As a World Race parent, I …
Admit that the sooner I let go of my need to know exactly where my son or daughter is, and exactly what they are doing, the better the Race will be for them and for me.
Recognize that my son or daughter is an adult, that the Race is designed to help them move more fully into that, and that the flow of information will be designed in such a way as to facilitate that growth.
Release external control of circumstances and instead will choose to focus my energy on prayers of faith, asking God to use pain to drive them to Him and teach them dependence, asking Him to break their hearts and compel them to action when others suffer, and asking that they would never let comfort make them apathetic or complacent.
Expect that movement into their fuller identity in Christ will stretch them and me, but I will keep in mind that the goal is for them to return as men and women with a new spiritual authority and a deeper passion for Jesus and the world.
Know that educating myself on the process of abandonment, brokenness and dependence, specifically by reading Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes, will help me understand why my Racer needs to do the Race.
Will allow my son or daughter to do the hard work of abandonment and brokenness and will resist my temptation to rescue them from that.
Trust Adventures in Missions, believing that they want the best for my Racer, that they have extensive experience in discipleship and missions, and that they operate with integrity.
Choose to respect the recommended boundaries related to seeing my Racer during the Race, recognizing that visits during travel layovers in the States can be unsettling to Racers and their teammates.
Promise that if I participate in the Facebook group or other forums, I will be respectful, recognizing that parents will be at different places emotionally and spiritually, and I will do all I can to contribute to an environment of safety and encouragement within the group. I will use wisdom about the conversations that should be done privately, rather than played out on the Facebook page.
Believe that the Lord wants to stir me and do deep work in me as I release my Racer to Him.
Understand that the stages of abandonment, brokenness and dependence my Racer will go through may also take me to new places with God as I go on my own journey through this experience.
