I was completely asleep, jetlagged beyond anything I’d ever known, and so out of it, I couldn’t hear any of the chaos happening outside in the slum. The sounds of people singing karaoke to Gangnam Style was drowned out by methodical breathing and the occasional snoring. And then…
I heard my teammate yell rather confused, “Woah, Woah, Woah!” and before I knew it, something huge was scrambling up my leg, nose-diving into my pocket and not letting go – despite my best efforts to get rid of it. I was in ultimate panic mode, screaming at the top of my lungs into the darkness, not quite sure which way was up, or which way was down.
Lights flew on, people – half dazed and more asleep than anything – were jumping out of sweaty sleeping bags, trying to help me when we realized what it was.
A Rat
And he was HUGE. Moral of the story? Don’t sleep with a protein wrapper in your pocket. Ever. 🙂 We later named him Templeton, and I’m not sure I’ll ever forget him.
That was my month four on The World Race. And it’s probably one of my favorite stories because it always starts the conversation about what went down Month Four.
I love remembering it because I’ve never been the same since.
If we were having coffee, I’d probably start talking about Pastor Ramil, the most amazing pastor, and how I fell in love with the Philippines, and of course mention Smoky Mountain, the giant trash dump that’s so smoky everyone runs around covered in ash.
Then I’d probably talk about what God did there and how He performed a modern-day miracle feeding every single kid in the slum – when we clearly didn’t have enough soup to begin with.
Then I’d try to describe the weather that was so hot, you felt like you were turning into humidity. I’d share the heartbreaking stories we saw all around us, but mostly, I’d talk about the Filipino people. How beautiful, kind, loving and welcoming and generous they are.
And I’d tell whoever’s asking me if they should do the World Race, that yea, yea you should probably do it.
Then I’d be honest and tell you the truth. You’ll never be the same.
Dramatic? Nah. It’s just the reality of it. You can’t go on a Kingdom journey with God and not be absolutely wrecked in beautifully, humbling ways. I guess you could go on a journey and not change at all, but why say Yes if you’re not going to give it all you’ve got?
So when people ask me, what is The World Race, I sit there for a second. I could send you to the website, or to the Adventures’ home page, or connect you with the blogs, or the Instagram and the Facebook. And sure, all of those things are great.
But if you want to know what the World Race is really all about…Go find a Racer. Look them in the eyes. Hear their heart, their story, their testimony.
And bring tissues. Because The World Race isn’t some sightseeing tour that’s comfortable and easy. You’ll be stretched further than you ever thought possible, you’ll grow more than you ever knew you could and you’ll experience God showing up in ways you didn’t know existed.
Of course, God does the miraculous here in the States (HALLELUJAH!) but there’s something beautiful about living in a community and doing the hard stuff, and feeling all the feels. You just reach the end of yourself on the Race and it frees you to see God in a new way that you’ve never seen before.
So while you’ll travel all over the world, and you’ll live on a shoestring budget, and have to do feedback almost every night, that’s just a tiny piece of it. The real meat and potatoes of what it’s like is hidden in the hearts of those who have done it before.
So if there’s even just a tiny, little piece of you that wants to know if maybe, you’re supposed to do it too…go find a Racer and hear the stories.
Pray, fast, seek God’s heart and if you feel a peace. Go. Go to the ends of the earth and share the gospel and tell the story of redemption God has done in your own life.
It’ll bless people more than you’ll ever know.
Then come to see us at the Costa Rica base. 🙂
P.S. This week is the beginning of Training Camp for the World Race Gap Year squads and I CAN’T WAIT. I love the Race. I love what it’s about and I can’t wait to see all the Glory God will receive through these squads.
Please keep us all in your prayers. Pray that hearts will be open to receive all the Lord has in store, pray that the leaders and staff and coaches will be so filled by the Holy Spirit’s leading and that Kingdom will come on earth as it is in Heaven.
These amazing participants are going to be here in GA for the next 10 days training. Please pray for grace, endurance, unity, faith filled hearts, and J-O-Y! 🙂
We’ll keep you posted! Thank you for your incredible support. It means so much.
