I first heard of the World Race by running into a squad out in the field. In 2012 I was on a short-term mission team in Malawi when it turned out we would serve the same people a World Race squad was finishing their work with. I remember not knowing what they where doing, and then, when a friend had given a little explanation, suddenly wanting to know everything I could about what they had set out on their trip to do; an instant attraction. Unfortunately they were leaving as we were arriving and all I could do was write down the name of the trip in my ipod and hope I remembered to look it up when I got home.
Interestingly enough, I would spend the next year of my life in an apathetic and careless rebellion against God’s will for me. In an attempt to appear in the service of God, while in reality being in the service of my own flesh (a lousy god) I grew further from his truth for my life. It was only by his fateful grace I was convicted to return home and find my Father. This brought be into a season of life where I could sense and strive towards the growth between Him and I. He was facilitating valuable growth to my personhood, He called me to serve in new ways, and perhaps most relevant, He taught me how to dream.
By this I mean He taught me (graciously and through the support of many good friends and mentors) how to incorporate my desires and passions into a vision for how I might serve him. Lo and behold, the World Race enters into the picture again. So I look into it for the first time and love it. I am drawn to everything about it; the service, the community, the commitment, and the pronounced and utter dependence on God from day to day. So I took it to him. I said, “Here God! I found this thing, I like it and I think it fits into my life. It’s probably the best plan out there for me. Make it happen…please.”
Well, if that sounds arrogant and shortsighted, it’s because it was. I brought the race to him as a sort of command. When there was no affirmative answer, when everyone I talked to had that moment in conversation where they paused to consider how they’ll tell me, “they don’t see it,” and when I felt it in tension with where He was, in fact, leading me I felt…foolish. I felt like my desires had yet again led me astray. “How could you have thought, Travis, that God would give you something like that?”
In the summer of 2014 I had the pleasure to work at a summer Christian camp in San Diego. At this point, I had already been accepted and committed to a Graduate program at Wheaton College starting in the fall. Despite this, I had still not made the decision in my heart that Wheaton was right. Largely because I was still clinging to the plan I had made for the race. Through a mentorship at this camp, I was given the grace to work through the reality of how I had handled this process of thinking about the race. Wise words guided me to validate my passionate desire while at the same time, letting them go.
In this process I was reminded to remain in the places that He has given peace and to find meaning in the mundane; realizing I don’t necessarily have to do great things to do Great things. This has been been gold over this last year. Such admonition was part of God’s call for me to, again, lay that desire down at His feet. And I have been so thankful to go through that process. It is a great freedom to be honest about what I would like and then throw it down; realizing I can’t snatch the reigns away from God if I truly want to follow Him. It is because of my passage through this process, that this last year at Wheaton has been immensely fruitful. I had handed over my excitement, desire, and fervor for the race as something to be laid at His feet.This is all to say that life had been making good sense and had me poised to follow a clear trajectory I had learned to embrace.
And then God.
When I least expected it, when I was on a road trip with a friend we happened to stay with a friend of his who works at Adventures in Missions (I didn’t know this until I shook the man’s hand). Catching me totally off guard and like a slap in the face, what I’m sure would have seemed like an ordinary visit between friends, was for me a powerful string of phrases and convictions which spoke to exhume a longing for missions I thought had been laid to rest. This follows a prayer earlier in the day (in the day!) to have the Lord show me what it’s like to quit my toiling over plans for my future and have him do that important work for me. It was nothing less than divinely stunning to have God speak to me in a way and with a clarity I had never experienced before (it was almost too much to believe).
In this experience He addressed (as quickly as these thoughts could be produced) every doubt, every hesitation, and perhaps most importantly the belief I still carried, that I couldn’t be good enough for something like this. The undeniable difference this time is how it was God and not me that brought the race back into my life. It is as if every longing I ever had for the race were suddenly thrown back at me. When I finally had the bravery to ask the Lord if he would really give me something I had wanted so much he answered, “Of course! I love you.” And what’s more is that He has even revealed to me in recent weeks how the World Race might play into a longer-term plan for my life; a life lived faithfully in every step.
So He’s done a great many things over the course of these three years. The truth that God speaks consistently through all seasons holds true in this, and I am both excited and humbled to be pointed back towards the race. I am also exceedingly eager to be a part of transformed lives. His goodness and faithfulness have been too much for me to horde for myself and so I feel drawn to sharing His blessings with those who haven’t known Him. Expanding the borders of His kingdom and bringing others into knowledge of His love is powerful work. And this is where I feel deeply, He’s led my heart. I also look longingly at how I might be brought into a deeper knowledge and experience of the Lord by joining what He is already doing in the hearts and communities of people around the world.
On a last note, speaking more to why I specifically want to be a part of this trip I’ll add that I am excited to see what this will do in me. I want to grow with him in ways that break me. I want to jump off a cliff and into a different kind of life. One that faithfully follows him. And what is so exciting is that I can offer that sort of experience to others too. To the people that will be served on a mission like this, one can be a living demonstration of the kind of life that can be had in Christ (and vice versa). Sharing his goodness and fullness in life are opportunities that this trip seems rife with.
