My World Race in a Nutshell

I took a poll and y’all decided you’d be interested in reading a brief summary of my takeaways from every country I visited on the World Race, so here you go:

Indonesia, January 2020

Easily the most fun I had in any country. My team was on a tiny and remote island, one of the very few regions in the country with a Christian majority. Truth be told, I’m not sure how much growth I experienced here in my walk with God, but I know it was a crucial first month for me. The fun precedent gave me a love for international travel and meeting “other peoples” for lack of a better term, and taught me that missions can be exciting. Digging a well in three feet of muddy water was always a blast, and I still remember the Christmas carols I memorized in Indonesian Bahasa.

If there was one takeaway from Indonesia, it’s proof of God’s perfect timing. He knew where I needed to be in January 2020 to ensure that I would relaunch in 2021. I also will always appreciate the memories here, with my original team Future Vision and my Indonesian brothers and sisters, and praise God for these few weeks.

Malaysia, February 2020

This month was crazy! Malaysia may be a Muslim country, but where we were you saw a lot more folk shrines and Eastern religions than mosques, and the city had a very heavy and dark spiritual weight on it. It was my first time experiencing something so openly and in-your-face demonic, and it wasn’t until months later that I was able to identify what I was feeling the entire month. But I praise God for his protection, and the many, MANY hours of prayer my squad spent together. I’ve learned from this place and can usually recognize a demonic presence now, and God has blessed me with multiple opportunities to walk with brothers and sisters in Christ when they experience it for the first time too.

The spiritual and demonic worlds can be scary, especially for the first few times you encounter it, but I got to say there are few things I find more rewarding than being the vessel or even just being present when God shows His enemies who’s boss. For a child of God there is no power or spirit worthy of our fear, since we’re equipped with the Holy Spirit Himself to combat them.

Thailand, USoA, Guatemala, March 2020 to February 2021

Thailand will always have a bittersweet feeling for me. We spent several days traveling, made it our destination in northern Thailand, and promptly returned home. Covid was happening and AIM’s leadership made the difficult decision to pull every Racer off the field. Two years later I still miss my first squad and often wish I could have finished that first World Race with them.

Being sent home was rough, but the hardest part was the spiritual desert that followed. The months following Thailand and going into my second World Race saw a lot of low lows and high highs, but culminated in a deeper understanding of Jesus’s love and sacrifice  for mankind (yes, it’s spelled Jesus’s; not Jesus’; I’ll stand by this statement). For many months I may have felt estranged from God but always full assurance that He was right there the whole time, whereas Jesus did not have that same comfort while He hung on the cross. In the greatest act of love in history, the Father fully separated Himself from His Son, thus paying the price for our sins so that we could experience His presence in eternity. Even if these months were hard and often miserable, I would not trade them for the world. Nothing has made me appreciate my salvation and God’s love more than a tiny glimpse of His suffering for my sake. His love is intense and far greater than our minds can ever fathom.

Costa Rica, March-April 2021

This is perhaps my most forgettable country, which almost makes it one of my most regrettable. I was coasting during most of these months, perfectly content to merely be out of a very long dry season. I had enough water to feel like a “good Christian” without being at risk of drowning. This is, in my opinion, the most dangerous place a follower of Christ can be in. While we should always be content with where God has us, we should always strive for more of His character, power, and leadership. This was the only country where I have no memory of sharing the gospel or going out of my way to show who Jesus Christ is to a nonbeliever. Looking back on it a year later, my biggest takeaway is the danger in letting an opportunity slip through my fingers. There was so much potential that I missed out on because I was not ambitious for the heavenly kingdom. 

So don’t get comfortable, and don’t miss out. 

Dominican Republic, May 2021

This is honestly the hardest country for me to reflect on or talk about; to this day there’s still a bit of bitterness when I think about the DR. It was at the airport on the trip here that I heard my Mom had a tumor in her brain, and that kind of consumed my mind for the next three weeks. This was a very painful and lonely time for me to say the least, and saw a lot of self-pity and selfishness.

