Dear Lydia

Sorry about the other Dear Lydia blog updates… thats what happens when youre using a keyboard in another language and shortcuts do things like email empty blogs to people 🙂 life on the World Race.


(thats me and Lydia on the right on a rooftop in Kenya)

In less than a couple of weeks, one of my
close friends from college, Lydia Hart, will be leaving for her World Race
Training Camp. I could not be happier for her. I’ve traveled to London and
Kenya with Lydia, and I went through Bible College with her, and I’ve seen her
heart for advancing the Kingdom. Check out her blog here:
www.lydiahart.theworldrace.org (Love you girl!)

(Even though this is not addressed to you, it may still interest you because it shows World Race Culture, especially the Relationship section.)

DEAR LYDIA,

It’s so funny to me that about a year ago
we were sitting in the Coffee Cup Cafe in Langhorne in between classes giggling
about the possibility of going on The World Race. Now I’m sitting here on my
sleeping mat in Bolivia, and you’re preparing for camp. I am so so so excited
about this journey you’re about to embark on. I’m only three months into the
Race, but I wanted to share with you what I think you need to know 😉

Training Camp

1. Pack what you’re planning on bringing
on the race when you go to camp (or at least the equivalent). It took one hike
for us to realize we were going to significantly cut down what we were planning
on bringing.

2. Learn the Thankful Game early. You’ll
learn more about it at camp. Whenever you want to complain, be the first one in
the group to say, “I’m thankful for garlic salt to make even the grossest
food taste good,” or “I’m thankful that I’m not paralyzed and have
the ability to walk up this gigantic hill with my pack on,” etc.

3. BE OPEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. Training
Camp is intense. Be open. Remember you’re not at PBU. Just see how the Holy
Spirit wants to work in you.

4. Pack more Neosporin than you
anticipate needing, especially if your Chaco’s aren’t broken in yet.

5. Give up your right to be right. Give
up your right to know what’s going on. You probably will only find the next
thing out on the schedule right before it happens. Trust the Trainers. Trust
the Squad Leaders. They know what they’re doing.

Packing

1. A good pillow is key. Quite a few
people have ditched their camping pillows for real ones. You need to sleep on
the Race. Most of the time you will be sleeping on the floor, and a pillow can
make or break a night of sleep.

2. You really really really only need a
month or two’s worth of toiletries, unless you have a specific deodorant or
shampoo that you like. You really can buy almost anything you need overseas. So
pack lighter and budget more money to get that stuff. Same with medicine (a
shot is around six bucks, and prescription meds are between two and ten bucks.)

3. Bring extra headphones! Your iPod
serves as your alone time, your sanity on long travel days or weeks, and your
personal worship time. When you fall asleep on those long bus rides, eventually
someone will step on your headphones. Bring extra! And bring the ones with the
microphone for skype! (P.S. Buy skype credit.)

4. Previous racers aren’t lying when they
recommend packing cubes. I didn’t listen, so I bought some in Ecuador. I pack
all my clothes in my big bag, and all my toiletries and electronics go in my
daypack. You’re going to want cubes, makeup bags, zip lock bags, etc. Promise.

5.You will be lucky if you have a clothes washer on the Race. You will probably NEVER have a dryer. You will wash most of your clothes by hand. Bring clothes that can be stretched. I currently have a black cardigan that goes down to my knees. Bad idea. Since you only have a few clothes, make sure they fit.

