World Race Parent Guide.
Everything you need to know as your Racer launches. Programs, safety, fundraising, communication, and the heart behind it all.
Welcome to the World Race family.
Your son or daughter has taken a bold step, and that means you are on this journey too. This guide is designed to answer your most common questions clearly and concisely, so you can feel informed and confident as your Racer prepares to launch.
I am your primary point of contact for any question, big or small, practical or emotional. Please don't hesitate to reach out. I am happy to connect evenings and weekends if that works better for your schedule.
Who we are
Adventures in Missions
An interdenominational Christian missions organization founded in 1989. We've taken over 130,000 people on mission trips, from one-week experiences to yearlong journeys. We are a discipleship organization at our core.
Our Mission
To awaken and activate people worldwide to their identity and role in the Kingdom of God.
Our Vision
Deeply connecting to Jesus and His movement.
Our Faith
Evangelical and Bible-based. We welcome Racers from a wide range of church backgrounds and believe believers can hold some differences in practice while united in the essentials.
World Race programs
Expedition (11-Month)
Gap Year
Semesters
Your Racer's journey
What we are trying to do
Help your Racer grow in their relationship with God, their community, and their calling. We pursue this through three pillars: Intimacy (a deepening relationship with God), Community (living and serving in close quarters with others), and Mission (bringing the Gospel to people who need it). The World Race is not just a service trip. It is a discipleship process.
The discipleship process
Many Racers move through predictable stages: initial excitement and abandonment of comfort, followed by brokenness, then a new dependence on God, then empowerment and clarity of calling. This process can be hard to watch from home. You may hear about difficult days, conflict with teammates, or spiritual wrestling. That is part of the design. Trust the process.
Racer expectations
Every Racer commits to the World Race Commitment — pursuing God, engaging community honestly, and sharing the Gospel. They also agree to the WR 101 guidelines covering behavior, finances, packing, and more. We take these expectations seriously and work hard to keep Racers on the field. Sending someone home is rare and never done lightly.
Squad and team structure
Racers are grouped into Squads (up to 30–40 Racers traveling the same route) and smaller Teams (usually 5–8 Racers). Each squad has:
Field Leader
Stays on the field with the squad for the duration of the trip.
Field Mentor
Stays on the field with the squad, walking alongside Racers as a mentor and guide.
Coaches
Experienced married couples who disciple and support teams remotely and occasionally on the field. Coaches serve Gap Year and World Race squads only.
How we keep Racers safe
Our approach
We cannot guarantee safety anywhere in the world, but safety is a top priority. We monitor global events, maintain communication with on-field partners, and use a multi-pronged approach that includes internal risk managers and external consultants. We don't make decisions on State Department alerts alone — we look at the specific context, location, and our partners on the ground.
- On-field leaders carry international phones and stay in regular contact with home office.
- Racers are trained in safety and risk before launching internationally.
- In most cases, Racers may not go anywhere alone.
- We change locations when the risk level is no longer appropriate.
Use only in true emergencies (such as a death in the immediate family). Please don't call to check on your Racer's status or whereabouts. If there's a family emergency, our field support team will connect with your Racer, typically within a few hours.
Illness and medical care
We have clear protocols for seeking medical care. Racers are expected to seek attention quickly if they're not improving. Racers are always accompanied if hospitalized overseas. Every incident is logged and monitored by home office staff. In serious situations, top-level leadership gets involved and emergency contacts are notified.
Fundraising and finances
How fundraising works
Each Racer has a personal fundraising goal that covers the cost of their trip — including admin and program admin. Donations are made to Adventures in Missions and applied toward the Racer's goal. All funds belong to AIM per IRS and ECFA guidelines. Racers cannot direct the use of funds, and all donations are non-refundable and non-transferable.
What is NOT covered by the fundraising goal
- Immunizations (determined by country requirements — can exceed $1,000 depending on countries).
- Ongoing prescription medications.
- Personal gear and equipment.
- Spending money ($100–$200/month is typical).
- Travel to the launch location in Georgia.
- Travel home from the U.S. airport their team flies back into at the end of the trip.
- Parent Launch registration and travel costs (if attending).
- Parent Vision Trip costs (approximately $950 per parent), plus your own travel.
If a Racer leaves the field early
Sent home by AIM
A Racer may be sent home if they're unable or unwilling to abide by the World Race Commitment or WR 101 guidelines — for example, ongoing behavior issues, a serious safety concern, a health situation that can't be supported on the field, or a violation of policy. This is rare and never done lightly.
Voluntarily leaving the field
A Racer may choose to leave the field permanently, or temporarily — for example, returning home for a funeral and coming back, or stepping away because of a personal decision.
