about it – I was more annoyed than any other emotion.
I was fighting my way through a crowd, trying to get on a bus to make it back to my contact’s home, along with two other squad mates. Once the bus had gone and we were still standing by the curb, I had reached to my pocket just to make sure everything was there. Sure enough, my zipper pocket to my jacket was undone and my phone was missing.
Rushing back over to where I had been pushing my way through the crowd, I was very doubtful that it was on the ground. There were many people standing there and, when we tried calling my number, there was no ring to be heard – the phone had already been shut off.
So, as I said, I wasn’t angry. I was annoyed. Why? Why, with only a month and a half more of the Race would someone take my phone? Why would they take the risk and reach right into my pocket? I just don’t understand.
Not even 5 minutes after being on a bus, I looked down and saw that my shoes that I had worn throughout the Race had broken. Then, it just turned humorous.
On the Race, you won’t as much find things as a need, rather as a convenience. A phone is not a need, but it’s so convenient to have a way to communicate, a camera, an alarm clock, and a calculator all in one. A computer is not a need, but it is convenient to have a way to keep in touch with friends and family, provide entertainment, and write various documents – such as World Race blogs.
As an example, here are some of the things that have been broken, lost, or stolen so far on the Race:
-Launch: my pack ripped on the very first flight.
-Month 1: my favorite sports bra that was lost, found, and then stolen.
-Month 3: my MacBook Pro suddenly decided to not turn on anymore.
-Month 3: one pearl earring and one diamond earring lost – most likely from my dreads pulling them out.
-Month 6: my iPhone and headphones were stolen from me on a bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai – they were in my lap while I was sleeping.
-Month 7: my headphones were stolen, but then later returned.
-Month 8: one of my flip flops was stolen. I was reading in a hammock in Cambodia, with my shoes under me, and when I got up, only one was there. See – more annoying than angering.
-Month 8: my watch broke.
-Month 10: favorite pen fell out of my Bible on our walk to church – pens on the Race start to hold a special place in your heart and in your writing.
-Month 10: logistics phone stolen and favorite shoes broken.
So, as you see, I didn’t really plan for these things to happen, but of course, they came and went.
My advice to future Racers, don’t try to prepare yourself for something to be broken, lost, or stolen. You’ll just be in fear if you try to prepare yourself. Rather, if and when it happens, embrace it and just laugh. You probably didn’t need it anyways. If you did, maybe you need a change of scenery onto a different thing.
Who knows – maybe you’ll find that a life with fewer things really does provide a larger space for God to work with.
Keep your hands open with what you have. After all, nothing is yours, but everything God’s.
