When I was first asked to be a logistics leader for our squad, I really didn’t know what to expect or what the role entailed. Myself and Taylor White (taylormwhite.theworldrace.org) were asked to attend a meeting toward the end of our training camp where they asked us to fill these positions. They explained what the position was and why it’s so important, and I’m so thankful that we both said yes!
So what does a logistics leader actually do? Our responsibilities include organizing our entire squad on travel days, researching and finding travel from country to country, planing and booking lodging for debriefs, and much much more! And as we are traveling to a different country each month for 11 months, the World Race is filled with logistical matters both expected and unexpected.
But what’s really great is that Adventures provides this leadership position not as a job, but as another ministry opportunity. A way to serve and bless your squad by taking care of the many travel details. And by setting up debrief locations for the squad to rest and relax. Being a logistics leader is sometimes stressful and frustrating, but it is more rewarding to know that it’s a way for me to serve my squad mates on this journey.
As I continue to write this, I’m sitting in Ghana, reflecting on the first five months and all the logistical matters I’ve been through!
After spending month three in Honduras, our next country was Nicaragua. I bought bus tickets with a very reputable bus company in Central America and had intentions that this trip would be fairly smooth. It wasn’t until we reached the boarder that this trip became a little more stressful.
When you are crossing a boarder from one country to another, you have to exit the country you are coming from and enter the country you are going to. We stopped at our first checkpoint to exit Honduras. We all got off the bus with just our passports and were able to be processed quickly to exit the country. We then got back on the bus to head to the second checkpoint to enter Nicaragua.
To enter Nicaragua, we had to again get off the bus with all of our bags and go through their security check. I decided to go last to make sure everyone got through and as I was going through, they stopped me and pulled me aside. I was asked to enter their office and the minute I sat down, I could tell that they were going to start interrogating me. And that’s exactly what they did. They wanted to know why we were coming into Nicaragua, who we were staying with, when we were leaving, what our occupations were, why we had visa extensions on our passports, and much more. They wanted to know every little detail about us. And after about one and a half hours, they finally processed our passports and let us get back on the bus.
Throughout the whole interrogation, I wasn’t scared, but I was more worried what would happen if they didn’t let us in. Would we have to go back to Honduras? Would this completely change our World Race route? But, by the grace of the Lord, we were able to enter and continue on our journey. It may have taken longer than we expected, but the Lord kept his hand over the whole situation.
After we finished in Nicaragua, we headed to Africa! Cote d’Ivoire to be exact! This travel took us two days as we had 3 flights and a 17 hour layerover in Lisbon, Portugal. Before we could arrive in Cote d’Ivoire, we all had to get online visas and confirmation that we were allowed to enter the country. We had all printed out our confirmation, but one of my teammates Abby didn’t receive the confirmation email and wasn’t able to print hers. We thought that maybe they just didn’t send it and we could figure it out when we get there.
Our first flight from Nicaragua to Miami, Florida was flawless. We got through customs and immigration fine and went to find where we needed to check in for our flight to Lisbon. As we were checking in for our Lisbon flight, the process was going smooth. And the minute I thought we were all going to be good to go, the manager at the ticket counter said Abby could not board the flight. He explained because she didn’t have confirmation of her Cote d’Ivoire visa, the airline won’t let her fly.
“Why won’t you let her fly?” I said.
“In order to enter Portugal, you need proof that you are exiting the country at some point. If she isn’t allowed to enter Cote d’Ivoire, she will be sent back to Portugal. And if she is sent back to Portugal, our airline gets in trouble with the government,” he replied.
“But she filled out the visa form, she just didn’t get an email confirmation.”
“We’re sorry, she still can’t fly on this flight. Once she gets the confirmation, we will book her another flight.”
Taylor and I tried everything, exhausted every resource we had, but we couldn’t do anything. And so Abby had to stay back with our squad leader Allison and wait to get here visa confirmation. After two days, she was able to get the visa and both of them were able to fly to Cote d’Ivoire. Even though the two of them weren’t able to travel with the squad, the Lord protected them and provided the means a few days later.
Throughout this race as being a logistics leader, I’ve learned that ultimately, I’m not in control. Or Taylor isn’t in control. We can do the research, we can make the arrangements, we can use our little Spanish we know to call hostels or bus companies, but when it comes down to the day of travel and we’ve done everything we can do, God is in control of the expected or unexpected situations.
Even though this role can be hard at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve learned so much in these past five months in traveling the world. From almost getting lost in Antigua with Taylor, to 12 hour African bus rides, this World Race has been a whirlwind of events and emotions. I’m so grateful I’m able to serve the squad in this way and to allow this role to be a ministry in itself.
Cheers to the new year, and cheers to the many other expected and unexpected logistical situations to come!
Will
