The truth about living with 25 strangers

Dang. Six months and four countries later we are here in Turkey. Its been tough, sweet, emotional, adventurous, stretching, annoying, wild, exhausting, heartbreaking, fun, not so fun, and one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life. Some days I don’t know whether to jump for joy or cry over the fact that I still have five months on the race. Today, Monday the 6th of March 2023, I want to do a little bit of both. My squad of 26 has just finished our debrief of the last few months in the lovely city of Istanbul. We arrived about a week ago and had some time to rest and reflect before heading back out yesterday. While its always sweet to see friends and share some laughs, the truth is that this time all together can come with a lot more feelings than sweet. 

As a squad we have all established how very different we are with one another. These differences are all the more on display when it comes to how and when we connect with the Lord. While my connection is not so flamboyant and loud as others, some members of my squad put it all on display with the Lord. Not to say either is right or wrong, but the two are very different. Some are very spiritual in all things they do while others, like myself, are a bit more practical. Again, neither are right or wrong. The Bible is not super clear in moments like these and its left up to interpretation of the reader. Even though so many things are up for interpretation in one’s personal walk with the Lord, it can still be super challenging and frustrating to be surrounded by those who are so different. While drawing comparisons does no one any good, sometimes it rears its ugly head and gets in the way. Now I don’t want to shame myself or others for comparing but instead call it out and list here and now why I am thankful to be surrounded by those who are very different from myself. 

Its challenging, that’s the first reason. I do not think I would be where I am at in my walk with the Lord if I wasn’t being challenged so often by others beliefs. Its forced me to do my own research and ask the Lord hard questions that I hadn’t ever thought to before. These tough questions and topics have drawn me in and brought me deeper with the Lord, even if I don’t agree or end up at the same answer as some of my squad mates. This time surrounded by so many who view the world and God differently has been one of the healthiest things in my life. Getting to live in almost constant disagreement and differing opinions has taught me some amazing lessons. The largest one being to love my brothers and sisters in Christ. Without the world race I don’t believe I’d have ever been in so many conversations with the super spiritual or Pentecostal crowd. Now, its my daily life. Praying and breaking bread with those that I disagree with. It even goes beyond just living together as I can now say I love my squad mates. We might not agree on everything but we agree on the essentials of Jesus being our savior and the Bible being the Word of God. If we can agree on that, I’d be happy to call anyone my brother or sister.