Hello dear friends,
I have been asked a lot of questions recently about my upcoming adventure and I also want to clear up some common misconceptions about my trip as well.
Question: So What made you decide to go on The World Race?
Answer: I was in the copy room at the elementary school I worked at last year, making copies for the next day when a substitute came in and we started chatting. She was telling me about her past teaching experience. She had the opportunity to teach on bases for the military workers’ children. This reminded me of when I was in college. I looked into it and considered doing that myself. I went home and told my roommate about that and how I would love to work overseas and do mission work on the side. She told me about the world race and how you get to go to eleven countries in eleven months and do mission work. I looked it up that night and fell in love with the organization and the mission. I prayed about it, and signed up later that week. I was nervous when I had to wait to be interviewed, and then later, wait to be accepted, but God gave me a peace about it. When everyone around me was stressed about me not having locked down a teaching position for the next year, I was leaning into God and he was telling me, “I have this, trust me.”
Misconception: So you are teaching in each of these 11 countries.
Clarification: No, but there is a possibility of teaching in some of the countries.
Question: What are you doing then in each of the countries?
Answer: Here is the really cool and really scary thing, I don’t quite know yet. We launch and travel with a larger squad and then when we get to each country, we split into smaller teams of 7-8 people and go to different ministries within the country. So at this point, I am not sure which ministries my team will be partnering with. In the past though, some ways that they have spread the gospel and reached the least of these is through door to door evangelism, working in orphanages, doing construction, putting on vacation bible schools, teaching english, working with youth groups and children ministries, prayer walking, and so much more.
Misconception: I am paying for you to go on vacation.
Clarification: I am not going on vacation. The Race is one of the hardest years I will probably face in a long time. It is not hotels and resorts. I am staying primarily in a tent, living out of a backpack, giving up all comfort and setting out on a mission. It is pretty cool that I get to experience 11 different countries and 4 different continents during the duration of my trip, but it is far from a vacation.
Question: So what is my money going to?
Answer: That is a really good question. I have a graphic below that shows how it is distributed.
So 65% of the $16,617 goes to me on the field. The rest goes to help with things like training camp, where I will be spending 10 days preparing in October, administration fees, so helping to pay the people who help organize and prepare the trip and make sure we get there safely, and field support, so helping to pay to send support when we need it on the field.
A huge part of the money goes to travel. This includes the planes and buses we are traveling on. A much smaller portion goes to lodging since we will be staying in our tents most of the time. All food is payed for as well. I will have to pay for any additional food that I would like, I will be fed every day, so no worries there. The rest goes to paying for travel expenses in country, so for example, the buses and trains we will use to get to our ministry locations and daily lives.
Question: Where are you going?
Our route recently changed. We merged routes with route 1 and are now doing to the following countries; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Montenegro, Romania, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. I am learning quickly that I need to stop trying to plan it all out myself, but let God work in this. He has a bigger plan than anything I think I can do. Plus now I get to go to 4 continents that I have never been to. I am really excited about this change.
Misconception: This seems more like a competition that a mission/ You are going on the Amazing Race, you are going to be on TV!
Clarification: I am not going to be on the Amazing Race. I will not be competing for a million dollars and I will not be on TV. I will however have a vlog series where you can follow my journey. The concept of the world race is less about the race, and more about the world.
To address the motive behind the ministry, I will direct you to their page, but I would like to explain what I see happening. I see a ministry sending out teams to every tribe, tongue and nation. I see a track record that shows that they have sent out 100,000 missionaries since 1989 I see a unity of body in efforts to reach the unreached and share the gospel. I see a group that wants to fulfill the great commission. I don’t see it as a competition at all.
www.adventures.org will give you more information about the organization.
Question: What sort of regimen will you be on for malaria medication and how will it affect the rotation and orbit of mercury?
Answer: Josh, you are ridiculous, but thats why I love you. My malaria regime will depend on the country. It shouldn’t have little to no effect on the rotation of mercury, but I will check in on that periodically and let you know if I see any endangering changes.
Question: What are you doing to prepare for the race?
Answer: A lot of things. To be specific though;
I am preparing spiritually by being in the word more, and spending more time in prayer. Especially about the race and countries I will be spending time in.
I am preparing physically by walking more. There is a fitness requirement for training camp and I made it in the allotted time, but I need to be walking a whole lot more to prepare for the amount of walking I am going to be doing in each country.
I am preparing financially by trying to stick to a tighter budget and not buy unneeded things. I am also babysitting and taking on other additional jobs to make extra money so that fundraising isn’t completely on other people. When I say I am partnering with you to help get me funded, that isn’t just a saying. I am contributing as well. I babysat this weekend, and all of the money I made is going directly into the fund.
I am preparing emotionally by spending time with people I love and preparing myself to be away from them for 11 months. I am making a picture book so I have it while I am away and I am making birthday cards for all of my close friends. It hasn’t quite hit me yet what it will mean to be away from them for so long. They have become my world lately and leaving them will be the hardest thing for me about this whole trip.
If you have any more questions you would like me to answer, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at [email protected]
Love you all! – Katy May
