http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org The World Race - Seth Barnes, Jr. en-us Sun, 6 Jul 2008 16:22:11 GMT 30 http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=futbol-and-other-stuff http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=futbol-and-other-stuff We've been doing various construction type work with a ministry here in Jinotepe, Nicaragua for the past week. Aaron and I have been laying big stones that weigh about a million and a half pounds and the girls have been painting.   There are a bunch of fruit trees in the area. I've eaten at least 5 mangos each day during our lunch break. They're pretty delcious, but very small and stringy.   Here's pictures:                   Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-happens-to-best-college-buddies-after-they-leave-college-and-spread-themselves-out-all-over-the-world http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-happens-to-best-college-buddies-after-they-leave-college-and-spread-themselves-out-all-over-the-world So I had the privilege of spending a couple of days last weekend with one of my best friends, Matt Larson. It brought back memories of college times. The first time I spoke to Matt was about five years ago, the summer before college. I got a letter in the mail from Taylor University saying we were to be roommates so I called him to introduce myself. Blond hair and blue eyes, he said when I asked him what he looked like. About 5 foot 11. He had recently jumped from a plane for a good time and ha Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=manistry http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=manistry I ought to apologize for the lack of blogs put up by me. I havent cared about this so much as I have in the past. You readers deserve better.   So weve been split up for the past 10 days. The guys all went to Chimaltenango, Guatemala for this time. Weve been doing man stuff like construction and growing facial hair lately. Currently we all have mustaches. Ill soon show you.   Ill also soon show you video proof that I hiked a volcano and roasted steak over the lava with 6 other men. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=7B1EA5785A184A5E82B9C2A29BBD6B http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=7B1EA5785A184A5E82B9C2A29BBD6B Heres a video made by Aaron. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=one-of-the-best-experiences-of-our-trip-yet1 http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=one-of-the-best-experiences-of-our-trip-yet1 I now face myself with the daunting task of writing a blog about the last ten days in about thirty minutes. Which would be nothing if the last ten days were crap and I had nothing much to say about it in the first place. But they weren't, and I do. I'll skip how it all started and just leave it at our other plans fell thru. So there we were, a group of Americans on a tiny island with a bunch people called the Kuna. Supposedly they are pretty used to us white folk coming over to Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=were-in-panama http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=were-in-panama So apparently this is considered South America. Which means weve hit 5 continents in the past 9 months. Now we just have Australia and Antarctica to go! We rode a bus for 15 hours yesterday and last night and arrived in Panama City at 4:00 am. An hour later and all of us are here at the hostel sleeping where we can find a place for our bodies. There are seven people upstairs in a hot storage room laying all over our 26 large backpacks, probably about eight people on the five open beds, six of u Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=team-ignite http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=team-ignite This is a tribute to my team: team ignite.At eight people, we are the largest team (the other three teams have six). We are, from oldest to youngest, Jeanette, Molly, Traday, Aaron, Traci, Krystle, Seth and Meghan (the last five all being twenty-three years of age).We have been thru a lot together. Of course, we have been together for nine months now. And by together I mean living together, working together, eating together, hanging out together and pretty much everything else you can t Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=update-also-this-is-my-support-letter http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=update-also-this-is-my-support-letter Wrote this today and thought I may as well put it on my blog as well. It is my support letter. Life in Costa Rica has been conflicting in ways, difficult in a different sort of way, but overall wonderful for me. I've been exploring my relationship with God more... what it ought to look like. It's been hard because I haven't really been doing much. I haven't been too active as far as ministry goes - changing lives and all. I feel like I should be meeting people and praying for them or heal Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-lesson-from-ducks http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-lesson-from-ducks I'm not very in touch with my emotions. It's hard for me to show my feelings. My heart means well, it just doesn't show very easily. Once, about a year ago, my sisters were going into work with me (we were working at the AIM office at the time). They, as usual, had spent half the morning in the bathroom, their domain, making themselves look better. God knows what goes on in there, but fantastic noises creep through the cracks around the door suggesting grand machinery. After several hours Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=to-my-mother http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=to-my-mother I started writing a poem to my mom this morning, but it was crap. So I decided to write a few of stories instead... My earliest memory of my mother happens to be my earliest memory period. I was three years old and the Barnes family was living in West Palm Beach, Florida. We lived in a neighborhood and had a pool out back. On this day my parents were throwing a party. There were various mothers running about patting me on the head and putting their children in bathing suits so they could s Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=travel-video http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=travel-video This is about two weeks old. I just never got around to making the video. Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-to-do-with-life http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=what-to-do-with-life This is a journal entry from this morning.I've been feeling the urge to write recently.I've been reading a bit lately. Just finished Blue Like Jazz and started The Shack today. Don Miller talks about the life of a writer in Blue Like Jazz. Authors go about reading books and writing and not feeling productive all day, he says. And they make about a dollar. I feel like I've been living the life of a writer the past several days.Sometimes I feel called to writing. Not sure what I'd write about thou Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=finding-a-balanced-lifestyle http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=finding-a-balanced-lifestyle Greetings dear blog readers! I have been in Costa Rica with the rest of the squad for a little over a week now. I must say the time here has been a pretty great difference than the whole race before. In my last blog I briefly mentioned that we'd, basically, be living here in San Jose, Costa Rica as a whole squad. From the YWAM base we have the freedom to explore any type of ministry we like or we feel the Lord is calling us. I have been greatly conflicted on a number of issues, including t Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=on-cliff-jumping http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=on-cliff-jumping We're in Costa Rica now. We got here about a week ago. The World Race thing to do is to find a place to do ministry for a month until debrief or the month is over or you find yourself on a new continent. Well, my team got together to talk about where God is leading us. "I got this picture of kids rumaging around in a dump," Jeanette said. "But I'm not sure if it's necessarily for this month." "Yeah, I also had a vision of trash and children," Traci said. "I see children playing at McDon Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=madrid-for-a-day http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=madrid-for-a-day Im in Madrid, Spain. Weve been here since yesterday morning. The streets are small. Half of them are brick. There are pubs everywhere and little restaurants selling chocolate con cherros. I ate those this morning. They are basically fried sticks of dough that you dip into a cup of intense, thick chocolate. Apparently real men drink the rest when the cherros are thru. If thats the true mark of a real man, I am one. We spent the day yesterday running around the city, searching out the best foods Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=update http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=update Hey there from Nelspruit, South Africa. This morning my team and I were in Mozambique, standing on the side of the road waiting for our bus and hoping there'd be enough seats. Fortunately there were and room enough to play three games of chess with Aaron (all of which I lost) and watch a terrible movie - Jumper (please don't waste your time). We were near Maputo, Mozambique for about a week helping with an Iris Ministries base. Tomorrow we start debriefing with Gary Black, Gift Dlamin Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-life-laid-bare http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-life-laid-bare A few weeks ago my teammates and I watched Braveheart. I'd seen it previously, but this time it meant more to me. When the funeral scene came I felt a stirring inside of me, a type of "I know," if that makes sense.   The funeral for Moses did something to me emotionally, deep inside that I'm still working thru. It brought me to a new reality. I saw death before me and a grief like I never knew. Moses' community hasn't gotten itself into a great hurry like the rest of the world. They have Fri, 4 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=get-busy-living-or-get-busy-dying http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=get-busy-living-or-get-busy-dying God's been telling me to love my teammates more. Each day at 8:00am we pray, asking the Lord what he wants us to do and where we should go and each morning he's been telling me to love my teammates and love God. To become intimate with him. Last night I couldn't find my alarm so I asked God to wake me at 5:00 so I could spend time with him. Well he did, but I went back to sleep. It reminds me of a lot of worship songs I hear these days with stuff like, Oh God take my hand and lead me deeper int Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=growing-up-in-the-barnes-family http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=growing-up-in-the-barnes-family Growing up in the Barnes family was pretty great. Of course, I didn't know it at the time. Every little kid thinks the way they grow up is normal until they get out into reality and realize the truth about their childhood. And so it was with me. I know now that saying "Please desist" to your siblings when they do something terribly annoying is not the norm. Nor is doing your "three things" every morning (hygiene, clean room, devotions) before anything else. Or reading the dictionary during the c Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=to-the-austin-bennetts http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=to-the-austin-bennetts I've gotten a lot of emails and facebook messages from people wondering if they should go on the World Race. Today I got this facebook message from an acquaintance at Taylor University. Here's what he wrote: Seth -I do not know if you remember me, but I likewise graduated in '07. I have recently found out about World Race and would like to know more from your personal experience. How has it brought you closer to God and how has it impacted your life focus? Peace - Austin Bennett What a daunti Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=holy-cow-and-update http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=holy-cow-and-update Two of the most frustrating things in the world:1. Spending an hour writing a blog, only to have it erased. (Just happened)2. Spending three hours and tons of energy to walk a stubborn cow with big horns 3 miles to be butchered. (Some of us nearly died, but it was worth it. That's part of becoming a man right?)Here's an update on the rest of my life: Sorry I haven't written a blog in a while. Aaron, Traday (a new member of team ignite), and I recently traveled to Cape Town for a short vacation. