Of course yes!
Absolutely not!
It’d tough to decide. I had an incredible experience and have now Squad lead twice (That’s 21 months on the TWR).
Here are a few reasons to do the Race, a few “bad” reasons, and common reasons people say no to it that I think are avoidable.
- Church – Re-experience the potential of church. Every church is different. Probably none traveled like your squad will on the race. Between debriefs and all-squad months, your group will have the potential to come together as God intended. You’ll know your people. You’ll live and travel with them. You’ll know their stuff and they’ll now yours. Everything is wrapped together in love. Something about this mysterious community may change your life and restore your vision for the church and what it can be.
- Missions – This is what TWR is all about! But it may not be what you’re thinking. It’s 11 short-term trips side by side. It won’t always be your favorite activities. It won’t always feel “meaningful” or “important.” What you get out of this thing will depend on what you put in! If you decide to seize each day, you’ll get more out it. With this in mind, you’ll be traveling A LOT. A good amount of time will be spent “just living” (i.e. buying groceries, resting, hanging out with your team, tryin’ to get a second of alone time, reading books, having fun). Since you have to live with your team for months at a time (possibly an entire year), you’ll need to figure how to live with each other. There will be conflict.
- Theology – TWR is an opportunity to learn. Years ago I worked for a church in Amsterdam and felt angry that they were ignoring the social issues in their backyard (prostitution mostly). I’m sure my attitude left the pastor discouraged. After all, he was doing everything he could with the resources he had. Only in hindsight did I regret my actions. I wrote him an apologetic letter. This much to say, you’ll likely encounter hosts who you disagree with. Some pastors, ministries, and other NGO’s you work with will restrict your activity and put rules around how you engage the communities they work in. The World Race is opportunity to learn from them. Every host is different. You may disagree with their theology or perspectives. Remember, THEY have grown up and/or lived in the country for years. YOU just arrived yesterday. Don’t go into TWR crusading for your thing and come out the other end unchanged because you didn’t truly listen to anybody along the way.
- Evangelism – If your passionate about evangelism you’ll definitely enjoy the World Race. Lots of ministries will want to help you channel your passion for witnessing. However, some countries are closed, meaning “evangelism” in its usual sense is strictly banned (and they will deport you, as Ireland did to a group some time ago). Other ministries will be more focused on construction or other things. Be open to doing “evangelism” differently, building relationships, planting seeds of genuine love and care, sitting beside homeless people and the poor and asking them questions about their life.
- Money – Fundraising is a journey that parallels the World Race. Many potential World Racers give up because they think they can’t raise $16,500. My family thought I was crazy to try this out. But I raised all my funds in only 2 months, and it was largely without the help of my church. Most of it came from friends, co-workers, and random people who my parents told what I was doing. The only limiting factor where the funds are concerned is your determination (and some know-how). Feel free to message me for advice!
- Glamour – Don’t do the Race if your chasing an instagram following. Undoubtably, you will have incredible opportunities to have fun and go on adventures. My favorite was paragliding in Nepal. But the World Race is not glamorous. After months of roughing it, you’ll be ecstatic when you can buy peanut butter, or when your living quarters have cold running water. Your hosts will take really good care of you, but they’re also very busy and some of them are very poor. The living situations and lifestyle will be demanding, both mentally and physically. For instance, in some countries you’ll be tenting in a field, as my team did in Mozambique (Though tenting is actually relatively uncommon occurrence on the Race). Each day I woke up to see fifty kids right outside my tent smiling and waving and saying my name (sounds great right!). Breakfast was a single boiled yam (yum!). The hot sun meant the tent was unbearable between 7:30 AM and 8:30 PM. I had no where to go for alone time and nearly went crazy until I found an old shipping container. It was filled with rusty tools and musty piles of things, but it was where I spent my free time. But I also had the most incredible month living and working in a very special country. I made good friend with several men there and would do anything to go back and see how they are doing!
- Happiness – The world race may include moments of bliss for you. Times where God reaches into your life and injects hope directly into your brain. But its also like a pressure-cooker of sorts. Everything about it will annoy you at some point. You’ll be annoyed by your team, the host, the people your ministering to, the hot sun, the food, the flies, and meanwhile you’ve got to do ministry, engage with your team, fundraise, take care of yourself, blog, go shopping in town, and do stuff. It’s these times character is really formed. You’ll be forced to communicate your unhappiness (Gasp!) and admit that your going through a rough time. It’s these moments that bind you together with your team and help you get beyond the superficiality of relationships. Everyone’s unhappy sometimes. Everyone has problems. The only real mistake is keeping it all locked inside and not letting others know what you’re going through (as graciously as possible).
- Health – it can be difficult to manage if you have chronic medical issues, but not impossible. AIM partners with an awesome insurance agency that makes access to hospitals and medications fairly easy. Even if you have to pay out of pocket, medical care overseas is generally cheaper. Hosts can even navigate dietary needs. BUT if you’re gluten free or have allergies, it’ll require some work to stay healthy. Factor in extra hours for shopping, and cooking if you have dietary needs.
- Physical fitness – You’ll be lugging around a backpack all year in airports, bus stations, back country roads, and sometimes up mountains. You don’t have to be Serena Williams but it’s probably best if you get used to mild cardio in uncomfortable conditions. Its hot out there! My advice is pack light. AIM does include a physical test requiring you to traverse their running course (a couple miles over hilly terrain) with your backpack in a certain amount of time. If you’re concerned about this, send them an email for details and start training for it. You can do it!
- Bats, bugs and bears – I love all manner of creatures, the more poisonous or creepy, the better. I regret to say that in my 21 months on TWR I have encountered zero scorpions, only one tarantula, and no bears. I had no snakes get into my rooms and never saw them on the road. I had to make do with seeing their squashed former bodies after my teammates encountered them. It’s a fact that those of us most frightened of critters will have more bugs turn up in their backpacks. All-girl teams seem especially attractive to critters. For tips on facing your entomophobia, Astronaut Chris Hadfield has a great TED talk and multiple interviews where he talks about training away fear.
I truly fell in love with people on the world race. I grew to love Jesus more. I came out with more confidence in myself. People said I looked taller. I was physically healthier too! If you’ve got a spare year, a passion for loving people, and want to get to now what Jesus is all about, TWR may be just the ticket for you!
Peace,
