That month I’ll always remember. That month I sent the “I don’t want to be here anymore” text to my mom. That month I lost the ‘stuff your feelings’ game. And I lost hard. That month was my first month being a squad leader. That month the Lord shattered the perfect platform I placed myself on.
I thought alumni squad leaders (leadership who have finished the race but go again for 5 months with a different squad to disciple and help navigate new racers) were racers who wanted ‘more’ of their race because they loved it so much. I thought they were people who weren’t connected with their families so it would be easy to pick up and leave, especially for the holidays. I have recently realized my thinking was a bit off the mark.
Most of all, I thought they were a new kind of crazy. I thought, “who would willingly do this to themselves”. As I lay in bed(month 6) the first month of being a raised-up squad leader I justified it by thinking, “well technically I was chosen so it’s different but there’s zero hope for me to ever do this again. Especially being in more of a leadership role”.
Have you ever left butter in a dish on the table in the summertime and came home to it melted? That’s a great representation of what the Lord did to my heart. It changed. It softened. The Lord made it moldable. He started molding my heart and knew it would take 4 month to soften it to make it more pliable.
So the next season for me is Alumni Squad Leading! Shocker what the Lord does to that melted butter, huh?
I leave in August of this year and will be gone for 5 months with a new squad.
What exactly is alumni squad leading and how is it different from what I’m doing now (raise up squad leading)?
It’s greatly different. Right now, I am in the last month of my race. Coming into this next season I will help lead racers for their race. I will be focused on the squad and how to cultivate leaders and push them into growth, empower them to leap into the unknown and walk alongside them through daunting times. I’ll do ministry with them and live with them. All the same as I did on my race.
It’s a leadership position. It’s a humbling position. And it’s a position to place God on a platform and see Him work.
Like the saying here goes(in an Asian accent), “same same but different”. Same goal and focus, but a very different position.
My alumni squad leader greatly represented being a shepherd to a flock. She taught us how to live in community well, how to step into more growth and risk, to be the most authentic version of ourselves and to say hard feedback such a loving way it never stung. My alumni squad leader changed the mental trajectory of the race for me.
Since she was a catalyst in my race, I want to give that away to these racers. I want to impart the wisdom that’s been imparted to me. I want to be used and this is how God wants to use me in this next season.
Like I said earlier, this is my last month on the race! I’ll be back in the USA late this month. I’ll be home for about 3 weeks and then back on the field.
Here’s my route for the first 5 months:
-Panama (new country for me)
-Costa Rica (new country for me)
-Nicaragua (I bought a pig here for two weeks [Bengee])
-El Salvador (pupusa nation)
– Malawi (new country for me)
Although the frequency of my blogs will not be as high, my goal is to still blog and give updates while on the field.
I am looking for monthly donors who want to partner with me on this ‘same same, but different’ journey. If you are interested, please email me and we will set up a meeting. My email is [email protected]
Here is the link to my page for donations
https://rachaelthearin.theworldrace.org/
Like I said earlier, I’ll be home for about 3 week in late June and July. If you want to grab coffee or lunch, just message me. I’d love to!
Peace from Bali,
~Racer Rach~
