This is a letter to future racers.
You’re at home, preparing for this thing called the World Race. You have no idea what to expect. The way some people talk about the race, you begin to wonder before you even leave if you’ll ever have a day when you don’t miss home.
I have yet to have an entire day that I wanted to be at home. However, I have had moments, and I want to share some of them with you so that you can be preparing your heart, as well as building your knowledge of truth to combat the lies you will encounter.
1. When one of your best friends tells you she’s pregnant the day before you leave for launch. You haven’t even left yet, and reasons why you should just stay are piling up. There’s so much you’ll miss. What if everyone becomes so comfortable in their lives without you and you return home to no one? What if you come back so different that you can’t be friends with the same people anymore, even if they do welcome you back? Then another one of your close friends tells you she’s going on the World Race. You’re very excited, but then your heart sinks because you realize that she’ll leave just weeks before you’ll return, wich means you won’t see her for TWO years instead of just one. How do you know if you’re even supposed to go?
2. When it’s 4 am on the way to your first country, and you can’t sleep on the plane. You think of the bed that you left behind where your favorite blanket is waiting for you. Then by the time it’s 6 am, you’re willing to settle for a bed of rocks, so long as your feet can be up and not holding your weight anymore. Even though you know it’s all going to be worth it, you struggle to remember why in this moment.
3. When you can hear the rats running around on the ceiling above you. This one is pretty self-explanatory why you would want to go home. At lease it was for me.
4. When you’re surrounded by so much heartbreak and spiritual darkness that the world seems almost void of hope. You know there are places where people send their children to work in a brothel because they’re in trouble with a mob or something, but nothing can prepare you for the heartache you experience when you look into the broken faces of a community that’s living in that reality.
5. When it’s your brother’s birthday (or other family member/friend/holiday). You’re torn. You don’t want to leave and go home, but you want home to be here with you so you don’t miss anything. Also, you just want to hug your brother (or whoever) and tell them that you love them and that you’re proud of them. You don’t want to leave the race, but you don’t want to be away from home.
6. When you’re sick. All you want is your mom, and you can’t even walk to get WiFi to call her. In fact, you can’t do anything. You have to ask for help, and recieve it when it’s given. You’re uncomfortable, but there’s nothing that can really be done about it. There’s not even access to the food and drinks you would have if you were at home. The only thing good about being sick is that you get to eat in bed and spend all your time watching movies/TV, and you can’t even do that.
This is only the first half of this letter. The other half is my encouragement to you in the midst of these situations, which is written in my next blog.
