How can you let her do this?
I was asked this question so many times, by so many people, about Lucy’s decision to participate in The World Race, Gap Year. This question would typically be followed up with other questions like, “Can’t you talk her out of this?” and comments like, “This isn’t safe,” “She can help people in her own country,” “She won’t be able to make a difference” and “She doesn’t realize what she is getting herself into.”
I have spent countless hours thinking about these questions and comments… even asking myself at times, “How can you let her do this?”
Perhaps a more responsible mother would have discouraged Lucy from going on The World Race. After all, it is our job as parents to protect and keep our children safe.
In Eswatini (Swaziland), Africa, 27% of the population between the ages of 15 and 49 are living with HIV. Life expectancy is just 49 years, and 45% of the children are orphaned or vulnerable. The country is a source and destination for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking, particularly young Swazi orphans. This is not the kind of place any mother would want her daughter to be.
Nepal, one of the worlds poorest and filthiest countries in the world. Of the 26.4 million people in Nepal, 80% are Hindu, 11% are Buddhist, 4% are muslim and less than 1% are Christian. Idolatry and the worship of false gods is rooted in the history of this country. Females, especially girls, have the lowest status within the household. As a result, nearly 70% of females who have reached puberty suffer from anemia and malnutrition, face gender-based violence, and have very limited access to education. What difference could Lucy possibly make in a place like this?
In India, 8 of the 29 states have Freedom of Religion Acts, more commonly known as “anti-conversion” laws, in force. These laws make it illegal for anyone to facilitate the conversion of a person to another religion. The penalty for doing so, or being falsely accused of doing so (no evidence of wrongdoing is required by the law), can range from 1 to 3 years of imprisonment. Culturally sanctioned degradation of women is normal in India with women routinely subjected to violence and abuse within their own family. 42% of the girls in this country have been sexually abused. 95% of rapist are family members, friends, or neighbors of their victims. Over 50% of Indian men and women believe that sometimes women deserve a beating. Lucy couldn’t possibly understand or change these people.
So, as her mother, how could I let her go to these places and live amongst these people?
I let her go, because I am her mother. It is not just my job to protect her and to keep her safe; but to trust in her, to encourage her, and to believe in her. And though I am her mother, HE is her heavenly father, and HE has called her.
Lucy is responding to God’s call, beginning with Abraham in the book of Genesis and throughout the Old Testament and culminating in Matthew 28:19-20 when the resurrected Christ says to his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded of you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
How could I claim to be a Christian myself, if I were not willing to allow my daughter to respond to God’s call upon her heart? In the end, the question, for me, was not “How can I let her do this?” but, “How can I not let her do this?”
Had I not let Lucy go on The World Race, I would not know the peace that God has given me in trusting that she is in HIS protective hand. I would not have photos and videos of her laughing and sharing in the lives of orphans and elderly in Africa. I would not have been amazed and inspired by her resiliency during sickness in Nepal. I would not have videos of her leading worship and sharing her beautiful voice in India. Lucy would not have the 50ish new brothers and sisters that she is on this journey with (GO U SQUAD!) and she would not have had her heart broken for God’s people.
God has used The World Race to ignite a fire within my daughter. Her light has touched so many people in so many places; her family at home, the people of Swaziland, Nepal, and India, her friends, teammates and even their families.
Donnie and I are looking forward to joining Lucy on the mission field in Guatemala (that’s another unsafe country, right?) in about three weeks. If I am lucky, Lucy will allow me to write another blog and I can share with all of you our first hand account of what it is like to be on The World Race (for six days only!).
Blessings to all of you,
Lucy’s mama