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-life-and-death-of-moses http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=the-life-and-death-of-moses As many of you may know, we have been caring for a baby for the past couple of weeks. We found him in the arms of his dying mother (she has TB and AIDS). Her breasts were dry and her baby hadn't eaten in two days. He was no longer crying for food and weighed a meager four pounds. He was so small. We named him Moses and nursed him back to health. He became a part of us. We took turns caring for him, feeding him, bathing him, holding him, giving him medicine, the works. Moses' health Thu, 6 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=richard-and-the-laws-of-initiation http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=richard-and-the-laws-of-initiation A couple of months ago in the Philippines I met a boy named Marvin. He was eight years old and dying. For hours and hours his family manually pumped air into his body because he couldn't breathe. I wrote all about it in a series of blogs (read the top four in my topic of faith) that I would encourage you to read to catch the full depth of what I went through and am still going through; even though there's still no way words can capture it. After Marvin died I was broken. I c Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=some-pictures http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=some-pictures This lion lives about 50 yards from our tents. He roars at night and wakes us up. Fabulous stuff. Here he is eating his weekly meal. Or showing it off rather. Fun with the hammock. This is not where we are staying. More hammock fun. Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-swazi-life http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-swazi-life On yesterday morning's walk I saw about fifteen ostriges, two donkeys, two antelope, seven giraffe, a flock of those beautiful white birds you always see flying in pictures of Africa, and a mama warthog with her two babies. The giraffe stared at me strangely and then followed me for a ways. I started speaking in tongues recently. I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but each day my life is more free and complete than the day before. I have been encouraged very much by some of the greatest Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=is-there-more-to-life-than-drinking http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=is-there-more-to-life-than-drinking I sat next to a man on a hospital bench yesterday. He had a urinary tube wrapped in his arm. He had gangrene on his groin. I made small talk with him and then wondered why I was doing that when I only had five minutes with this man. "What would you like to do with your life?" I asked him. "His face turned very thoughtful and he replied, "Well, I've been thinking about that recently. I've been wondering if there is anything more to life than drinking. I drink a lot of beer." "Of course th Thu, 7 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=live-out-the-kingdom http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=live-out-the-kingdom Sorry it's been so long. That's how it's going to be while we're here in Swaziland (the worst country in Africa for the internet).We've been here with Gary Black and his family learning all about living in the spirit. It's radical and life changing. It's changing my view of Christianity and what Jesus meant when he said he came to give life and life to the fullest. I'll have to write a blog on that sometime when the internet is better... and when I know more.Yesterday we played some paintball (D Sun, 3 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=god-uses-inebriated-muslims http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=god-uses-inebriated-muslims After singing what I could remember of the song, which only lasted about 20 seconds, I sat down to a clapping bunch of Tibetan/Chinese Buddhists/Muslims. The government official, Jimmy, was clearly inebriated as he took every liberty to toast, sing, and play drinking games. I felt very out of place.Jimmy's secretary wore a large, silver cross necklace with small diamonds outlining it. I looked at it and asked if she was a Christian. "No she just thinks it looks good," the official replied. A pau Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-in-black http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-in-black I wanted to say I'm back in the title, but Back in Black came up. So there ya go. So I'm back in Hong Kong now and able to get on the internet. The task of writing a blog that encapsulates my experience in China proves to be impossible, so I'll put some interesting cultural aspects in bullet points and tell a story. Babies can be seen frequently releaving themselves on roadsides - their parents supporting them from behind and whistling. (My theory is that the whistling is a calming mechanism Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=christmas-in-the-philippines http://sethbarnesjr.theworldrace.org/?filename=christmas-in-the-philippines                 Christmas on the World Race from Seth Barnes, Jr. on Vimeo. Thu, 3 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT