As many of you know at the end of month three my team was changed. I quickly fell in love with my team. We are a hodge-podge crew from all over America. The best part being is I am now on a team with guys. Let me tell you, living with guys adds an entirely different dynamic to the team, one that I absolutely love! These two guys on my team have a sense of humor that keeps me laughing all day long! My favorite thing in the world to do!
However with every up comes a down. We knew that through all the laughs one of our team mates was struggling with depression. We surrounded him in prayer and encouraged him to keep fighting. From the outside he seemed ok, but little did we know inside he was battling a huge fight alone. The day after arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa we sat down for team time and he dropped a bombshell on us. After being giving the floor to speak he told us that he was going home. None of us were prepared or expecting to hear that. As he kept talking I kept waiting for the, “Yeah Right” moment. As I realized that he was telling us the truth the tears began welling up. The thoughts that came to mind were overwhelming! We surrounded him with prayers and prayed fervently for God to change his heart. He assured us he felt peace about going home. It was one of the hardest things for us to bear as a team, and by far the worst day on the race yet!
So why am I sharing this story?
For a few reasons the first being that depression is real! Having struggled with it most of my life I realize that when you hit a super low you can’t get back up without help. If you need counseling or medication to help with depression don’t feel ashamed. If you struggle with depression tell someone who can mentor you and fight the fight with you. Some people believe that if we just prayed enough you’ll be ok, or that God will take, as true as that can be depression is as real of a disease as diabetes or a sinus infection.
