11 Countries in 11 Months
This past year I have had the priviledge to travel around the world as a participant in a program called the World Race (http://www.theworldrace.org/) run by an organization called Adventures in Missions. The WR is probably the craziest Christian missions trip for young adults that you will ever find. Participants travel to 11 different countries in 11 months, they live out of a backpack side by side with the poor and work with a wide variety of different organizations that cater to an array of different social issues. If you're interested in missions work or want to see what God is doing around the globe this is definately an option you should consider.
I left in January and arrived home only a few short weeks ago. My experience on the race was amazing and I can honestly tell you that my life has literally been changed forever. My own interest in missions dates back to my early childhood but I had no actual on the field experience and I didn't feel like I had a solid call to one nation or a good understanding of how my gifts and talents might fit in. I went on the race to try things out, test the waters, get my feet wet and maybe, just maybe find a little direction.
What's Life on the Race Like?
There are certain physical things that I worried about prior to the race; for example eating bugs and pretending to be happy about it. I was certain that the challenges would be overwhelming and I seriously doubted my ability to rise above them. When I arrived in Thailand, the first country on my route, I did face some of the stress inducing tramau's that I had imagined but they weren't quite as difficult as I had expected. Strange food, squatty's, bucket showers (no showers), hand washing clothing, language and even cultural differences were a challenge but not in the extreme way that I had anticipated. As the months flew by I became used to minimal living and even genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to it.
Other aspects of the race, (*ahem community living), were more challenging and stayed that way the whole time. When you live in tight quarters with 4 or 5 other people, generally the only other individuals who speak your language in places and situations where you can't just take off by yourself there are bound to be a few issues. Learning to work things out, be honest with each other and still love each other at the end of the day like the Bible encourages is tough work.
My contact in Mozambique made a pointed observation that it's not challenges with ministry that cause missionaries to go home, it's other missionaries. That really is the truth and I believe it's reflected in the divisions within the church today. My team found out first hand that sometimes you have to fight against your own insecurities and give up assumed rights and entitlements in order to love someone else. You have to choose to love even when the action calls for sacrifice and may cause you some discomfort.
11 countries in 11 months sounds like a pretty big adventure and believe me it is. Perhaps you're thinking that I am some bold adventurer with supernatural courage, a natural outgoing nature or some other great characteristic that obviously sets me apart from everyone else. She did the race because she's 'that' kind of girl, I could never go because I'm just not like her. Honestly I'm really not 'that' kind of girl. I'm not really brave, I'm extremely quiet, I get overwhelmed and it took me 3 whole years to build up the courage to apply for the race. I was scared to death when I got on that plane to go to Thailand but I knew that I had to do it. I have always been interested in issues that are affecting people around the world, things like poverty, HIV/AID's, genocide or human trafficking. I've cried through documentaries and television commercials for World Vision, read article after article and wished that I could somehow be involved. I wanted God to break my heart with the things that break his. I prayed for it and one day after 3 years of wishing I was brave enough I realized that unless I took a step forward now I would never go anywhere. I don't regret taking that step.
Welcome to Life as a WR Alumni...
So what do you do after you've had your heart broken by the pain in the world?
How do you interact with people after living in a community that fights for unity and strives after a higher standard of love?
Where do you fit into a materialistic society hell bent on checking items off their Christmas list after witnessing poverty and realizing that your 65L pack full of gear is a luxery item?
What does your life look like? How do you live? Where is your focus?
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| Kathmandu Valley, Nepal |
This past year I have had the priviledge to travel around the world as a participant in a program called the World Race (http://www.theworldrace.org/) run by an organization called Adventures in Missions. The WR is probably the craziest Christian missions trip for young adults that you will ever find. Participants travel to 11 different countries in 11 months, they live out of a backpack side by side with the poor and work with a wide variety of different organizations that cater to an array of different social issues. If you're interested in missions work or want to see what God is doing around the globe this is definately an option you should consider.
I left in January and arrived home only a few short weeks ago. My experience on the race was amazing and I can honestly tell you that my life has literally been changed forever. My own interest in missions dates back to my early childhood but I had no actual on the field experience and I didn't feel like I had a solid call to one nation or a good understanding of how my gifts and talents might fit in. I went on the race to try things out, test the waters, get my feet wet and maybe, just maybe find a little direction.
What's Life on the Race Like?
There are certain physical things that I worried about prior to the race; for example eating bugs and pretending to be happy about it. I was certain that the challenges would be overwhelming and I seriously doubted my ability to rise above them. When I arrived in Thailand, the first country on my route, I did face some of the stress inducing tramau's that I had imagined but they weren't quite as difficult as I had expected. Strange food, squatty's, bucket showers (no showers), hand washing clothing, language and even cultural differences were a challenge but not in the extreme way that I had anticipated. As the months flew by I became used to minimal living and even genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to it.
 |
| Me, Callie and Jess in Swaziland. |
My contact in Mozambique made a pointed observation that it's not challenges with ministry that cause missionaries to go home, it's other missionaries. That really is the truth and I believe it's reflected in the divisions within the church today. My team found out first hand that sometimes you have to fight against your own insecurities and give up assumed rights and entitlements in order to love someone else. You have to choose to love even when the action calls for sacrifice and may cause you some discomfort.
11 countries in 11 months sounds like a pretty big adventure and believe me it is. Perhaps you're thinking that I am some bold adventurer with supernatural courage, a natural outgoing nature or some other great characteristic that obviously sets me apart from everyone else. She did the race because she's 'that' kind of girl, I could never go because I'm just not like her. Honestly I'm really not 'that' kind of girl. I'm not really brave, I'm extremely quiet, I get overwhelmed and it took me 3 whole years to build up the courage to apply for the race. I was scared to death when I got on that plane to go to Thailand but I knew that I had to do it. I have always been interested in issues that are affecting people around the world, things like poverty, HIV/AID's, genocide or human trafficking. I've cried through documentaries and television commercials for World Vision, read article after article and wished that I could somehow be involved. I wanted God to break my heart with the things that break his. I prayed for it and one day after 3 years of wishing I was brave enough I realized that unless I took a step forward now I would never go anywhere. I don't regret taking that step.
Welcome to Life as a WR Alumni...
How do you interact with people after living in a community that fights for unity and strives after a higher standard of love?
Where do you fit into a materialistic society hell bent on checking items off their Christmas list after witnessing poverty and realizing that your 65L pack full of gear is a luxery item?
What does your life look like? How do you live? Where is your focus?
How do you bring the RACE home?
Honestly I don't exactly know. Right now I am in the middle of a transition, the technical name is reculturalisation. I am re-entering life at home in Canada. It's hard in ways that I didn't expect. My number one concern and struggle is finding my place. In Asia a popular t-shirt says: Same Same, But Different. It's a joke about bartering techniques in the markets but it fits the way I feel right now. Home is the same, but in the same stroke it's so different. Or maybe it's me that has changed. Either way I feel a little lost and overwhelmed by it all. I don't want to lose momentum but I'm not sure how to live the same out of the box, World Race style life within the borders of my own country.
In a nutshell that is the goal and purpose of this blog. To reflect upon and remember the things I learned while on the race and to explore and pursue the same radical abandonment in the here and now. It is my hope and my goal to inspire and challenge you to seek something more. To step away from living up to the status quo and merely existing 9-5 to get by in order to pursue a much greater purpose for your life.
I want to leave you with a quote by Thomas Edison:
"If we all did the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."
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