Ask any parent of a Racer, the World Race is a journey racers take alongside their families, communities, and churches. When Paul and Ginny Greenwood, parents of Racer Chelsea Greenwood, (January 2014 C Squad), travelled both to Launch and then to Thailand on a Parent Vision Trip, they found this journey was as much for them as for their daughter. Below Ginny tells her story.
Launch – Atlanta, Georgia – January, 2014
We didn’t even think twice about traveling to Atlanta with Chelsea to see what this World Race thing was really about–this thing that had taken hold of her heart for the past 2 1/2 years. From the moment she saw the article about it on our own coffee table 4 years ago, we wished it would just fade away as a passing thought. But it didn’t fade away–she informed us of her decision to apply. We still had hope that it wouldn’t come to pass, as our girl, who is extremely needle-phobic, would have to be agree to go to the travel doctor and get shots-–like three or four with three separate office visits. She said she was willing and that’s when we knew it was God. He called her up and I had to let her go with Him. The day she received the phone call saying she’d been accepted, Chelsea and I were together in Ireland, hiking through the hills of County Kerry. When she told me she was going, I said, “Yay, I’m so excited for you!” But in my private thoughts with God, it was a different conversation.
Parent Vision Trip – Chiang Mai, Thailand – September, 2014
Why did we go on the Parent Vision Trip? Of course we traveled the near 22 hours to see our daughter because she’d been away from us for 9 months, some months with little or no contact at all. We missed her more than we’ve ever had to miss any of our children. And now, Paul and I have returned from the PVT, and as I think more deeply about why we needed to go see her on the Race, I realized that we traveled to really see what this thing was that had so totally taken hold of her heart.
First of all, the reunion was the sweetest thing. Sweeter in magnitude than the pain we felt when we gave her that last hug in Atlanta. We followed the agenda for the week and we followed her and her fellow racers and did what they did. But mostly we watched. We saw what it was that took her away from us and we saw that it was good. It was God, our God, who knows Chelsea’s heart, mind and soul better than her parents and even better than she knows them herself. He gave them to her and molded her for days such as these.
As she told us some of her stories and as we watched her in action, we were relieved to see our same Chelsea whom we’ve known for all these years. But we saw someone else, we saw a woman who has chosen to give her preferences over to God and who is seeking to do what He needs her to do, when He needs her to do it. What a beautiful thing and what a blessing it has been to watch this all unfold. The smiles we’ve seen on her lovely face – even through the deprivations, the uncomfortable situations, the long and sometimes dangerous travel – have been the best. There is a light in her eyes that comes from her Father in heaven. I was wrong to wish it away, and now I’m grateful to God for knowing my mommy’s heart and for bringing us along on this journey to Thailand. We have been allowed front row seats to see what He’s been up to. He’s given us the inside scoop, He showed us His hand and we are stupefied as to His glory and power and ever-loving heart. He has brought Chelsea and the other racers along to work on His plan to tell the lost, the hurting and the desperate that He has not forgotten them.
What better joy could there be than to be in the Father’s employ? I’m grateful to have been invited to go and see what He’s been up to.
It takes great faith to go to the field for 11 months; but possibly even greater faith for parents to see their children leave for the nations for 11 months. If you know a parent today missing their racer, please encourage them!
