As I’ve mentioned before, debriefs are a time when our entire squad comes together, along with our coaches from America and our old squad leaders and whatever staff The World Race organization decides to send us. We have meetings, worship, teachings, rest (sort of), and always a lot of fun…
For month 8 debrief we met in Hyderabad, India, and were joined by another World Race squad (R Squad). As about 65 of us packed into the local retreat center, run by nuns, we quickly took over the place. As you can imagine, after 8 months of living together, we have become quite comfortable with each other, which was apparent by the lively environment and numerous shenanigans that took place that week…
We organized a dance off between teams…if you were wondering…YES, the team I joined won!
We were able to celebrate Easter as a squad, which included a sunrise Easter Egg hunt!
Massage Chains…a necessary part of life when sleeping in airports and on buses!
We raised up NEW team leaders…so excited for this new group to finish out our last 3 months!
Left to right: Jared, JD, Carmen, Ashley, Kelsie, and Nikki (our only veteran team leader)
While debriefs are a fun time for everyone to get together, they tend to be particularly busy for Tricia and I. Our schedules get filled quickly and I was a bit nervous coming into this debrief since month 5 debrief was probably the hardest week of the race for me. Being in the spotlight has never been easy for me or my favorite thing to do, but God reassured me that this debrief would be redeeming. He was right…I felt more at peace, more confident, less insecure, and was able to enjoy my time with everyone without feeling such stress and anxiety. It was exciting to realize that I have been growing…that through this process called The World Race God has been transforming me…helping me to overcome my fears & insecurities.
A phrase this is often mentioned among World Racers is “getting a bigger coat.� It is taken from the bible story of 1 Samuel 2:19. We often mention this when someone is put into a position that seems too advanced or difficult for them, but usually right where God wants them. This phrase was mentioned to me when I was offered the squad leader position because I felt incapable and clueless as to how to lead 36 other people.
While I know that I still have plenty of room to “grow into my coat� and many insecurities and fears to overcome, I don’t want to neglect what God IS doing in my life and capable of doing in yours. I want to celebrate the victories that He gives me because they give me hope for what lies ahead. I am thankful that this trip has not been easy by any means….that it has stretched me, exposed me, and put me into sooo many uncomfortable situations. God has given me an opportunity to grow…in different ways than I ever would have expected. It’s exciting! It’s scary! It’s an adventure! But I can look back at my past history with God and see that He is always faithful, that He loves me more than I can explain. I know I’m right where God wants me to be and I trust the way He is strengthening my character!
Our coaches and old squad leaders…so thankful to have them around this debrief!
