Ask any World Racer to talk about the parts of the Race that changed them the most, and you'll be sure to hear the word community. Community is an essential facet of the World Race – living and working with a team of 6-8 other people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 11 months.
It's in community that Racers learn some of our most important lessons, and it's the lifelong friends we make that we remember with the most joy. But it's not always easy. True community gets messy, and every team has hard days. For most Racers, living in community is both the best and hardest part of the Race.
This month we're sharing a true story of World Race community – raw, honest, and uncut – every Wednesday. We invite you into our teams – our families – to experience life with us.
This week's story comes from Hailey Crump of the January 2011 V Squad. When Hailey's team decided they couldn't imagine spending one more day together, their leaders gave them a tough choice that has changed the way they love people.
I remember sitting in my room about a month before I left for the Race and praying a very specific prayer. I had always been so good at giving up when things got hard, pushing people away once the time came or a season changed. I knew little about what it meant to genuinely want to fight for someone else. I sat on my bed and said, "Lord, I want that. Show me how to fight for people and to not give up when it gets hard. Give me someone to fight for."
Then a month later I was on the field on an absolutely incredible team. We loved each other without having to try very hard. Life was good. Until Month Two when all of a sudden I was thrown onto another team. I had never talked to anyone on this team, and suddenly I was one of them – the team I never wanted to be on.
It started out better than I had anticipated. Our first month together was a complete honeymoon phase. Then Month Four came, and our honeymoon was long gone. Our true selves started coming out along with our frustrations with each other. Little quarrels started happening, and by Month Five most of us were not talking to each other.
We found every possible way to avoid being in the same place at the same time.
We knew Month Five debrief was coming, and along with it team changes. If we could manage to avoid each other and stick it out until then, we wouldn't have to deal with each other again. We thought, "If the squad leaders see how awful we are together they will have to split us up."
Month Five debrief came. We sat at a table with tears streaming down our faces, airing out all of our bitterness, barely able to look one another in the eye. Almost every single one of us said we didn't want to be on this team and would rather go home. As the last person said this our worst nightmare happened.
One of the squad coaches looked at us and said, "We are not giving you an out. In fact, we are sealing your team for the rest of the Race. You can decide to fight for each other or you can choose to go home. Either way it's up to you." Then in an abrupt end to our debrief all of the leaders and coaches left, leaving us in the room until we came to our decision.
Sitting in that room was one of the most defining moments of my Race.
For four hours we sat – first in complete silence, and then spewing out everything that had gone unsaid in the months prior. Until we got to the point where we all agreed to stick it out, to fight for each other. We each took turns looking each other in the eyes and telling them they were worth it.
Things didn't instantly get mended after we left that room. In fact there were many times where we had to choose over and over again to fight for each other. But there was one thing we knew: we were not going to give up. As the days passed things started getting better, and by the time Month Seven came, we loved each other.
We had fought past our own selfishness and pride to finally come to a place of pure love. Month Seven held more laughter and joy than all the prior months combined. It wasn't that the trials and irritations suddenly disappeared – it was how we chose to handle them this time.
When the leaders and coaches made the choice to push us past ourselves and keep us on the same team, we were frustrated and upset with them. We didn't see that they were looking out for our character rather than our instant gratification.
Looking back I can say it was the single best thing that happened to me on my Race, and I am so grateful they didn't allow me to give up or give into my selfishness.
It has shaped and defined how I fight for people and the lengths I will go to push past my own desires. When I asked God to show me how to fight for people I thought it would be one person, not an entire team. But I'm so glad it was, because the friendships that came out of that team are some of the strongest I've ever had.
