My Advise For Future Racers
While helping to build a church in Transnistria/Moldova during my ninth month of the World Race, my squad leader, Sam, asked me a question that really got me thinking about my experiences on the Race and how God had grown me in the months before. The two of us spent hours swapping back and forth hoisting buckets of concrete up a pulley to the third story of this massive church building. It was exhausting work. My back and shoulders were killing me. My hands were numb. The whole situation was pretty brutal. Naturally, a deep conversation started up to keep our minds off of the pain. Sam asked me this: “If you were approached by someone who was thinking about doing the Race and asked for advise, what would you tell them?” I think my first snarky answer was a resounding “Don’t Do It!!”, but after taking a little time to seriously think about the question (and not my immediate uncomfortable circumstances) I came up with a real answer for him. My answer was: “I would have no advise for someone who asked me that question. Instead of giving someone advise about going on the Race I would give them a series of questions to ask them self and pray through before deciding to sign over a year of their life.”
Now that I have been home for a month, I have been thinking back on the Race and I think that these questions are worth asking of people who are thinking of signing up for this incredible, life changing, journey. If for some reason you stumble across this blog and you are trying to make a decision of whether or not you want to go on the World Race, please take the time to think about and pray about these questions.
1) Is this trip something you feel like God is calling you to, or does it just sound like fun to go out and see the world?
If you are about to sign up because you think this is some kinda extended vacation, abort mission right now. Yes, you do get to travel to some amazing places. Yes, you do get off days to go on some cool adventures. Yes, you do get to try some exotic foods. Those things are all really fun and really great, but they are a very small part of life on the Race. Most days will be filled with hard work, sleeping on a floor (if you are lucky), and long stretches of extremely boring down time where there is nothing to do but wait for further instruction. When you sign up for the World Race, you are committing to 11 months of service to the kingdom. That means that for 11 months you will need to be prepared to do give up your right to be comfortable, to do things the way you think they should be done, and even the right to shower on a daily basis. Ask yourself if you can commit to walking into month 11 with the same amount of enthusiasm as you will have walking into month one. If God is calling you to the World Race, that is what He is asking of you. The Race is a highly rewarding experience, and I would love nothing more than to see more and more people get the privilege of experiencing it, but please take the time to talk to God and simply ask if this is what He has for you in this season.
2) How much are you willing to sacrifice to see the kingdom released in the world around you and in your own life?
I touched on this in question one, but I think it is important enough to talk about twice. You should know that by signing up for the World Race, you are agreeing to sacrifice your right to be comfortable, your right to start a new romantic relationship, your right to personal space, and your right to be in control. These are just a few of the things you will be asked to sacrifice that a lot of people have a lot of trouble letting go of. Let’s face it, we are (mostly) Americans. We are told from childhood that we should fight for our rights at all cost. It’s not easy to humble yourself and let go of your rights.
You should know that if you decide to go you will most likely start being attacked by the enemy immediately. He will start trying to scare you. You might start having nightmares. You might have bouts of apathy and loss of energy. You might become irritable. You might even get physically sick. The enemy does not want you to go out and spread the kingdom and he will continue to look for new ways to discourage you throughout your Race. I’m not trying to scare. You should just walk into this thing with both eyes open. Be ready. Have a prayer team at home. Stay vigilant and step into the authority given to you by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. You carry the Holy Spirit inside of you. Don’t forget that. The enemy is all talk, but he talks a whole lot when people start doing kingdom work, so be ready to fight for yourself and for your squadmates. Ask God if this is something you are ready for.
By signing up for the Race, you should know that you are committing to submit to the spiritual authority of Adventures In Missions and the leadership structure they put in place for this 11 month season of your life. This is not always an easy commitment to honor, but if you make the commitment you will be expected to honor it. If you are really called to this journey, you are making this commitment to God, not just AIM. If you have prayed and you feel like God is leading you to a season of sacrifice for His kingdom there is nothing more rewarding you could ever do. If you go, I can guarantee that you will see God do some amazing things in the world around you. As a result, you will be changed in the process. God will bring out passions and giftings that you never knew you had. The World Race completely changed my world view and set me up to launch forward into a life of expanding the kingdom. It can do the same for you.
3) What are you looking for God to do in you and through you while you are on this trip?
Really think about this one. It’s important. What areas of your life do you want God to work on? How do you want to see yourself changed to be more like Christ in the span of 11 months? On the Race you will have a unique opportunity like no other to let God grow you. You will have people surrounding you who have committed to calling things out in you. You will have a lot of time for quiet times, worship, and prayer. Think about the areas in your life where you are living in bondage. Think about the walls you have put up and how those walls are affecting your ability to experience God. Ask God to use this year to walk you through breaking down those walls and to free you from that bondage. I personally am walking in so much more freedom after doing the Race than I ever dreamed of while I was still living in my little American bubble. He did amazing things in my life and I saw Him do amazing things in the lives of my squadmates.
Also, think about how you want God to use you and be praying about it in advance. Think about spiritual gifts you have never used before but have always wanted to. Think about people groups that you have a passion for and ways God can use you to better the lives of these people. Pray into these things regularly. We have a Good Good Father. He loves us so much. He loves that we have passions and dreams. In my experience, He has given us those passions and dreams because He is calling something out in us that He wants to use to build His kingdom on earth. Sometimes all we have to do is simply ask and we start seeing the things that we desire, but never believed possible, happen right in front of our eyes. It’s amazing stuff.
I know that some of this was harsh, but I wish I had asked myself these things before I signed up. It is not my intention to scare people away from the World Race. Honestly, I hope more and more people keep making this life changing decision. It is my prayer that some of what I wrote will get you thinking and praying before just signing up, though. For me, this was one of the hardest and most amazing experiences of my life thus far. I loved it so much that I am about to go back out as an alumni squad leader. I just know that it isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. Honoring commitments is something that is very important to me. I hope more people will make this commitment to 11 months of growth, hard work, love, laughter, tears, intentionality, and destroyed comfort zones. If you honor this commitment, you will see God do amazing things in your life and through you this year and beyond. Be well, be blessed, and be in prayer. Love Y’all!!!
