So I totally get that the World Race seems crazy to some! When I talk about it people shoot me a lot of questions. So I developed the idea to get together a few of the most common questions and help to clear up some of the confusion! If you have any additional questions put them in the comments and I will answer them!
The most common questions I have been asked:
1. What is the World Race?
2. Who organizes the Race?
3. Who is going with you?
4. Where are you going?
5. What are you doing in each country?
6. When do you leave, how long will you be in each country?
7. Where will you sleep and what will you eat?
8. How much does this cost and who is paying?
9. How can I get involved?
10.That sounds like an awesome vacation, but why not just save and pay for it yourself?
11. Why not do something in the US?
1. What is the World Race?
It is a journey to 11 countries in 11 months to serve “the least of these” while amongst real and raw community. It facilitates discipleship through the process of discovering into the abundant life He promised. It births partnerships with ministries around the world. It requires Luke 10-like faith to get out of your comfort zone and giving you exposure to what God is doing in the world.
2. Who organizes the Race?
The World Race is a program organized by Adventures in Missions. Adventures in Missions is a Christian organization that has been around since 1989 and launched the first World Race ten years ago, they have successfully sent over 100,000 missionaries into the field. Adventures partners with long-term missions, missionaries, churches and organizations around the world, sending in teams to serve them to assist the work they’re already doing in the local communities.
3. Who is going with you?
I will be traveling with a large squad of about 60 other young adults ages 21-35 from all over. We will be divided into smaller teams between 6-8. Our squad will travel between countries together, and then each team will separate across the country to go to their own ministry sites for the month. I will not know my team until Training Camp in August and it is killing me!
4. Where are you going?
Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya
5. What are you doing in each country?
What I do each month will vary based on the ministries my team is sent to, and ultimately I won’t know until I get there. Typical World Race activities include teaching English, loving on orphans, volunteering in hospitals, doing construction work, befriending girls who have been trafficked into slavery, or using our own talents and spiritual gifts in fields to aid the ministry. In every location, we’ll be working with the impoverished and neglected populations where the need is deepest. Ultimately, I’m not going to “fix” someone’s problems, but to serve and encourage the ministries I encounter in whatever way they need. I’m going to build relationships, love people with Christ’s love, and be a light in their lives.
Here is a little more on each country I will be serving :
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a hot spot for surfing and just enjoying “pura vida” – literally, “pure life”, it’s a concept of a “chill,” relaxed, laidback way of life. The beautiful beaches that line both coasts are the perfect setting. Among the Central American countries, Costa Rica (“Rich Coast”) lives up to its name. While the natural beauty attracts lots of tourists, there are still large pockets of poverty and family brokenness. Because of its relative affluence, Costa Rica also draws in immigrants from neighboring countries, like Nicaragua, who don’t fare much better than they did before. You might help feed their physical and spiritual hunger – and discover other creative ways to give new meaning to the concept of “pura vida.”
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Nicaragua
This location is always a World Race favorite. It’s a country full of wonderfully warm and caring people, and participants always leave having had a powerful experience. However, hopelessness, addictions, destitution, and poverty still plague the many lives of Nicaragua. There are orphans who have grown up without knowing the love of a parent and families who get by each day by scrounging scraps from the city dump where they have made their homes. In Nicaragua, you’ll have the opportunity to bring God’s love through slum ministry, door-to-door outreach, outreach to children, and more.
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Honduras
“Hondo” comes from the Spanish word for depth and there’s lots of depth to Honduras. It’s home to the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, whose ruins are still stand. Honduras is mostly mountainous and the weather’s as tropical as it gets. What really runs deep in Honduras are its needs. Honduras is the third poorest in the region, after Haiti and Nicaragua. Like her neighbors, Honduras has had her of share political/military troubles, e.g., the six-month constitutional crisis in 2009. There’s a need to reach out to the youth, not just to keep them out of trouble (e.g., gangs) but for them to know their worth and that they’re loved.
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Guatemala
A country rich in history and natural resources – fertile soil from the volcanoes help yield excellent coffee – Guatemala is the perfect place to initiate your World Race experience. Outside of its aesthetic appeal, Guatemala needs God’s touch. Gripped by poverty and bound to a spirit of religion, the people of Guatemala hunger for the kingdom of God to pervade their lives. You’ll have the opportunity to usher in the kingdom to this land and reach out to the people on the fringes of society through hard work, relationships, and maybe even a miracle or two.
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Malaysia
Enter a world entrenched in Islam. A people within the thriving metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysians still live in ignorance of the Good News of Jesus Christ. As you delve into this culture of works-based religion, strong self-discipline, and uncanny faith, you will have the unique opportunity to deliver hope and point the people to their Redeemer.
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Thailand
The kingdom of Thailand, known as Siam until 1939, is the only country in the region not colonized by Europe. Their 2000 census showed that 94.6% of the population is Buddhist, 4.6% are Muslim, and 0.7% are Christian. Approximately 600,000 people live with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. With nearly two million people estimated to be forced into prostitution, it has become one of the most popular places for sex tourism. Change lives in the city-where you, like Jesus, might befriend prostitutes-or in the countryside-where you may serve youth, care for orphans, and encourage a remnant of believers.
