Bye to another year. A year I met a group, who became a squad during a camp that trained us for what we said yes to for the next 11 months. A year that was the launching pad for the world race, spending each month living life in ministry with seven women…intentionally living life! This was the year I said bye to America, committing to staying on the field for better or for worse…until the final day we return to American soil as a squad.
“….He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
Bye to another continent. The last five months have been spent in Asia. Each month definitely had a flavor and experience of its own, and memories worth remembering! Many changes during those five months also happened. We said bye to our first squad leaders, welcoming on board three raised from our squad. We said bye to our first, original teams, and stepped into committing to new faces we would be living each day with. We said bye to team names we knew so well and came up with what made our new team a united fit.
“Be completely humble and gentle: be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3
Bye to consistency. I knew before leaving for the world race the next year would be anything but consistency. Always on the move, as we travel from country to country, not knowing what the month consists of until we arrive and meet our hosts. Within the month we say many hellos and goodbyes, to people and places. Sometimes we may spend 3.5 to 4 weeks in one place, sometimes it could be more like 3 weeks. In between months, the whole squad comes together to travel to the next place, most of them including debriefs or LDW. Saying hello and goodbye to other squad mates and leadership as we move on with our teams. All along, loving the community that is around me!
“We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9
Four months left on the race just means the beginning of another chapter for each of us. The next four months are going to be spent in Central America, another continent to make our mark in the name of Christ!
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 16-19
