Last December we featured a special series for parents of future World Racers. We shared guest posts from parents of World Race alumni — advice, encouragement, and wisdom from those who’ve gone before you.
Today we are revisiting the most popular post from that series because there are five new squads of parents about to send their kids off in January, and YOU MATTER.
Their journeys are your journeys too, and their World Races are your World Races.
Today’s guest blogger is Ellen Tuttle. Her daughter Emily is a World Race alumnus from the January 2011 V Squad who now works in the marketing department at Adventures in Missions.
Ellen taught high school geography and English before leaving to help her husband Phil in his role as president of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. She also has a newly married son and daughter-in-law and a puppy who she loves very much.
Most parents have secret dreams of the day their children graduate from college. We expect them to get jobs and start supporting themselves. We pray they start to value our advice, stay true to our faith, and become mature and healthy adults.
So when our daughter Emily told us that instead of settling down and finding a job she was planning to go on the World Race, we got nervous.
Survival Tip #1: Research
As an adult, Emily’s decision was her own. But as her parents, we decided we better do some research too. We initially approached it with skepticism and fear. Was this some cult luring young adults away from mainstream life? But as we researched Adventures in Missions and searched for answers, we were drawn into the concept and adventure.
We discovered that one of our own college classmates, Seth Barnes, had founded Adventures, and we were impressed by his personal commitment to providing authentic missions experiences around the globe. The Race was a big opportunity to go see what God is doing in many areas of the world and join the process.
We also started to read Racers’ blogs — what better way to learn than to read the stories of those who were already involved? We saw them learning about hardships, unmet expectations, disappointments, living in very uncomfortable settings, existing on a tight budget, dealing with the challenges of getting along with teammates, not getting their way, learning to forgive and resolve conflicts, hearing God’s voice, discerning his will for their lives, and becoming stronger, more confident leaders.
It occurred to us that these were areas we had not been able to make a lot of progress in as parents. There are no courses in school that teach these skills.
Maybe taking a year out to prepare for real life was not such a bad idea after all.
Survival Tip #2: Trust that God will provide
Confession time: I have never been comfortable with the concept of support raising.
It’s one thing to send out support letters for short-term mission trips or for a full-time missionary to ask for support. But my kids were supposed to graduate from school, get a job, and support themselves.
Asking for money from family and friends goes against my grain and rubs against the culture I’ve been influenced by my whole life. Further, I didn’t believe she could raise the amount she needed in a short period of time. But Emily believed in what she was doing. So I set aside my doubts and helped.
We put on two huge garage sales where she raised 10 percent of her support right away. She got creative. And after all her fundraising efforts, newsletters, and blogs, she not only met her launch goals but was able to raise all her support before leaving.
I saw how God provided for others. So where was my faith with my own daughter?
I learned about trusting and setting faith goals during this time by watching my daughter. I learned that what God ordains he also finances. I learned that maybe I had bought into our culture of self-sufficiency and individualism and forgotten about faith.
I realized that if God had met her needs for the finances and prayer support, then he would meet her other needs too.
(Just a note: Even though Emily was able to raise the whole amount, it’s more common to start the Race with only part of the support. Most Racers continue to raise funds on the Race — few Racers return home because of insufficient funds.)
Survival Tip #3: Tell your own story
Through the whirlwind of helping Emily prepare to leave, I focused on the activity. But once she left, I discovered I felt left out of the adventure. I wanted to continue being part of her life and her journey even though we were physically separated.
It occurred to me that I needed to grow too. I wanted to be challenged by other cultures through Emily’s eyes. I knew I needed to be open to what God wanted to teach me about trusting him and facing my fears. I wanted to go on my own journey.
Emily suggested that I blog too while she was gone so I could feel closer to her and experience the Race from a parent’s perspective.
As soon as I started writing about my thoughts and feelings, I found meaning and encouragement. On the discouraging days, instead of focusing on the Emily-shaped hole in my life, I shifted my attention to what I was learning from her and God.
It became a joyful experience for both of us. Emily was able to read my blogs while I read hers. We didn’t write at the same time or about the same things, but we shared a bond that will always be strong.
Through learning about the program, trusting God to provide, and blogging to share the experience with my daughter, I grew more than I have in years.
As parents of young adults, we need to learn how to let go and watch our children mature into healthier, more confident adults. We need to learn to pray and trust God to lead and guide them.
The World Race made me examine myself and find areas where my faith needed to grow. I discovered new ways to experience God, and I learned to trust that his plans for my kids were greater than mine.
God sent my daughter around the world to draw us closer.
Parents like you make the World Race is possible. You send your kids around the world to change the world, and it’s our prayer that God brings you closer because of it.
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