What is adventure?
In Nepal: Riding on top of the bus to surrounding villages.
In India: Fitting 10 people in a small auto* while driving 30 mph along the highway. Then moving outside of the auto and hanging on from the outside.
*An auto usually fits 4 people
In Thailand: Elephant hunting in the jungle with a nearly insane teacher turned elephant guide who wanted to take us to see wild elephants.
In Cambodia: Taking a tuk tuk to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat (one of the seven wonders of the world).
In Swaziland: Going on a safari and seeing lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, etc.
In South Africa: Going shark diving with Great Whites. Or shaving a UK symbol in the back of your head.
In Botswana: Getting a free safari then border hopping through Zimbabwe and Zambia to see Victoria Falls. Then doing the canyon swing off the Victoria Falls bridge.
In Romania: Staying at a house in the village on the weekends with no heat or running water but with wifi. Having an outhouse with snow covered toilet paper from the 8 inches of snow the night before.
In Moldova: Deciding to save our off days to take a mini spring break to Istanbul, Turkey. #TravisBonningapproved
In Guatemala: Roasting marshmallows at an active volcano. Or getting a tattoo.
In Nicaragua: The whole month. Traveling to Little Corn Island where there are no ATMs and going snorkeling and paddle boarding. Then getting stuck on Big Corn Island because the water was too rough for boats to take the 6 hour trek back to the mainland.
When the word adventure is thrown out the first thought that crosses one’s mind is doing something crazy like shark diving or bungee jumping. But this month I realized truly what adventure looks like. My goal for the last few weeks of this month was to seek adventure and find ways to have fun doing crazy things that I wouldn’t be able to experience back home in the United States. But as I reflect on this last month of my race I have found an even deeper meaning of the word, adventure.
This entire month was about adventure. As our team sat in Managua and wrestled over the decision of where to go for our month of finding Unsung Heroes we decided on Bluefields. We didn’t have a plan. We didn’t have any leads or contacts but we knew God was leading us there. This was a recurring theme throughout the month. We asked God, “Where do we go from here?” With no contacts we stepped out in faith and traveled to the unknown parts of Nicaragua that the World Race hadn’t contacted yet. Big Corn Island. Little Corn Island. We had no plan or schedule of what was to come but we trusted that the Lord would guide us.
Along the way the Lord led us to churches, missionaries and ministries that were perfect partners for the World Race. He led to the Britton’s who are a retired couple living on Big Corn Island. They allowed us to stay with them over a week for free. It felt like home. Sheila and Juliano are there names. Sheila gave us a tour of Big Corn Island, which is where she grew up. She showed us their church, school and also the house she was born in. Juliano put us to work. We washed their truck, helped them with chores around the house and Sarah joined Juliano in feeding their goat. This month we encountered tons of people who were similar to the Britton’s with being extremely hospitable and welcoming.
While in Bluefields our team met a guy named Kevin. He and his wife live at an orphanage with 6 foster kids. Sarah and I were able to meet with him and check out the orphanage and see how the Lord is using them. He shared his testimony and his heart for the Lord and his family. As he was speaking I knew I wanted to submit him to be a contact for the World Race. He expressed the importance of raising his children up in the Lord and being an example of how a father/man of God lives his life. He leads his children in a devotional each night, plays bass in the worship band at church and works around the house doing chores. He expressed how he would love to have teams come through and help teach English, work around the house doing construction and also help invest in his children and neighborhood children spiritually. This guy is a solid man of the Lord.
So what is adventure?
“Adventure is found in the mystery of the gray.” -Kevin Cattaneo, my brother and teammate.
Adventure is moving when God says move. Even when you can’t see where your going. Trusting that the Lord is walking you through the process. Whether you are physically traveling somewhere or He is teaching you something new.
I want my life to be about adventure. Not knowing what the process looks like or where I’m going but letting God walk me through whatever may come.
I encourage you to live a life of adventure. When hardships come, which we are promised, don’t lay down and give up. Press in. Let God take you on a crazy and life changing adventure. One that isn’t just about you or Him. But it’s about both walking side by side through the gray and walking into the light.
Seek Adventure.
