Where do World Racers come from?
Where do racers come from?
They look like Jackie Gu or Brian Cooke. Jackie was a successful marketing manager with an international energy company in San Francisco. Two months ago, just after leaving her job, she read Brian Cooke's blog post and signed up for the World Race. She's on the squad that Karen and I will be coaching.
Brian was a hostel manager in Malawi when the P squad came to stay. Here's what he wrote:
Dear P squad,
My name is Brian Cooke, and you changed my life.
Most of you know my story, but this is to let you in a little further. I met you all in late November at your 4 month debrief. I was the hostel manager at Mabuya Camp in Lilongwe Malawi. I was not Christian and made fun of you all behind your back before I had ever met any of you. You walked off 3 busses wearing “I love Jesus” shirts…..seeing this, I….. along with some locals took a shot of vodka at the bar in preparation. I heard some of your stories about the first few months of your race. But what you don’t know about me was…..I was watching you, very closely….. And from watching you, talking to some of you and getting to know most of you, you led me to accept Christ 1 month later and my life has been a roller coaster ride ever since.
P Squad, I can not thank you all enough for what you have done in my life. If it wasn’t for your continual words and prayers, I would not have continued to walk with the Lord today. And for my race, I could NOT have done this with out your words, prayers and amazing financial support!!! It baffles me to think of what my life would look like right now if you all didn’t come into my life. I hear stories from other people on my squad about meeting a world racer and deciding to go on the race. But to think about how blessed I am to have met an entire squad!!! 65 amazing men and women of God, blows my mind.
I am in Malaysia right now writing this. My month 7 of my race and your month 11. I am looking at photo albums from our contact with pictures of YOU!! We are building a church that YOU started. YOUR hands laid the bricks that I am building on. I am on month 7 of my world race just having accepting Christ almost 1 ½ years ago.
Crazy to think, but you want to know how I accepted God? It wasn’t from you preaching the Gospel a million times, I only heard you talk about Jesus to me a few times actually. It was the way you lived your lives!!! It was how you loved each other!! It was the way you loved ME!!
I want to go through each one of you and thank you all, but I can’t. But I do want to highlight one of you…. Ms. Stacey Compton, come down to the front please…
P squad, thank you for changing my life. I love each and every single one of you with all of my heart and will never forget what you did for me and how much you changed my life.
Love, your brother in Christ,
Brian Cooke 🙂
My name is Brian Cooke, and you changed my life.
Most of you know my story, but this is to let you in a little further. I met you all in late November at your 4 month debrief. I was the hostel manager at Mabuya Camp in Lilongwe Malawi. I was not Christian and made fun of you all behind your back before I had ever met any of you. You walked off 3 busses wearing “I love Jesus” shirts…..seeing this, I….. along with some locals took a shot of vodka at the bar in preparation. I heard some of your stories about the first few months of your race. But what you don’t know about me was…..I was watching you, very closely….. And from watching you, talking to some of you and getting to know most of you, you led me to accept Christ 1 month later and my life has been a roller coaster ride ever since.
P Squad, I can not thank you all enough for what you have done in my life. If it wasn’t for your continual words and prayers, I would not have continued to walk with the Lord today. And for my race, I could NOT have done this with out your words, prayers and amazing financial support!!! It baffles me to think of what my life would look like right now if you all didn’t come into my life. I hear stories from other people on my squad about meeting a world racer and deciding to go on the race. But to think about how blessed I am to have met an entire squad!!! 65 amazing men and women of God, blows my mind.
I am in Malaysia right now writing this. My month 7 of my race and your month 11. I am looking at photo albums from our contact with pictures of YOU!! We are building a church that YOU started. YOUR hands laid the bricks that I am building on. I am on month 7 of my world race just having accepting Christ almost 1 ½ years ago.
Crazy to think, but you want to know how I accepted God? It wasn’t from you preaching the Gospel a million times, I only heard you talk about Jesus to me a few times actually. It was the way you lived your lives!!! It was how you loved each other!! It was the way you loved ME!!
I want to go through each one of you and thank you all, but I can’t. But I do want to highlight one of you…. Ms. Stacey Compton, come down to the front please…
P squad, thank you for changing my life. I love each and every single one of you with all of my heart and will never forget what you did for me and how much you changed my life.
Love, your brother in Christ,
Brian Cooke 🙂
Racers come from the strangest places. Do you know anyone who should consider being a racer? They could have a story like Jackie or Brian.
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Amazing story!! 🙂 Praise God..
PRAISE THE LORD! Encouraging and challenging to hear how it was how the P-squad was living their lives that primarily struck Brian. “They will know us by our love.” John 13:35
Seth,
I’m Brian’s team leader, we are currently in Tanzania (Malawi next month). We just read your blog in our Pastor’s house. Brian is so blown away right now that you have honored him in this way. We are all smiles as we just read Jacki’s blog about her saying Yes to the call and saying Yes to the World Race!
Jeremy
Seth,
I am MORE than honored!! I am constantly blown away of how amazing the Lord is and what He does to intertwine a network of miracles He calls His sons and daughters to glorify Him!!! I can’t believe it!!! Well I CAN!! Because He’s GOD and that what He does!!! I never thought when Noe said people we didn’t know were reading our blogs and they would lead people to go on the race that they would be MY blogs!!! Honored, simply honored!!! Thank you Seth, I have found my first World Racer to follow and pray for when I finish.
Love, your brother in Christ,
Brian Cooke 🙂
Jeremy and Brian – thanks for living such an amazing story and for activating Jackie. She’s a winner on our L squad!
Thank you guys for posting this – I’m reading this in San Francisco with my mom right now- the world is connected by blogs and we will all intercede for each other around the globe. Brian – you inspired me to go on the race and I’ve been sharing your blog story at my fundraising bbq’s, keep up the good fight! will lift your team in prayer!
Seth and Karen – please pray for me, i broke my ankle during last day of training camp but believing in complete healing for the RACE LAUNCH!!! 🙂
Jackie – broke your ankle?!
That’s terrible. Well, we’re definitely praying for healing.
I covet your prayers Seth. So far the miracles are coming:
1) While a group of friends were praying for me outside a restaurant, a homeless man came over to see what’s going on, asked for prayer and accepted Christ.
2) I was supposed to have surgery yesterday but at the last minute the doctor called and said surgery was no longer needed as they are taking the “conservative treatment approach” to let it heal via cast and naturally.
I’ll keep you posted of my healing progress. Blessings.
Just in case you didn’t know, Brian’s team is currently finishing up their Race at the same ministry in Malawi where he met the Lord through P-squad. God totally brought His story full-circle!!!
Wow – that is so cool!