I know a lot of yall have been wondering how ive been doing and if im even ok.In all honesty i really dislike doing these kinds of things (blogging/communicating home)but something finally came up that is worth breaking my silence over. So if you are looking for an update on me, you will get one but this blog isnt even truly about me.
For starters i am in my 10th month which puts me in La Libertad, El Salvador. We are working with a church mainly doing childrens ministry. Physically I am healthy, mentally and emotionally im tired but will be ok. Some fun facts about my life on the race: I have walked/petted with lions and cheetahs, swam in Victoria Falls, Flew in a Helicopter, Got tattoos in Vietnam and Thailand, Grew my hair out past my shoulders then cut it into a mullet, Skinned a wild boar, saw Angkor Wat, Swam in a handful of different oceans, and ate all types of interesting foods. All of that has been fun and extremely memorable but it isnt what this blog is really about.This blog is about this man:
http://markrowdon.theworldrace.org
His name is Mark Rowdon and he is 1 of my 3 alumni squad leaders. For those of you who dont know, an alumni squad leader is someone who has previously completed the World Race. Their role is to walk side by side with us our first 5 months.They are there to help us adjust to life on the race. After our 5th month they go back to the States and have the opportunity to come out and see us 2 more times during our race. Now Mark has been much more to me than just somebody who helped me adjust to Race life. Mark has taught me something that nobody else ever has. He taught me how to be a real man. Im not talking about opening doors for people or how to change a tire, im talking about how to be a real Christian man. Im talking about being able to cry in front of people and not feeling like vulnerability is weakness. Im talking about being real, not the emasculated, weak, effeminate “man” that the church and society has turned us into. Mark is the first man ive met in a long time that doesnt feel the need to have to go around preaching, praying, and quoting scripture to feel affirmed and accepted. For me that was super relatable and i was able to respect Mark because he was genuine. Mark is just a normal dude who is overly competitive at everything, who will cuss when he gets mad, who thinks he’s the best at all card games, who laughs at/makes “inappropriate” jokes, Who REALLY LOVES JESUS. For years i thought following Jesus meant that i had to give up everything about being a man to be a “good” christian. That simply just isnt true. In reality its the exact opposite. Christian men are supposed to be strong, dangerous, and leaders. Not the opposite. Now I know that there are plenty of men out there that live like this and im sure have even tried to model this to me, but it never stuck until now. There was just something refreshing about meeting a man who i could laugh myself to tears with looking at Mustang memes and then have a deep talk about what true freedom looks like for Christians. I think there arent near enough of these types of relationships in the world and definitely not in the church. The church needs to raise up more Mark Rowdons.
So long story short, If you are reading this and you are male its time to start being a Man. Its time to be real with people and not try and pretend you are something you are not.Trust me, by striving to be the christian man you think/have been told to be instead of being the christian man you are called to be, you are doing much more harm than if you didnt identify as a christian at all. Before the race i was so turned off by Christianity because the Christians i was running into were producing no fruit. How can you expect to produce fruit when the tree is rotten? People can see through the fakeness and its insulting to think the people around you are fooled by it.
These are just some of the things that Mark has helped me learn. A lot of it he never said a word. He just lives it. He is currently Squad leading for another squad in Albania. He has been given the opportunity to come to our Final Debrief which signifies the end of our Race. Its our last time seeing everybody before we scatter across the world. Mark has obviously impacted my life a great deal and it would mean a lot to me and many others if he could make it. Unfortunately he is $1500 short of his fundraising goal. He needs that money by Friday September the 30th in order to get a flight. So im asking for your help in getting this man to our Final Debrief so we can say bye as a family.You can donate to Mark at his blog here.