If you have questions about specific circumstances, contact Noelle.
Sending items to the field
AIM is only able to deliver credit and debit cards to Racers on the field — nothing else. There is no mailing address for packages during the Race. International shipping is expensive, unreliable, and can burden ministry hosts. Most items Racers need can be purchased overseas.
Staying connected
Staying connected with your Racer
Communication frequency depends heavily on wifi availability at each ministry location. Most parents say they hear more often than they expected, but it's possible to go several weeks without contact in countries with limited wifi (parts of Africa, remote Asia, India). This is normal. If your Racer is online but not reaching out, please give them grace and space.
The best way to stay connected: read and comment on your Racer's blog. You can sign up for email alerts at each post. It means more to them than you know.
GroupMe parent groups
GroupMe is the primary way AIM communicates with parents once Racers launch. You'll be part of a Squad-level parent group where Noelle shares updates, answers common questions, and builds community. These groups are a safe, confidential space — information shared there should not be passed along to Racers.
You'll receive an invitation to join GroupMe 2 to 3 months before your Racer's launch.
What AIM will not routinely tell you
- • Your Racer's specific travel plans or flight itineraries.
- • Confirmation of arrival at each new ministry location.
- • Specific ministry host locations.
- • Every time your Racer gets sick or seeks medical care.
- • The details if your Racer is sent home early — unless they have signed a release before launching that allows us to share that information with you. Otherwise, we honor confidentiality and ask Racers to share their own story.
This is intentional. We're helping your Racer grow into adulthood, and that includes taking ownership of their own communication with you.
Parent events and resources
Parent Launch
A two-day event that coincides with your Racer's arrival in Georgia. Your last chance to be with your Racer before they head overseas — hear from AIM leadership, meet other parents, worship together, and learn what's ahead. Offered for late-August/early-September and January launches. Your Racer must be okay with you attending.
Parent Vision Trip (PVT)
For 9-month and 11-month Racers. Your Racer has one opportunity to officially invite you to visit them on the field (typically month 6–7 for Gap Year, months 7–9 for 11-month). Includes lodging, food, local transportation, and ministry alongside your Racer.
Pre-launch videos
Short tutorials on fundraising, insurance, banking, packing, communication, and the spiritual journey. Links shared through your GroupMe.
Parent book discussion
Early each year, AIM offers a group Zoom discussion on Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes (AIM's founder). A great introduction to the World Race mindset. Contact Noelle if interested.
Post-race resources
After the Race, your Racer may transition through an intense re-entry process. AIM offers post-Race reunions and check-ins to help Racers process the transition home. Resources for parents navigating this transition are available on the Parent Resource Site.
A word for parents: letting go
"One of the best gifts you can give your Racer is to step back a bit, let them fully engage in what God wants to do in and through them, and follow their lead in terms of how communication is handled."
We'll send you The Long Goodbye
As part of welcoming you into the World Race parent community, we'll mail you a copy of The Long Goodbye — a book that speaks directly to the season you're in as you release your child into something bigger than you can control. It's written for the part of this journey nobody can prepare you for. Watch your mailbox.
Your Racer is transitioning into adulthood. This Race is a rite of passage — hard, holy, and transformative. As hard as it may be, part of your role right now is to release them into what God is doing. That means:
- • Trusting the process, even when you hear hard things.
- • Not trying to problem-solve or intervene when your Racer is struggling. Being their safe place to vent is different from rescuing them.
- • Respecting communication rhythms set by your Racer and their squad.
- • Praying boldly and specifically.
- • Reading their blog and commenting. It matters more than you know.
- • Connecting with other parents in the GroupMe community. You're not alone.
Visiting your Racer
Parents may not visit their Racer on the field except during the official Parent Vision Trip. Unplanned visits, including "surprises," are disruptive to the team and often backfire. If there is a U.S. layover, squad leadership will decide whether a brief family visit is appropriate. Do not try to surprise your Racer.
Before they launch: helpful conversations
- • How often do they realistically expect to communicate with you, and how?
- • What role do they want you to play in their fundraising once they're on the field?
- • How much news from home do they want, and when — especially around health or family situations?
- • Will they tell you if they plan to fast from technology or social media?
- • Do you have strong feelings about things like tattoos, piercings, or adventure activities?
- • Make sure they understand how to file insurance claims.
Quick reference
You're not alone in this. The World Race parent community is one of the most encouraging, faith-filled groups you'll ever find. Lean in — to the GroupMe, to other parents, and to us. We're honored to walk this with you.
— Noelle Charles, Director of Parent Ministry