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Cambodia
Cambodia houses one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat, a Hindu temple and monastery built during the Khmer empire in the 12th century. It later became a Buddhist complex a century later, and today, just over 96% of Cambodia is Buddhist. Almost 30 years ago, 1.5 million Cambodians died at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime. Today, Cambodia is a source, transit point, and destination of human trafficking. Unfortunately, the government is struggling to stop it. The people of Cambodia are thirsty for the hope you can bring.
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Philippines
This Asian island nation, former Spanish colony then American protectorate, is a country in tension, trying to cross the threshold between the third and first world. It offers a variety of landscapes – beaches, mountains, volcanic lakes – and languages, with Tagalog as the national tongue. The Catholic Church is a substantial piece of the religious pie, however, and Islam is growing in the island of Mindinao. The Filipino people and culture love music, dance and community. While there, you will find yourself living with and giving hope to the destitute, caring for orphans, and challenging the growing number of Christ-followers to rise up.
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Rwanda
Many who hear “Rwanda” immediately think, “genocide” – it was 16 years ago when 800,000 people were killed over the course of about three months. According to the U.S. State Department, Rwanda (once colonized by France) has the highest population density in sub-Saharan Africa; and like much of sub-Saharan Africa, this nation also is fighting hard against HIV/AIDS. This nation played a part of the genesis of this human rights organization and inspired this song; as you help bring healing to a country still recovering from this deep wound, God may birth a dream or vision in you…
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Uganda
Once a kingdom and British protectorate, for most of the later half of the 20th century, Uganda was under military rule, first under Idi Amin, the subject of the film The Last King of Scotland. Much of northern Uganda was also troubled by the Lord’s Resistance Army, which heavily recruited child soldiers. Referred to as the Pearl of Africa, Uganda is diverse in topography and wildlife. You may find yourself in the north partnering with ministries that are bringing still-needed healing and reconciliation or in the south working with churches to evangelize and disciple the next generation of Kingdom workers.
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Kenya
Who hasn’t heard of Kenya in their lifetime? The Kenyan people are colorful, musical, artistic and hungry for the love of Christ. The Maasai bush, the Nairobi metropolis, and the Kibera slums comprise a country diverse yet unified in history. As a new era dawns in Kenya, so does the gospel of truth and faith. By meeting felt needs in the bush and the city, participants help bear lasting fruit with current ministry partnerships (ministries like evangelism, orphan care, and community development), and build foundations of future partnerships.
6. When do you leave, how long will you be in each country?I launch in October 2016. After training camp in August 2016, I will have more details about where in the US I will leave from to head to our first country come training camp. We will spend one month in each country, 11 countries – 11 months.
7. Where will you sleep and what will you eat?
This year, I’ll be carrying my home on my back – clothes, sleeping bag, tent, and anything else I may need. Accommodations will vary month by month: sometimes I might be in a church basement or a ministry contact’s spare room, and other months I might be in my tent camping. My team will have a small food budget, but the way it’s spent will also vary. We may be cooking for ourselves, buying meals at local markets, or eating with our ministry contacts.
8. How much does this cost and who is paying?
I will face many challenges all throughout the World Race, but as I prepare for my departure, one of my greatest challenges is my financial support. Like most other missions organizations, World Race participants are required to fundraise financial support in order to leave fully funded which is my goal! The total cost of the trip $16,561- which includes the costs of air, sea, and land travel, lodging, food, and training. As I take this large step of faith in trusting the Lord, would you prayerfully consider partnering with me financially on this incredible adventure? Your financial support will help me spread the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ to “the least of these.” Luckily, this amount is broken up into installments with deadlines to meet along the way. I have made it to the 5,000 mark!
$150 Deposit – Due 2 weeks after your acceptance date
$5,000 – Due 7/22/2016 (Fundraising Goal 1)
$10,000 – Due 9/16/2016 (Fundraising Goal 2)
$13,000 – Due 11/30/2016 (Fundraising Goal 3)
$16,561 – Due 1/31/2017 (Fundraising Goal 4)
$861 (Insurance)- Due 04/1/16
Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the costs of the trip/program you are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.
Please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions. AIM will send you a receipt for your donation. If you would prefer to make your donation online, you may do so by visiting my blog site at: www.lydiaflowers.theworldrace.org. Just click the “Support Me” link in the upper left side of the page and complete your donation as instructed. All donations are tax deductable. You may send back cash to me and I will make a deposit for you as well.
9. How can I get involved?
There are so many fundraisers that I am doing! Check out my other blogs entitles no money no problem which lists my prayer request, and also my change is welcomed. This will tell you all the different ways you can get involved!
10.That sounds like an awesome vacation, but why not just save and pay for it yourself?
If I wanted a vacation I would look elsewhere; maybe England to be exact. This trip however is based on my servant’s heart that the Lord has called me out to us. I would not be doing this trip if it wasn’t for the Lord! If I wanted to vacation trust me I would not be dealing with squatty potties (ask away), mosquitoes, and not showering for weeks on end. I am going on this trip to get out of my comfort zone and push myself into the unknown to serve and show the Lord’s love.
11. Why not do something in the US?
Ultimately you can and should be a missionary where ever god has placed you, be that Shepherdsville Kentucky or Uganda Africa. I feel that the Lord is calling me overseas to serve and take his word to the nations.
