During our Training Camp, which was about 6 weeks prior to the launch of our World Race, my squadmates and I were told of a new opportunity we would have to invite our parents to join us on the mission field 8 or 9 months into our race and share in our experience for a week. In that moment, I knew I would invite both of my parents and that the Lord had great things in store for us during that time. However, I had no idea what exactly He had in mind until I experienced the Parent Vision Trip first hand. I asked both of my parents to write about their experiences so I could share them with you on my blog, and this is what my dad wrote:
Be prepared to be shocked in every way. Literally two days before my wife and I left for India that was the expression my colleague used, who happens to be from India, to summarize what I should expect from my trip to Hyderabad. Yet, as strange as it may sound, those words spoke directly to my heart, yes I am indeed going to India in two days, and yes I am about to embark on a journey unlike any other in my life.
Like my wife, going to India was on my bucket list of things NOT TO DO. As I reflect back on the trip, the only words that come to mind to describe it are: it was the most amazing trip in every way that I have been on my entire life. I vividly recall my first thought waiting for the bus at the Hyderabad airport, at 4am; watching all the people, horns honking, just the general bustle of a large city and I thought to myself, okay I expected this. That was the last time I had that thought while in India. God is great!
I digress for a moment. Perseverance is a word God has placed on my heart for the past 3 years. As a Christian, it is popular to believe in what I call the big 3; Faith, Love, and Hope. But what gets conveniently forgotten or ignored is Perseverance. What God has shown me over these 3 years is without Perseverance it is difficult if not impossible to have complete Faith, Love, or Hope.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
Romans 5:4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
James 1:4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would have missed my daughter’s sharing of her unbearable struggles and pain. How she went to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, over a long period of time, to ask for forgiveness of what she considered unforgiveable sins. When she was completely and totally broken, God put on her heart those sins were not only forgiven but he released her from the tremendous burden she was carrying all these years. As a parent and father, the word crushed does not adequately describe my feelings. Not for what she had done, but for my deficiencies and lack of openness towards my daughter that she did not feel comfortable enough to talk to me about this sooner. My hope and prayer is I will be more approachable and a better father to her. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have heard parents share how diligently they have been praying for my daughter while on the world race. People who only knew her through her blog. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have met Nolan at Sarah’s Covenant homes. Because of technical difficulties building shelving for planters, names withheld to protect the guilty 
; I had the good fortune to spend time with this wonderful boy. Despite physical challenges his smile never left his face. Nolan loved the slide, the tunnel, putting on his sister’s shoes, watering the plants, and showing off for the word racers caring for him. I pray for Nolan daily. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have witnessed a passion for worshipping Jesus that I have never seen before. A passion so real and intense to cause one of the parents to emotionally comment during feedback one evening; I thought I worshiped Jesus with a passion, why can’t I worship with the same passion as the Indian pastors. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have traveled to the slums and prayed openly for so many people. My daughter, wife, and I were a team moving from home to home to talk with and pray for the people. I believe it was our second home; as our daughter started talking to one person through the interpreter, an older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder. He wanted me to pray for him. Then another gentleman next to him asked me to pray for him. Prayer requests of me occurred often during my time in the slums. One thing to understand, I don’t pray in public. Just ask my daughter. Not in my comfort zone at all, yet here I was praying openly. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have witnessed the spiritual growth and maturity of the world racers. There are too many stories to share; to summarize, these young adults whole heartedly love Jesus and run towards him with a passion. They are a role model for me. My hope and prayer is they continue with their passion for Jesus, and that my passion for Jesus grows. Perseverance; God is Great!
If I had chosen the easy path of not taking this trip; I would not have witnessed the kindness, love, and caring a group of strangers, i.e. parents, had for one another, one another’s children, and a people they did not know. Ironic I needed to go all the way to India to witness this in such great abundance. Perseverance; God is Great!
Finally, because I chose to take this trip (God always gives us a choice); God has deepened my love for my wife to a level that words cannot explain, it can only be experienced. To be clear; I love my wife very much, more so each year, but this trip took my love for her to a much higher and deeper level. Perseverance; God is Great!
I believe God asked me to go to India to witness the boundless magnitude of his grace, mercy, and love; to show that when I run toward Jesus, there are no limits. Specifically; to show me that I can pray openly and share the Gospel freely without fear, don’t take Jesus for granted, and to continue to persevere.
A few notes since I have returned home. Something I have wanted to do since last October has been to pray for our server when at a restaurant. Last October, when I was on a business trip with my boss he did this and the results were quite amazing. I thought I would start with someone easy, our server at my weekly men’s breakfast Bible study. However, not until this past Thursday did I have the courage to ask our server if there was anything I could pray for her, since we were praying anyways. She talked to us for over 5 minutes about her prayer needs.
As I finish writing, I am very much out of my comfort zone, knowing these words will be shared. Adding scripture to the words puts me over the top. I know I will never be the same since my week in India. I will close by taking something from my wife’s blog. I figure because we have been married for so long we often finish each other’s sentences and order the same meal, it is only fitting that I plagiarize a line from her.
India was amazing. Wan-De-Nah-Lu (Praise the Lord!)