But there is one memory I will always treasure. Across the street from us was a sort of hotel/restaurant with a maze of balconies overlooking the ocean. Every day I went there to pray, read my Bible, and exercise, which slowly grabbed the attention of my now friend Jorge. He noticed my routine, a very peculiar behavior for an American man visiting a city known for its thriving sex industry. We had multiple conversations about the gospel, holiness, the hilarious stupidity that is most Americans, DR-Haiti tensions, President Biden, and pretty much anything else you can think of. By the end we were hanging out almost every day, and even if this month was the “worst” I’m still grateful for it. Even if I was not serving God as best as I should have during this time I praise Him that he gave me this at least, ensuring that the month in the DR was not a total waste.

Turkey/Türkiye, June 2021

I love history, so seeing Istanbul and Antioch were literal dreams-come-true, but it never really hit me how special our location was while we were there. I was having too much fun with the actual people. My team taught English to young adults, and the conversations and hanging out with the students afterwards were some of the most rewarding hours of my life. I still treasure the relationships made. Discussing theology, doctrine, history, morals, and politics with Muslim friends was such a fun challenge, as well as just the quality time and being shown around their home. Turkey is easily where I saw the most fruits to my individual works, and this place and its people will always hold a special place in my heart.

Georgia, July 2021

My first morning in Georgia, I woke up to a text telling me my mom’s health took a sudden and rapid decline. I flew home until she passed away, and rejoined my squad in Tbilisi a couple weeks later. The original plan was to fly to our next country, Uzbekistan a day or two later, but we were unable to get visas and were stuck in Tbilisi for a few days. Without an official ministry we spent a lot of time wandering the streets searching for any opportunity to share the gospel or show Christlike love, which has never been my strong suit. But this was one of the few places I saw an undeniable miracle: literally saw a blind man see again! Even if I was only in Georgia for a few days, the display of God’s power is a takeaway not worth forgetting.

Armenia, August 2021

This was where my mom’s death really smacked me in the face. I went completely numb for weeks: I was never happy, never sad, never angry, never joyful. My ability to think deserted me; my mind was a constant empty sheet. During our regular Bible studies a teammate would ask for my thoughts and I would just stare at them blankly. I desperately wanted to be able to contribute and be a part of the team and our ministry, but I was weighed down by doubts and constant feelings of inadequacy.

It was a very miraculous and humbly encounter with the Lord that finally freed me. You wouldn’t think that pride and shame go together, but I had to swallow a lot of both. God proved His love when I felt like I was at my worst, and I now have personal experience that proves He will never leave or forsake His children.

Armenia was not exactly my favorite month ever, but it’s another place that will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Kyrgyzstan, September and October 2021

We started this one off with an explosion! I’ve already written a post about our Burn so go check that out, (https://josiahstilwell.theworldrace.org/post/praying-without-ceasing-for-a-week) but spending seven days doing absolutely nothing but prayer changes you. It’s like a feast for your soul. Had we had this one week and immediately moved on to our next country, Kyrgyzstan would still have been a special place to me, but we were just getting started.

My team was in Jalal-Abad, teaching English again very similarly to Turkey. Even if I individually did not have as much “success” as in Turkey, this was still easily my favorite month. There were so many good conversations with our hosts and our students. I fell in love with Kyrgyzstan in a way I thought would be impossible after such incredible places like Indonesia and Turkey, so much so that I completely revamped my book so that it resembled ancient Central Asia.

My biggest takeaways from Kyrgyzstan were a) the real gift that it was from God, and b) the power of prayer. If there’s nothing else you remember from this blog, I want you to remember this one high recommendation: go find a group of brothers and sisters and Christ, and do nothing but pray with them for one week. Literally nothing but pray. It will change your life, I guarantee it.

Jordan, November 2021

Jordan was another month where we had no official ministry so we would essentially do street evangelism, which as I mentioned before is not my forté. But Jordan turned out to be a solid last month. We were given the opportunity to see Petra and Wadi Rum, but I chose to stay at our hostel because I knew I would need an extra dependency on the Lord this month. I spent the first few days mostly in prayer until our “official ministry month” started, for lack of a better term. By this point I was very ready to be home, and with the end of the World Race in sight it was tempting to check out. I’m glad I did not, and I’m glad I spent those extra few days with God. Even if my flesh was done, God’s regenerative power was enough to keep me going.

Jordan was hardly the flashiest or most memorable place for me, but it is evidence that dying to yourself will give you new life in Christ, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.

So there you go, my World Race in a nutshell!