I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Siem Reap, and all I can think of is what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow, after spending the morning visiting Angkor Wat, we will come back to the hotel, and we will be saying “goodbye” to our current teams, and saying “hello” to our new teams.
This is bittersweet for me. I’m so excited to find out who my new team is and get to know them. I’m excited to have new people to speak into my life and new people to learn from. I’m also sad. I’m sad to not be living with and doing life with Team Rhemas. I’m nervous to start all over again with new people. I’m afraid to say goodbye to 6 people who know me and love me so well.
Since I never did a “Meet My Team” blog, here’s a list of the six people I will miss (if I’m not put on another team with them.)
Maggie – Our fearless leader… and I mean fearless. She is a woman of the Lord who has spoken into my life so well and has intentionally sought out ways to love me better and better every day. She is bold and honest, but also fearless in her vulnerability and her walk with Christ. She’s also incredibly talented in SO many different ways, especially in art and music. She loves riding horses and she once danced on the stage with The Chieftains… you should ask her about it!
Leah – Our cheerleader. She loves Disney & Universal, musicals and children. She looks at the world in a ways that are not hardened or cynical. She experiences joy in the little things and invites us to do the same. She loves the people around her gently and fiercely. She’s the girl that stood next to me and fanned me as I painted letters on the wall of the pre-school in Cambodia without A/C, because she noticed how sweaty and hot I was.
Saraya – Our safe place. She provides the space to talk about anxiety, fears, dreams and growth and gives amazing wisdom in response. She makes people feel seen and heard. She loves Jesus, men with beards, coffee, and Harry Potter in that order. Her silly voices make me laugh more than most things, and her Nicolas Cage impression is on point. Her dream is to have a finger amputated and to put something useful in it’s place…not unlike Inspector Gadget or Edward Scissorhands.
Hannah – Our ezer. She’s the first to see a need, and she meets it with without any hesitation. She sees hurting people and pursues them without fear. She loves her friends and family to the ends of the earth, and she’s gifted in pursuing new people intentionally, and getting to know them on a deep and personal level. She’s passionate about children’s ministry, and dreams of one day running an amazing orphanage filled with incredibly loved kids.
Caitlin – Our professor. She loves the U.S. Constitution with a strong passion. She handles all of our team finances like a boss, and has grown to love her stressful and extremely important job. She provides 90% of the comedy in our team, and is fearless when it comes to her jokes, and loving people. Her favorite holiday is the 4th of July, and she would wear bright red lipstick every single day if she could. She talks with her entire head and both hands, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sara – Our intercessor. She a warrior, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Her laugh is contagious and she bites people out of affection (we think). She teaches us spanish and is patient with us when we accidentally butcher it. She slaps our hands when we try to buy something we don’t have the money for. She loves swimming, red pandas, gauges and tattoos. She is my own personal masseuse, no matter how many times she tries to quit.
In honor of team Rhemas, here are my top 25 favorite moments with them:
- Having worship night in the dark when the power went out in our house – India
- Getting chai from Chai Guy, and dosa from Dosa Lady in Hyderabad, and then having to search for a new Chai Guy in Bangalore – India
- Our super-glam Indian wedding – India
- All of the tuk tuk rides of death – India
- Our walks to and from our amazing snack-dealer, Maria – India
- Helping each other bargain with the street vendors in Thamel – Nepal
- Random coffee dates with any of them – Nepal
- Sharing a bed with Caitlin, and holding her hand in my sleep – Nepal
- Random dance parties – Nepal
- Sitting in the back of the bus to Urlabari with Saraya and Caitlin, and sitting in the front of the bus from Urlabari with Sara – Nepal
- Trying to get seats next to each other on the sleeper bus and failing – Vietnam
- Long walks on the beach with any of them – Vietnam
- Talking in a creepy voice to Hannah in the dark, before bed – Vietnam
- Our entire night in Hoi An, trying to shop and failing – Vietnam
- Our entire day on Marble Mountain, taking shameless “sweaty selfies” – Vietnam
- Sharing our fever dreams the morning after the particularly hot nights – Cambodia
- Laying on the tile floor trying to get cool, and then finding out that our host bought us cold drinks – Cambodia
- The pride we all felt when we finally finished our amazing mural – Cambodia
- Almost tipping over a tuk tuk – Cambodia
- Failing at conveyor belt sushi – Cambodia
- Watching/filming the pre-schoolers recite their English and Khmer alphabet and numbers – Cambodia
- Impersonating our student, Tina, walking through the door every day for school – Cambodia
- Our super weird (and possibly inappropriate) conversations over any meal – Cambodia
- Being made fun of for my aggressive FOMO anytime, ever – Everywhere
- Getting way too competetive at most card games, but especially Dutch Blitz – Everywhere