The Race

1. On any bus ride longer than 8 hours (many will be up to 30)… bring your sleeping bag on the bus. They can get COLD. Obviously, in some areas of the world, they can get HOT too… but regardless, it will help you sleep. You may even end up sleeping in the aisles. Bring it 🙂

2. Pack a couple spices (I brought garlic salt) – it makes even the grossest things you are served taste okay. Another thing along the lines of food: dont eat any fruit or veggie you cant peel, make sure all your meat is super cooked, double check all your water, and only eat street food that youre sure about. Our team currently has had two bacterial infections and one case of a parasite. Be careful 🙂

3. Blogging: Type your blogs on your computer at your house or hostel, pick out your pictures and resize them to small, and just upload all that at the internet cafe when you can. The internet is slow, the keyboards are crazy, and it will save you time and headaches. Dont do what I just did and accidentally post an empty blog either 🙂

4. Youre not going to be able to get souveneirs from each country. Get small things to remember them by. Most of us are doing things such as: a pebble, an iron on patch, earrings, paper money, a bracelet, etc. You end up spending about five bucks in each country on small things to remember them by.

5. Much of the Race is left open to the racers to find their own ministry. Ministry is not always programmed. Seek out opportunities. Talk to the lady in the park. Dont waste your months when someone is not telling you what to do. Racers are expected to develop initiative and drive to spread the gospel and love people, even when its not scheduled.

Relationships

1. Speak Life. You will learn all about this at Training Camp, Launch, and every Debrief. The World Race has a culture of honor, and the biggest thing a racer will be sent home for is gossip. Speak life, and only life, over and into a person. Never gossip, never speak down to someone, and never speak anything that will bring what we call death over their spirit. Speak to everyone in such a way to leave the conversation will all parties edified and encouraged. Gossip causes someone who was not previously offended by a person to develop an offense, which sickens the whole team and makes for ineffective ministry and does not honor God.

2. Feedback. Almost every night of your race your team will have feedback. This means you process the day, speak life over your teammates, and use constructive criticism to call them into the greatness God has in store for them. Try the oreo method… encouragement, constructive, encouragement. At first we found it cheesy but it really works and feedback will change your life. Feedback would look like this: Stephanie, I just wanted to say how encouraged I am by your growth, your love for the Lord, and your love for these girls the past few days. God has gifted you in so many incredible ways, and Im so encouraged to be a part of that. I just wanted to encourage you though to not live in your past and let previous wounds impact your ministry. I know that in the past, people you loved have hurt you, but I wanted to encourage you to not let the fear of getting hurt keep you from loving on these girls. You have so much to offer, and I just dont want to see anything get in the way of that. Keep it up girl. … that is actual feedback I got in Ecuador.

3. Freedom. Grace. Worship. Some of the most intimate times you will have with your squad are times of worship. For the World Race, church does not mean once a week, 3 songs, a sermon, and communion. It means being the church and communing with God. We fail, but like I said, we are called to call each other into greatness. Our squad worship at Lake Titicaca in Peru looked like this: cram 50 racers in one bedroom, pray, spend an hour in personal time with the Lord, come back together. Stand in a circle, blast an ipod or have someone play guitar, and worship, all facing each other, sometimes dancing, crying, or sitting quietly in the corner – whatever you want. This is followed by a time where teammates publicly encourage and honor each other. Then worship again, with people crying together, praying on bunk beds, and honoring each other and speaking life over each other, with worship playing in the background. Be open to all of this. Be free. Live in Grace.

4. Romance. Just dont do it. Youll get sent home. Its not for this year 🙂

5. Let your men be men, empower them and serve them. The guys on the Race are unlike any others. They are your brothers that desire to serve and protect you. On travel days, carry your own pack. But its the guys job to get all the packs off the bus. Let them put it in your back. Let them hold doors open. Let them be men. That by no means makes you a wimpy woman. They are called by the World Race to serve us in this way. When you see them stepping up, encourage them and honor them by publicly affirming it. Its so so cool.

Lastly……..

Know that The World Race is completely countercultural. Key words are honor. speaking life. abandonment. etc. You are called to never gossip. To let the men serve. To publicly call out the good in others. To publicly work through conflict. To worship in freedom. To be the church. To abandon. Not just home, but your right to be right. And to abandon your right to have rights.

The World Race will be the hardest, best thing youve done yet 🙂

Love you Lyd, youre a rockstar.