Let’s be honest, every World Racer says that they know it won’t be easy but they’re ready for the challenge. Truth be told, I think we all thought it was going to be a lot easier than we said. There’s just some things training camp can’t prepare you for- like the hard realizations you come to about the world and yourself while you’re on the field. Here’s 10 hard realizations I’ve had over the last 11 months.
- Serbia and Romania: Not all religious organizations, churches, denominations (call it what you like) want people to experience God, in fact many make it their goal to keep people as far from God as possible. The Orthodox Church is a great example of this. Never in my life have I experienced people actively telling people they can’t connect with God, that finding a relationship with Jesus was a lie. I knew this existed, but I had no hands on experience with it until Eastern Europe. It takes a lot of strength and endurance from the Lord to continue to witness and be a light there.
- Bulgaria: The poverty we associate with people in Haiti and Africa exists in Europe too, we just don’t realize it. The problem is there’s a lot less focus on helping Europeans. The gypsy villages broke my heart.
- Malaysia: Imagine if your citizenship and your religion were one in the same. The Malay people have identity cards that say their religion on it. You cannot be Malay without being Muslim, to change religion means losing your identity, your family, and could even mean death. I never realized how blessed I was to have a God who gave me a choice.
- Thailand: Apathy is one of the most dangerous attacks of the enemy. I spent much of the month wondering what was off and at moments even wanted to go home. I was obedient and God still did amazing things, but my passion and enthusiasm were diminished. When we crossed the border into Myanmar it lifted instantly. I couldn’t even sleep on the bus the night we traveled because I was overflowing with excitement and joy that I hadn’t felt in a month. In conversations later I discovered many of my teammates struggled in the same way that month. And one teammate put it really well- the country of Thailand overall struggles with the spirit of apathy, how else could so many people walk by hundreds of girls lined up in the streets being sold every night and turn a blind eye?
- Myanmar: It’s in the news a lot these days because of the Buddhists attacking the Muslims in the north. I’ve written blogs on this before but here more than ever the poverty broke my heart. I sat down on at least one occasion and cried as I realized our prisons have better living conditions.
- Lesotho: I’ve come to the realization that I’m just not a person whose cup is filled working with small children, and that’s okay. Working at the orphanage was probably the most draining ministry I did on the Race. I loved those kids but it was Christ that empowered me to share His love for them.
- South Africa: Segregation still exists here in ways I’d never imagined. Sure on paper it’s gone but it’s very obvious that the majority of the whites live in the best of first world conditions, and the majority of the black population lives in makeshift tin houses the people can barely afford, that have no running water, no electricity, and flood and leak when it rains.
- Zimbabwe: Our host did a great job hosting us, offered us their home and the best of what they had. Despite this being month 9- I still craved the comforts of home. I’ve realized that I still want a lot of things that people around the world can’t even begin to imagine having.
- Haiti: When Helping Hurts is next on my reading list. Being in Haiti made me realize that we’ve done a lot of damage by not thinking through how we help those in need, and as a result we’ve created a culture of dependence that makes it even harder for Haiti to get back on its feet.
- Dominican Republic: We always knew the end would come, but it’s hard to believe it’s so close and that time has flown so quickly! I got accepted to do the Race almost 2 years ago, so realizing that it’s about to be over isn’t easy, but I’m excited to see what God has in store for me next!
