World Race: Part ...I lost count.

Once again The World Race was in Ukraine.  I wasn't sure it would work out this time.  Their logistics people were a little behind the 8 ball in contacting me this time, giving me only about 10 days' notice and then once I agreed to take a team they upped the ante to 2 teams!

At the end of July looking at August I didn't think I could take even one team for the month.  Four or five weeks ago I anticipated having a lot of time off in August.  Boy was I wrong about that!

So I contacted my friends at Nehemiah International and fortunately they were able and willing to take both World Race teams.  Not only did they need the teams to help with their ongoing Day Camps, but they were willing to house and feed them as well.

So for the month one team worked everyday at the Day Camp (which in August included not only the Day Camp, but a week-long residential camp for Foster Familes).  The other team did a wide variety of work that included cleaning a flooded church basement, working with a couple different Roma (gypsy) outreach ministries, working at an Orphan Camp, speaking in some churches and holding abandoned babies!

The month didn't work out quite like I thought it would.  I figured the two teams would sort of "blend" and the folks that craved "routine" would work at the camp and the ones that wanted variety would do all the other stuff.  Instead, they maintained their "team" structure and one team had routine and the other didn't.  I suspect there was some frustration in both teams because of that.

Since I basically handed them off to Nehemiah shortly after their arrival I didn't spend as much time with either team as I would have liked to but I sure enjoyed the time I did have.  They were both "2nd Month" teams from H Squad, having just launched in Ireland the month before.  It was fun to observe such "fresh" Racers!

I'm happy to report that I think they all enjoyed their time here in Ukraine and in Uzhgorod.  I especially enjoyed seeing them build relationships with our translators and spending time with them outside of "work".  That's one of the values of having teams here whether it's World Race or a church group- you build relationships and you model your walk with Christ...that's a huge part of discipleship and that time is not wasted!

By the way, you can check out the Racers' blogs at www.theworldrace.org.  Go down to the lower right side of the page and select blogs from Ukraine.  The two teams that were in Uzhgorod were Aletheia and Cologne of Christ.

Birthday

I was thinking of writing something today in honor of Kim's birthday.  I couldn't think of anything except the blog below, written 5 years ago while I was on the World Race.  The original blog appeared here.

It all started with a simple question from our newest World Racer- Rusty Jackson. He had just finished running about 3 miles in the somewhat sweltering heat and humidity of Thailand. As is often the case among us "old guys" a workout like that will exacerbate all the old war wounds. Rusty was feeling his knees and in the course of conversation he asked, "Do you remember when you got old"? My first response was, "Yeah, when I started the World Race."

I wish I could have just left it at that.

Lying under the mosquito net in a Hill Tribe home later that night the question kept reverberating in my head. I do feel old.

OK, I''m not fishing for a bunch of "you're not old" comments from anyone, especially from my comment obsessed family. I'm just trying to express myself in the vein of my literary hero, Scott Molgard!

But I do remember getting old.

It happened the week I lost Kim. Everything changed. It sounds like a cliche, but part of me died with her. When times were good and we were having fun- I always felt alive. And young. Most people find it hard to believe, but there really were no bad times when we were together. At worst, there were "routine" times; but not bad.

I always felt alive being a Student Minister too. Thirteen years in one church and I was dang good at it! But even that ceased to bring life after Kim died. Almost immediately I started feeling too old and tired and out of touch.

I thought taking Life to the Nations would bring me back to life. It has at points. But mostly I feel like I'm 7+ months into this thing and I'm wondering where and when I'm going to find life. I know who I am in Christ. I'm "awake" to who I am in the Kingdom. I know better than live in the trap of finding my identity in what I do (a Student Minister or Missionary). .

I think I'm headed for a crisis of faith. When the Race started I didn't care about what happened afterwards, but now that the time is drawing near, well, I can't help but think of it. I don't have enough money to be a bum forever. Part of me wants to go home and build a cool little house and pursue the "dream". Part of me wants to go to Ukraine or Croatia or even maybe back here and raise orphans and churches. Part of me is scared to death of that kind of commitment and the work it will take to learn a language. But here I am not getting younger. I've been preaching for a while now three of the most important things are: Love Extravagantly, Live Regretlessly, and Long for Jesus. I really don't want to go through life having a bunch of regrets (leaving my songs unsung as Seth Barnes put it). I almost feel like I've passed the point of no return for some of those things though. If I were remarried and had a kid right now I'd be pushing 60 when he/she finished school! So I want to fly airplanes (but I don't know when I would ever actually use that skill), I want to jump from a plane (that shouldn't be too difficult), I want to have a family, and I want to make a difference in kids' lives.

I've learned all of that and more this year (most of it I already knew) but I haven't figured out yet what to do about it. Or have I and I'm just scared to follow through?

Give me some grace if you feel like I'm whining. I started this blog while I was with LO/Nessa last week and I finished it today- August 19. Today would have been Kim's 36^th birthday.

I just thought I was taking time off this month....

August so far has been eventful!  Let me begin with this one really neat experience.

You remember of course that I lived in Ukraine all of 2009 and during that time, on two occasions I had friends doing "logistics" for The World Race visit with me in preparation for arriving teams.  And then, on three occasions that year I had a small hand in hosting said World Race teams.

Already this year (back in April) I've hosted a WR Team (they lived in my apartment for the month).  But I had a first this month.

I had personal friends visit me.

Haley is the oldest daughter of one of my all-time best friends.  I remember when she was born.  Her Dad and I go all the way back to the 7th grade.  We were college roommates.  He was in my wedding and I was supposed to be in his but I took-off for a job in Alaska or Dakota or somewhere instead.  Her Mom became my friend during those college years.

Haley and her husband of just barely a year, Caleb, spent last week with me here in Uzhgorod.  It's hard to put it into words what the simple act of spending a week on-mission with me means to me.  Aside from the fact that it was nice to have visitors from back home (who brought me a suitcase full of Taco Shells and other essentials), it was humbling that they would spend their resources to come all the way over here.  They both have a heart for the Nations and they've both been involved in missions and ministry throughout college and now as they both work for a great missions organization in Atlanta.  They wanted to see what God is doing in my part of Europe.

I basically plugged them into what I had going on this past week- working at the Day Camp at Nehemiah International.  I didn't really have to fabricate something for them to do.  We just joined-in where we saw the Lord working.  It wasn't earth-shattering mission work I don't think.  We were just living life on-mission here in Uzhgorod.

I have delusions of grandeur sometime.  I want to do something dramatic.  Heroic.  Earth-shattering.  But most of the time being a missionary, for me, is just going about everyday, walking with Christ...I just happen to live in Uzhgorod, Ukraine while I'm doing it.  And for a week, Caleb and Haley joined me.

Having them here gave me an opportunity to share my passion for Ukraine, to share some hospitality, to serve them even as they served another ministry and some kids at a Day Camp.