Put me in Coach!

I’m not much of a risk taker. Last month I won the honors of “Most likely to follow the rules.”   Yet, I am learning to recognize when an opportunity presents itself to snatch it up like the last piece of bacon at breakfast-vegetarians insert a more desirable food. Being on the World Race allows for many opportunities. Some are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and others are less than ideal, but they all open my mind, horizons, and world view of what it means to be a Christian. Let’s take a quick glance at some opportunities over the last few days. 

Two days ago as a team we ventured to the Western border and took a boat ride along the river that defines Thailand. We used that time to pray. That’s it. Pray. And by “that’s it,” I mean partake in, what a recent sermon I recently listened to called, “True Prayer…True Power.” We were in waters not many ever venture to riding on boats powered by old car engines that had a propeller mounted to the end of the drive shaft. 

We started the next day playing games, performing skits, playing music, sharing testimonies, and fooling around with a group of about 200 students. (It is a lot harder to explain a game when our translator is only so-so and my Thai language knowledge is limited to Hello, Thank You, One, Two, Three, and a couple types of foods.) Yet, the language barrier doesn’t stop us from having fun with them and sharing truth. Later that same day we sat down with a high ranking government official that one of our contacts had befriended. We ended the meeting praying for him and his greatest political concerns which he had entrusted to us. (He’s Buddhist.) That evening we played soccer with several older youth that play on our contact’s team. I purchased some soccer cleats because that was the one item I missed from home the most. (Family doesn’t count as an “item.”) This was an opportunity to engage the community in a unique yet relevant way. Last night all the guys went to a Mai Thai fight that cost 50 baht to get in, 12 baht for a coke in a bag, 10 baht for a serving of pad thai, and 10 baht for this pancake coconut combination. (Exchange rate is about 30 baht = $1.) We had front row seats and since we were the only farangs (slang Thai word for foreigners) in the crowd, they invited us in the ring and gave us gloves to fool around before the fight. (That would NEVER happen in the states.) 

Some opportunities aren’t as glamorous: squatty potties are a little hard on the knees, bucket showers don’t really have consistent pressure, the closest internet is miles away, and rice and eggs apparently go well with every delicious sort of veggie medley possible. 

Although it is certainly easier to enjoy these opportunities since I’m with such a quality group of men, I still need to make the decision to take the opportunity or let it pass. I’m learning more and more that when I step out and take a risk-What am I really even risking, though? My image? Reputation?-there are unforeseen rewards. 

Looking back on my time in the states, I’m realizing that being on the World Race is not a necessity to capitalize on opportunities. They abound wherever I go. For several weeks when I was back in St. Louis I played soccer with a group of Afghans every Wednesday and Saturday because I took the risk to stop and ask if I could join one day while riding my bike through the park. Free outdoor concerts last summer often led to engaging conversations with my fellow money-savers. 

Putting a sign up in a park with a friend that said, “Come play board games with us,” wasn’t my most successful outing due to the rain, but the forecast for the next attempt is at least a partially sunny as well. 

If we delight in the Lord, we get to do whatever we want. I’m starting to learn about praying big prayers and taking steps that are out of my comfort zone. Whether it’s coincidence or correlation, it seems that opportunities keep appearing. Put me in coach. I want a shot.
New Reader? Feel free to add your email address in the space provided on the left to receive blog updates.
*Photos provided by Josh Woodmansee and DJ Kelley