My title is in Malay, the national language of Malaysia, and it means “You Asked I Answered.”
Here is the Part 2 of my Frequently Asked Questions.
What is the World Race? The World Race is inter-denominational and has been sending people on mission trips all across the world since 2006. Since 2006 they have been able to grow their connections and be able to offer more places and routes for their World Races. They named it the World Race because they want to spread God’s Kingdom. It is literally a race across the world sharing the good news of Christ and His gift of salvation.
What is Adventures in Missions? AIM is the Organization that supports and founded the World Race. It offers other mission opportunities outside of the World Race, but it does offer the same countries.
How did you find out about the race? When I felt that the Lord was calling to share the Gospel to those in other countries I started doing research on organizations and found the World Race. I found many others as well, but my heart broke for what I found in the Race. So many who go without, who have no home and no food. So many do not know that works do not get them to Heaven. Their living situation is terrible, but their future doesn’t have any hope without Christ.
How are you raising support? I am doing many fundraisers and so far they have been very successful. Last month I sold t-shirts through Fund the Nations, this month I am doing an online Pick a Number board and selling Yankee Candles. In June I will be doing a Pledge-a-Thon with my other teammates where we will either bike, run or swim. In July I plan on doing 2 car washes and in August, my sister has graciously offered to hold a Concert to raise funds.
What will you actually “do” on the race? I’ve been told to have flexibility with my schedule while on the race. No day is going to look the same as the day before and each country is different. Some days will be packed full with construction, VBS, building relationships with orphans, or praying for the sick at a hospital. Some could be slower where we will be shopping for groceries, cooking food, and spending time praying for the community we are in. Regardless of the pace or the activity, every day will be focused on being a part of God’s kingdom work.
Below I have provided a link to the World Race Films Facebook page of a video one of the racers made of her time on the Race. Hopefully this will help with this question as well.
https://www.facebook.com/worldracefilms/videos/184110265308854/
Will you be working with other organizations/ministries? Yes, we will. We will be working with full time missionaries who are already set up in that community in that country. These missionaries come from various organizations and ministries but support Adventures in Missions and open their homes to us.
When is and what is training camp? Training Camp is a 10 day preparation time with my teammates, leaders and World Race Training Staff to prepare and make ready for the Race ahead. We will have cross-cultural ministry training, learning how to share our stories, and learning to live in close community and adapt to the unknown are just a few of the topics we will cover. There will be Racers from all 4 routes that launch in October and it will be roughly 250 people. My training camp is in August from the 10th to the 20th in Atlanta, Georgia.
What does “launch” mean? Launch is the term the World Race uses for departure. On October 1st I will be going back to Atlanta, Georgia to have 2-3 days of more preparation before flying out to Malaysia. My teams first country.
How old do you have to be to go on the World Race? The World Race does have an age requirement. It is specifically for those who are between 21 years of age and 35 years of age. They do have a Gap year for those who are 18 to 22 which can vary in length from 3 months to 9 months.
What are you nervous about? What are you most excited about? These kind of are one and the same. I’m most nervous about the situations we will be in and how I will respond to people’s situations. But I am also excited to see how the Lord is going to work through the people there in my life and my teammates life and how He will use us to minister to them.
How will you keep in touch? 11 months is a long time to be away. I wish I could tell you all that I could receive mail, but I won’t. I will not know which cities and places I will be in on any given day, and as my route can also change while we are over seas, it makes it inconvenient for mailing purposes. The best form of communication overseas is Skype and Facetime, so I will be using that to keep in touch with my family. I can also receive emails and if you would like to do so, I would love that.
What about Chewbacca? This one already makes me sad. Chewbacca is my almost 8 month old puppy. He is nearly full grown and still has a lot of weight he is yet to put on, but he will always be my baby. I have had him since he was 5 weeks old and he has been such a treasure. My mom has offered to keep him for the time that I am gone and I am so appreciative of that. It will be hard to leave him, but I know that he is going to be in good hands.
What will you do after the race? I am not quite sure what I will do after the race just yet. I have given that to the Lord and am trusting Him to show me what He has planned for me at the right time.
Will you have free time on the race? On some of our slower days we will have some free time. From what I’ve heard, a racer has 2-3 days a month of free time. We’re also required to blog about twice a week while we are on the race and so that will take up part of our “free” time.
What are you taking with you? What “gear” do you need? I will be carrying everything I’m taking with me in a 60 lb internal frame backpack and a day pack. I will be taking a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, hammock, headlamp, mosquito net, hiking boots, clothing, a mess kit, a shower bag, my laptop and phone, chargers, etc. It is going to be like backpacking the Appalachian trail type gear only for overseas and 11 months time.
What does the $16,561 cover or not cover? The $16,561 covers the cost of my flights from Atlanta, GA to the other countries and back to Atlanta, Ga. It will also cover boarding fees and food for the 11 months that I am gone as well as international health insurance. It doesn’t cover any gear I need to get for my race, the vaccinations for being out of the country or the cost to go to training camp or launch, or any personal needs I might have while out of the country.
What will you eat while on the race? This question is probably not as hard for me as it is for some of my other team mates who cannot eat gluten or dairy products. I’ve been told that we will have about 5 U.S. dollars a day to spend on food each. I’ve attached another link below with another World Race Films video of some of the food we will possibly see or eat while on the race.
https://www.facebook.com/worldracefilms/videos/200505777002636/
Do you know anyone going with you on this trip? When I applied and was accepted for the race I did not know anyone that was going on the race. I have known people in the past who have done missions trips through the World Race and recommended it greatly, but for this particular race that I will be going on I had not until recently met anyone in person. A week and a half ago I was blessed to be able to meet one of my fellow Racers. Her name is Ruby and she lives in Lynchburg, VA.
What does “deadlines” mean and when/how many do you have? Every racer has deadlines for fundraising that they must meet to continue on. No missions journey is going to be free and just like full time missionaries have to raise money to fund their mission endeavor, that is exactly what a Racer must do as well. I have 4 deadlines that I must have a certain amount raised, otherwise I will not be able to continue on with the World Race. My first deadline is July 15th and I have to have raised $5,000.
How are you preparing for the race? I am preparing for this journey in different ways. Physically, I am staying active and fit. I am working on getting all the gear that I need to get, and this week I will be getting my vaccinations and Passport. Spiritually, I am trying to become ready for what is ahead. I am reading articles on the countries that I will be going to, studying Scripture and working on how I share the Gospel with others. Mentally, it has been hard. It has been hard to mentally prepare for this because I do not know fully what I will be going in to. I am trusting the Lord that He will provide in every way and through Him my team and I will be ready when we leave in October.
What countries are you going to again? Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Ukraine, Romania, Albania and Greece. Currently, I have been working on trying to learn phrases in each of these countries languages. It’s not much but hopefully I will be able to say “hello” “goodbye” and asked where the restroom is in all of them.
