Contributed photo/Nate BodenstabHOULTON — The Houlton Rotary Club met on Monday, Aug. 1, for their luncheon meeting. The guest speaker was Rotarian Kay Fleming. Fleming is a 2006 graduate of Hodgdon High School and a 2012 graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a degree in physical therapy. She joined the Houlton Rotary Club in 2015.
Fleming worked for a while in California and then her job was cut. She was looking for something to do and she joined “The World Race.” The Adventure in Missions was started in 1989 as an interdenominational faith-based outreach program in Gainesville, Georgia. “The World Race” is a spin-off of the organization with different lengths of mission trips available. The World Race covers 12 different countries from South America to Mongolia and the organization’s goal is to help those most in need.
Those who will travel for the mission raise the funds to cover their expenses for the 11 months’ commitment. A total of $15,500 covers transportation and housing. Any extra spending money must be contributed by the missionary. The expected budget amounts to three to four dollars a day for food and five dollars day for lodging. Many volunteers spend a lot of time in their own personal tents and travel with backpacks containing all their necessary items
The structure of the World Race is similar to any race. A participant is known as a racer and there are 40-50 in each squad. The squads travel from country to country together. Each squad has two to four leaders, one squad mentor and one finance person. They separate into teams of six to eight people. These smaller teams then go to work with people in the country. They help other missions in any way possible.
On Fleming’s first trip she visited Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Africa, Swaziland, India, Nepal, Romania, Moldova, Transnistria, and Turkey. Kay chose the longest trip open to twenty-one to thirty-five year olds. She visited 11 countries in 11 months.
In Thailand and Nepal Kay worked with victims of human trafficking. In Vietnam, Transnistria (which is a place in Moldova) and Turkey, the squad taught English. They also cared for orphans, made evangelical home visits, and helped with drug and alcohol rehabilitation besides AIDS awareness. In the year 2013 Kay completed her first race and she then returned as a leader for five more months.
Fleming has learned to experience the world in a different way, changing her life and allowing her to bring love and hope to the underprivileged. For more information, Fleming has blog posts at Kaylafleming.theworldrace.org.
