Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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Prior to The Race, and especially during my school years, I would consistently forgo opportunities to rest in order to cram as much “productivity” into my life as possible (i.e., being a hardcore student and workaholic). I finally hit an inevitable burnout at the end of college with nursing exit exams, the RN licensure exam, and a difficult pediatric oncology RN position at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. If and when I took a break, it wasn’t enjoyable or relaxing because I just felt lazy and unproductive. I had no idea what physical, emotional, and spiritual resting looked like, let alone understood its value.


Children's Medical Center Dallas
 
The first month of The Race wasn’t too fatiguing physically, emotionally, or spiritually, so taking time out for myself and “reoxygenating” wasn’t quite a priority. As emotional struggles, health issues, and lack of quality sleep become more prevalent, I realized in Month 7 that I have no idea what the heck rest is supposed to look like and how often I needed it. I don’t think I fully understand what it means to rest in the Lord, especially during busy and chaotic days. However, there are times when I have had to obey my Spirit and stay home from ministry because I am emotionally and spiritually empty. You can’t pour out when there is nothing to give.

Another problem is that all of the things I did back home to rejuvenate and do for fun, for the most part, aren’t available on my Race, such as cycling, going to a yoga studio, playing sports, belting out songs while driving or in my apartment, and going on walks by myself. Additionally, I am still learning what all my “oxygens” are. On The Race, we refer to an “oxygen” as something that rejuvenates our mind, body, and/or spirit. I’ve had to find different “oxygens” to replace my primary ones, such as going on walks with another teammate, doing Insanity workouts, and listening to my iPod. I catch myself going stir-crazy sometimes because there can be a lot of down-time with some ministries we’ve been a part of, and a lot of time can go wasted if you don’t take advantage of it. 



Doing an ab workout with some Tanzanian kids!
 
Months 7 and 8 were the tipping points. I thought Month 6 (Tanzania) was going to be the culmination of medical problems on The Race since I was severely sick almost the entire month (see blog entitled, “Everything Gets Revealed in Tents”). I anticipated Month 7 (Kenya #1) to be a time of mind, body, and spirit rejuvenation; however, I was wrong. The first week of Kenya was definitely that, but the following weeks and Month 8 (Kenya #2) proved to be quite different. I came down with another intestinal amoeba infection, bacterial bronchitis, and recently, constant headaches for more than a week and an unresolved intestinal amoebiasis. So in total, I have spent another couple weeks lying in my bed discouraged, frustrated, and feeling defeated.  At this point, I am certain God is trying to teach me something through all of this sickness and immobility.


The hospital I visited for a CT scan, labs, and meds 
Mediheal Hospital Nakuru, Kenya


One of my squad leaders, Lindsay Q., gave me an awesome verse during Month 7 to encourage me through all of this: Isaiah 30:15. “In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.” About a week later, one of my teammates, Nathan Hatton, gave me the scripture Hebrews 4:1-11 to help me learn more about the purpose and value of rest (v. 11, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience”). I have made progress in understanding the value of rest, but I know God still has a lot more to teach me. With my recent headache issues resulting in staying in bed for an entire week, I am still trying to figure out this whole “rest” thing. I wish there was some profound revelation God has given me regarding rest … like a “Rest for Dummies” manual. Maybe in Asia I will be able to tell you all that I have a better grasp on how to rest and what it looks like, but for now, I am still struggling to consistently enter in to the peace and joy found in a good rest. Some days I find legitimacy in rest, and other days my tendency toward constant productivity dominates. No matter how good or bad things are on The World Race, God is always teaching me something new. 


Nathan relying on the Lord, and Julie relying on her medical expertise … P.S. This is obviously a joke