One of the main focuses of the World
Race – besides the obvious missions, serving God and displaying His
glory around the world – is learning to live in community. World
Race community is really family living. I feel we should have taken
vows before agreeing to this 11-month “marriage.”
“I do solemnly swear to love my World
Race teammates for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in
sickness and in health, till 11 months do us part.”
Better or Worse
Sometimes we get along great, other
times we don’t. We often tell stories, sing and laugh together. Other
times, we cry and lean on each other for strength.
Worse – we each have our days when we
just don’t have the best attitude or we snap at each other for no
reason.
Better – we are able to see God at
work in each others’ lives and how He’s molding us.
Richer or Poorer
We live on a budget for food, lodging
and transportation. Sometimes, we are blessed with great food and
accommodations. Sometimes we aren’t. We are learning to be grateful
for what we receive and not complain.
Poorer – eating a lot of peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches or Ramen noodles. (This isn’t so bad though
since pb&j is my fave!)
Richer – having all our meals
prepared for us.
Sickness and Health
This has been very true for the World
Race. There’s rarely a day, at least in the past couple of months,
when someone isn’t having diarrhea (or “the D” as we like to call
it), throwing up, just having an upset stomach, allergies, headache
or something. We’ve seen each other when we don’t feel well. Then
again we can rejoice when we are all healthy.
Sickness – when someone is sick, we
provide compassion and try to meet their needs as much as possible.
We pick up some 7Up for them at the store, cover for their ministry
role when needed, pray for them and tell them when they need to go to
the doctor.
Health – this is usually taken for
granted, but we are learning to appreciate days when there is no
sickness. Especially after my headaches I had the first month on the
race, I’m very grateful for each pain-free day.
World Race community is definitely the
marriage phase of a relationship. We are seeing each other every day
from the moment we wake up until we go to bed. It’s way past the
dating relationship when you only see each other at your best. We
were told before we left that the first month or two would be the
“honeymoon” phase. After that, things get harder. That’s been
true, but it’s also made it better. We are no longer hiding things or
feeling we need to put on our best face all the time. We are real,
open and honest. It’s a continual process and something we have to
work at every day. Each night, we meet as a team and discuss the day,
what God’s doing in our life and any issues or problems. Then we
provide encouragement and pray for each other.
One of the hardest things I’m learning
is how to handle confrontation. I hate conflict and would rather
ignore it than deal with it. However, this is definitely not possible
when you are living in such a tight community every day. I’ve learned
that when things bother me or someone hurts me, I need to confront
them. It does neither of us any good by keeping silent. Often they
don’t know they offended me, and if I don’t tell them, I’ll often
hold onto it and make it worse than it was. This still isn’t easy for
me, but it’s getting better. The same goes if I offend or hurt
someone. I want them to tell me and challenge me so I will be better
at loving them.
I know this community has been a good
example for me to carry on into any future relationships, whether
with roommates, friends, family or a future husband. Communication,
openness and honesty are so important. It’s not always easy to love,
but it’s a decision and a commitment you make. I made the commitment
to love my teammates and my squad, and although that’s not always
easy, it is making me a better person.
Community: It’s real, it’s raw, it’s
hard, it’s beautiful.
