We have now been living life on the World Race for 270 days and with less than 50 left, I wanted to share something that has been on my heart.
I have had numerous people ask me how the World Race has been. My answer usually goes something like this:
“It is really hard to sum that all up in one quick response and would love to share with you more when I return. For short, its been the hardest year of my life but the most rewarding and the best thing I have ever chosen to do.”
Without a doubt, every single time, the next response is “What is so hard about it”?
This had me thinking about why it is so hard for people to see that being a missionary and living in 3rd world countries all year is hard?
Then I thought about most of the things we “world racers’ share on our social media outlets. The adventure, the fun, getting to love and spend time with kids all the time, traveling and seeing the world, etc.
Sure, it would be easy to look at and think “what is so hard about that?”
Well, whether it may look like it or not, the world race is in fact hard.
However, I don’t think it brings much Glory to God for us as world racers to complain and share about all the hard things we have to deal with on a daily basis.
We all knew what we were getting ourselves into and honestly, this is why most of us signed up. Plus, who really wants to read about people complaining anyway?
With all that said, the purpose for this blog is to answer that person that keeps asking me “Why is it so hard”?
So for one time and one time only, here we go.
These are real life things that our squad has had to deal with over the last 11 months:
It’s hard because it just is.
It’s hard because we had to make a choice to leave our friends and family for 11 months not knowing much about where or what would would be doing.
It’s hard because we left good jobs not knowing if they would be there when we got back or what work will even look like then.
It’s hard selling everything you have back home and packing your life into a back pack.
It’s hard stepping out into the unknown and arriving at places of abandonment, brokenness, and dependence.
It’s hard living in 3rd world countries for a year.
It’s hard living on a budget that is equal to the locals around you in these countries every day.
It’s hard living in community- meeting 35 people for the first time then being asked to live with them 24/7 and never have ANY alone time.
It’s hard loving others unconditionally- especially when they don’t deserve it.
It’s hard loving yourself- especially when you don’t deserve it.
It’s hard finding out just how selfish of a person you really are.
It’s hard spending hours, days, and even weeks traveling in crowded and uncomfortable public transportation vehicles, trains, boats, etc.
It’s hard taking a 3 hour (each way) public transportation bus to ministry every day with 50 people in a bus that holds 25.
It’s hard constantly sweating in 100+ degree temperatures without air conditioning.
It’s hard eating rice and beans- every. single. day.
It’s hard not having all your favorite restaurants you can run to every week.
It’s hard (but sometimes quite nice) not having television for a year.
It’s hard not having cell phone service and having to find wifi all year.
It’s hard not being able to attend (or even watch most of the time) your favorite sporting teams and events.
It’s hard celebrating your birthday without your friends and family.
It’s hard missing theirs.
It’s hard being away for Holidays.
It’s hard not being able to attend/serve on Sunday’s at our normal churches back home.
It’s hard having to listen to worship music and sermons on your I Pod instead of being there in person.
It’s hard sitting through 3 hour church services with no air conditioner and the service is in a language you don’t understand.
It’s hard when your room/house for the month is a tent outside.
It’s hard when you and your 7 teammates live in a tiny hot room all month.
It’s hard sharing one bathroom with 7 people. 5 of them girls.
It’s hard having to use a hole in the ground, or as it is called in Asia “the squatty potty”, as your toilet.
It’s hard sleeping on the floor.
It’s hard having all kinds of flies, bugs, spiders, roaches (you name it) crawl on you while you are sleeping.
It’s hard when you find rats and snakes (ask Lauren) inside your living quarters.
It’s hard going a week without being able to take a shower.
It’s hard showering out of a bucket when you do finally get water and a shower.
It’s hard when the electricity constantly goes out.
It’s hard when there is no fresh water.
It’s hard when there is no water at all.
It’s hard being away from home and finding out a family member passed away or got sick.
It’s hard not being able to speak or understand the local language.
It’s hard staying at a hostel for 3 days with 35 people and the reservation they have down is for 9.
It’s hard when multiple people get robbed throughout the year, including myself- robbed at gun point.
It’s hard never being able to go anywhere alone because you are afraid this might happen again.
It’s hard being exhausted because you spend every day pouring into others.
It’s hard when you are put on the spot and asked to preach in front of 500 people.
It’s hard seeing young boys and girls homeless on the side of the street with no money or family to help them.
It’s hard seeing a 12 year old girl In Thailand who has to sell her body every day just to survive.
It’s hard knowing there are 27 million others around the world who are trapped in slavery as well.
It’s hard seeing children who will never know who their parents are or ever have anybody to provide for them.
It’s hard feeling like there is absolutely nothing you can do to change this.
It’s hard seeing so many hurting people in a country and seeing the government actually add to the corruption.
It’s hard being a missionary in a closed country where your emails/social media are being monitored and you are not allowed to talk about or say the word “Jesus”.
It’s hard telling people who don’t want to hear about Jesus, about Jesus.
It’s hard breaking down all the walls you have built up in your life.
It’s hard letting go of all the past shame and guilt you have carried your whole life and being freed from regrets of your past.
It’s hard having to forgive all people who have hurt you.
It’s hard trusting God with your entire life. Every. Single. Day.
Sure, the world race is “hard” but Jesus never promises us following him will be easy.
He does promise us that “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
In the end it is all worth it. Every. Single. Moment.
Jesus died on a Cross for me to forgive my sins and give me eternal life.
Because of this, I owe him my entire life.
