The time has come. Team changes have taken place. And now, I give you…
Team .APEX
(from left: Sarah, Alicia, Me, Brittani, Jessie, Hannah)
The meaning behind .APEX starts with the idea that we have each left something behind, closed a chapter, ended a season, and placed a period at the end of the lives we have left in America. We are no longer architects, baristas, or students. We don’t work at camp or for insurance companies. We are full time missionaries. Everyday our goal is to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. Because of this, we decided to start our team name with a period rather than end it. We have reached a new beginning, we are a new team, and we are not the same people we were when we left the States over three months ago.
APEX is a word that describes the top most part of a mountain. The peak. The zenith. The highest you can get. This is our aim; we want to always be climbing the mountain, ascending higher and higher. Our goal is heaven and with every step we are moving kingdom-minded.
You don’t have to be around me long to discover that I love nature. I connect to God the best and feel most fully alive when I am out in the midst of His creation. I love being aware of how big our God is, what He has created and what He is capable of doing and pairing this with the fact that He desires to be intimate with us. The greatness and gentleness combined, the power and the presence. I believe mountains are a perfect example for this concept. They have a commanding presence, can be seen from great distances, they tower above all creation declaring God’s glory. Yet they are also the home to an innumerable amount of plant and animal species as well as hot spots for year round recreational activities for us humans. From far off, the mountain’s peak seems unattainable, but man can climb the mountain and reach its apex, although this journey is never an easy one. So it is with the Lord.
You don’t have to be around me long to discover that I love nature. I connect to God the best and feel most fully alive when I am out in the midst of His creation. I love being aware of how big our God is, what He has created and what He is capable of doing and pairing this with the fact that He desires to be intimate with us. The greatness and gentleness combined, the power and the presence. I believe mountains are a perfect example for this concept. They have a commanding presence, can be seen from great distances, they tower above all creation declaring God’s glory. Yet they are also the home to an innumerable amount of plant and animal species as well as hot spots for year round recreational activities for us humans. From far off, the mountain’s peak seems unattainable, but man can climb the mountain and reach its apex, although this journey is never an easy one. So it is with the Lord.
“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord, who may be found in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to any other.” Psalm 24:3-4
We know that it is only by the Lord’s strength that we will ever reach the top of the mountain or the end of our journey just as it is only by the blood of Christ that we are seen as clean and pure in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. But up we go, further and further we press on toward our goal, ministering to anyone we can along the way.
Another thing about mountains: beyond the timberline where the harshest weather conditions exist and few signs of life are found, live some of nature’s most delicate wildflowers. Being the only all female team on the U Squad, we knew we had a special calling for these next eight months. This team is made up of women who are this generation’s Esthers, Ruths, Hannahs, Deborahs and Marys. Although we may appear to be tender, gentile and delicate, we are strong, confident and powerful women who dare to live life outside of the norm. We have left behind what is comfortable and traded it in for the rough, smelly, dirty, sweaty reality of the poverty, disease, and depravity of the world we live in. The world Americans have shielded their eyes from for far too long. Instead of the seeds of gossip, bitterness, or resentment, we sow seeds of truth, dignity, boldness and love. We choose to thrive in the harsh conditions, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us, give us words and be our strength.
Another thing about mountains: beyond the timberline where the harshest weather conditions exist and few signs of life are found, live some of nature’s most delicate wildflowers. Being the only all female team on the U Squad, we knew we had a special calling for these next eight months. This team is made up of women who are this generation’s Esthers, Ruths, Hannahs, Deborahs and Marys. Although we may appear to be tender, gentile and delicate, we are strong, confident and powerful women who dare to live life outside of the norm. We have left behind what is comfortable and traded it in for the rough, smelly, dirty, sweaty reality of the poverty, disease, and depravity of the world we live in. The world Americans have shielded their eyes from for far too long. Instead of the seeds of gossip, bitterness, or resentment, we sow seeds of truth, dignity, boldness and love. We choose to thrive in the harsh conditions, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us, give us words and be our strength.
So here we stand, Team .APEX, ready to start anew, desiring to narrow the gap between heaven and earth, aiming to change lives and so be changed, and forever bring glory to the Most High, our Lord Jesus Christ.
