Why My Job Captures My Heart

Most of you know that I love my job.  I’ve been part of Adventures in Missions since it started 25 years ago – the first 22 years as a long-distance supporter/connector and the last 3-1/2 as an employee.  [Update 9/2020:  It’s now 31 years since it started and I have been on staff for 9-1/2 years.]  It should be obvious that their vision has captured my heart.  I’ve written before about why I ended up here rather than somewhere else.

Most of you also know that ministry to parents captures my heart as well.  And the privilege of being part of building the parent ministry at Adventures has been a gift beyond anything I could have imagined.  In the very early days of Parent Ministry I shared some thoughts here about why I love ministry to parents.

Recently I pulled together some numbers.  It was year-end report time.  I was preparing to present to the Board.  I was diving back in after caring for mom all fall.  It was a good time to take stock of where Parent Ministry is and how far it has come since we first made tentative contact with World Race parents less than 3 years ago.  

Numbers first: 

• In 2014, over 1100 parents either attended a parent event or went on a Parent Vision Trip.  [Update 9/2020 – By the end of 2019, over 7500 people had attended Parent Launch/Reception and over 3500 had joined their Racer on the field for a Parent Vision Trip.  The patterns in the remaining bullet points also continue to be true.]
• We sent more participants to the field in 2014 (on Parent Vision Trips) than our high school and college age programs combined.  (Admittedly, we have a “hook” – seeing their Racer – and don’t have to recruit as hard to get our trip participants.)  
• For the last three World Race Launches, the “Parent Launch” has been bigger, in attendance numbers, than the “Racer Launch”.  
• Our parent volunteer network, which we began recruiting for before last July’s launch, now has 20+ parents coming at their own expense to volunteer at Launch, and approximately 15 parents serving as Parent Navigators – a year long commitment to walk the January launch parents through this year.  We’re recruiting and training for July and September Navigators now.
• All 6 Parent Vision Trips in this first cycle of 2015 have an alumni WR parent either leading them or serving as part of the leadership team.

So why does this matter? 

We began Parent Ministry with the initial goal of helping parents understand who we are, why we believe in the World Race and why we do things the way we do.  We wanted to walk with them through the fears and uncertainty – and the excitement – they felt as their Racers launched.  Sometimes that involves just being more transparent and providing some basic information.  Other times it involves some encouragement about parenting adult children and talking about what “letting go” looks like at this stage.

Doing all this serves the Racers well (their parents have a place to take their questions).  It serves the parents well (we answer their questions and help them build a community with other WR parents).  And it serves Adventures in Missions well (the increased info and transparency has drastically reduced fears about who we are; and the vision we cast and the opportunities we provide are creating a desire among parents to stay connected with us).

I have always believed that the season of life most World Race parents are in is a unique one in many ways, one God wants to speak into.  (See what I think God wants to do in your 50s here.)  Increasingly, Parent Ministry is able to do more with this. 

We see many parents either re-connecting, or maybe connecting for the first time, with the Lord.  Others start out as strong and mature believers.  We see all of them growing spiritually if they choose to embrace this – realizing that what we say is true:  this is a journey for them as well.  And their journey is not just getting used to their Racer being gone. 

The Lord is taking them to new places in faith, in prayer, in eyes being opened to what is happening in the world.  They are looking for ways to bring the Kingdom on a local basis in their daily lives. 

They are leaving the country for the first time to go on Parent Vision Trips. Some are getting on a plane for the first time to do this.

They are asking about listening prayer.  They are letting the Lord speak into their fears and their dreams. 

And then they are turning around, volunteering with us, and helping new World Race parents do these things as well.

There’s a verse in the book of Acts that talks about David’s death.  It says his death came after David “had served God’s purpose in his own generation”.  (Acts 13:36) 

We’re helping parents do this.  Helping them go deeper with the Lord.  Helping them discover their “second act”.  Helping them finish strong.

Being part of this captures my heart.