It did not make sense. When Kristin first came to me with information about the World Race my mind went through all of the logical reasons why we should not do this. It was financially not a smart decision. It would be stressful for our marriage. I would have to leave a career that I enjoy. It did not make sense and I told her so.
We spent the next few months talking about it, praying over it, and sometimes arguing. So what changed my mind? During one heated conversation Kristin challenged me with a question, “Don’t you think we are meant to do more than just be content here?”
She was right. Western culture had me convinced we should be satisfied with just finding our careers and settling down, but there is more going on in God’s world than what we had found in North Dakota. God is working in big ways all over the world and we had an opportunity to experience discipleship like we had never imagined before.
But it didn’t make sense, right? We would have to give up the life we had made in Fargo. We’d have to quit our jobs, but we liked our jobs. We’d have to give up our apartment, even though we had just moved into one that finally felt like a home. We’d have to leave our friends, friends that we didn’t plan on making but now are our family. We’d have to sell the Jeep, Kristin’s dream car.
There are other jobs out there though, right? They’d be different but we could find new work if we had to. Our apartment was great, but it was just an apartment. Our landlord let us end the lease whenever we wanted to leave. Selling the jeep would be hard, but if we can’t give up some material positions for Christ, then where are our priorities? Our friends were family now, leaving would be hard but they will forever be our family.
So why not go now? When it came down to it, there was really nothing so big that could keep this idea down. This idea became a reality. We chose to answer his call to discipleship. To give up our comforts and follow him, share his truth and love, and create more disciples for his kingdom.
Now here we are, six days before we launch. Emotions are ranging from excitement to fear and everything in between. But we have each other, we have family and friends who support us, and we have a God who is greater than this world.
Most people do the World Race when they are single, but we want to make sure we share some of the unique pro’s and con’s for us. If you are married and looking to do or are preparing for the World Race, here is what we have experienced so far.
What has been hard for us so far while preparing for the World Race?
– Fundraising Double – We may know some more people than just a single person, but most of our close friends overlap.
–Twice the Gear, Twice the Vaccination Cost, Twice the Airplane Fees – Yes, we get to come at this with two paychecks, but somehow it still just feels challenging at times. Everything just costs more for two.
–Saying Goodbye to Two Families – Both of us love our in-laws and it was a bit challenging to make sure we divided our time before the race to spending time with and saying goodbye to two loving and encouraging families.
–Lack of Privacy– Training camp was a bit stressful during the times where we really wanted to have our own conversations and alone time. We made it work and our squad was awesome about respecting us as well.
–Making Friends– We feel it was slightly harder to make friends at training camp. People see us as a unit and not always as an individual. We also have to prioritize our marriage, and that means sometimes finding a quiet spot to talk while others are maybe playing games or getting to know each other better.
What has been awesome so far about being a married couple on the race?
-Constant Companion– We never have to worry about being alone. We will always have each other to talk to on the race, even if we somehow don’t “click” with the rest of the team we have each other. (And we highly doubt we won’t click with our awesome team!)
-Packing Buddy– When Kristin stresses out about packing she doesn’t have to call, text, or message one of our squad mates who are miles and miles away (well, she still does that too). But she also has someone in the same room who is stressing about the same things. We can always stop, talk, and pray together.
-Training Camp Jitters– Most people had to show up to training camp knowing NO ONE! How scary. We at least got to share our pre-training camp worries as we sat next to each other on the plane, and we could step off the bus and into training camp hand in hand as we met these strangers who are now our family.
-Post-Training Camp – The hardest thing about training camp was leaving. We had to say goodbye to our new extended family, but at least we got to take each other home. Now as we prepare during our final leg of the journey, a time where it is easy to feel like no one else can understand you, we get to go through it together and understand one another.
-Excitement for Our Marriage – We are now waiting, eager and excited (and scared). We know that this adventure will rock each of us individually, but we are also excited to see it change our marriage into something even more wonderfully. As we get to be God’s hands and feet and witness to others we will get to watch our marriage pull more closely to Him.
