Written August 10, 2017

 

The World Race

August 10, 2016

I get out of the car that we’ve crammed 5 people, 5 back packs, 5 day packs, food and a guitar in after a 6 hour car ride. I grab my gear and I walk up to this wooden house shaped structure and am told to take my shoes off before going inside to check in.

Once I’m checked in and have my name tag, I make my way down this steep hill onto a flat section where M-Squad has been stationed and start setting up my tent. Over the next hour the sounds of people greeting each other, exciting setting up their own tents and roaming around starts to fill the air.

M-Squad made it to Training Camp…

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August 10th, 2017

That was a year ago, and it seems weird that I am now going to try to tell of my World Race experience in a mere 500 to 1,000 word blog. That’s not enough words to share what I experienced, but I think that words will probably never be able to reveal my complete experience.

These past 10 days in Burgos I have started the process of looking back over my time on the World Race. What I learned each month, what I can continue to learn now, what the highs were, what will remain with me for years to come.

It’s easy to think that I’ll remember it all, but even 10 months later from month 1 I am realizing that there are definitely things I have forgotten. It makes me so glad to have journaled so much because I won’t have to rely on my brain to remember it all.

I have had people in each country and even from back home ask what countries have been my favorite and I’ve always come up with an answer, but in looking back I am finding just how much I loved each country I went to. I can be honest in saying that I have not had a month that I don’t have fond memories of. Even months where the ministry was not what I enjoyed or agreed with, it was all redeemed in one way or another.

Each continent, each country taught me something new and opened my heart up to love more and more. It gave me love for different foods, especially all things spice. It gave me love for the people of that culture, and the beauty that lies there. In so many areas I could tell you a number of things I love about each country I was at and reasons why you should go there too.

As with anything, I came on the journey with expectations. And like with everything else, some of those expectations were met and some were not. Learning to let the unmet expectations go was just a small part of my journey. One of the main things I came on the race with though was the priority I’d set for myself that I wanted to grow, and the expectation that I would be a completely different person at the end of the Race than who I was that left America on October 5th of 2016.

That expectation and priority stayed with me. That first month was an incredible first mission trip experience for me and I grew. I was told by leadership that I was completely different than the woman they met at Training Camp and there was a moment where I realized that I could let those words go to my head and say I’d met my expectation. That I could now just enjoy the ride, but I realized then that I never wanted to stop growing and changing into who God had created me to be. To put on Jesus’ traits and characteristics and put off my fleshly wants and desires.

There were months where the growth was constant and there were months when I had to rest in the growth allowing it to take hold and sink in to become heart knowledge and habitual behavior.

Ultimately, my World Race experience couldn’t have happened without you. Your support, your encouragement, your faith in God and in me is what allowed this trip to happen. Thank you for becoming fellow workers with the truth. Thank you for making the World Race a reality for me.

I could honestly write more on my experience. I could tell you about the struggles, the culture, and the adventure. I could speak on all the highs and lows. But I also would love to see you in person when I’m stateside and be able to share that with you then as well.

 

Til Next Time,

Kara Faber (Murphy)

 

‘Beloved, you are acting faithfully in all that you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified of your love before the Church. You would do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.” 3 John 5-8