A few weeks with no internet in the middle of a village in Nepal with your squad leader can teach you many things.
The hierarchy of the WR looks a little like this :
(at least the way that I understand it)
GOD
(That’s a given)
Everybody at Adventures in Missions
(By everyone I mean the logistical people, support coaches,etc.)
Seth & Karen Barnes
(They are our Squad Parents. They come in about every 3-4
months to visit and just act as parents to the 42 people on
our squad. Seth is also the founder of Adventures in Missions
so they pretty much belong in two places.)
Hollis & Noe (our Squad Leaders)
(They are alumni racers who have decided to take the journey again
for the first 4-5 months. They join each team for a few days
throughout the month to pour in to the teams and help out with
the given ministry.)
Hollis has spent the first week in ministry with our team and the insight that she has shared with all of us has been valuable.
She has offered so much wisdom and deep thought. I was having a really hard time being vulnerable with my team and letting them know my struggles and going to deep levels with them because that is just not something that comes easy to me. I know that there is power in numbers and opening up but I have never been the girl to do that. I put up walls because that is easier and frankly that is what I grew up knowing and understanding. Emotions are for the weak and need to be taken care of in the laundry room and kept there. It is no fault to my parents it is just the reality of my upbringing. I am coming to terms with it and trying to figure out the place for emotions.
One afternoon we were talking about the three words or phrases that described who we were….the typical “outgoing, confident, jokester.” came to mind but as we started to go around the room I began to question if that is who I really was. I was relieved when I looked deeper in to it and understood that being confident is not a bad thing. Hollis helped me to “process” through that and understand that it is alright to just be ME. It is who God has shaped me, molded me, knit me together to be. I will fully OWN myself in that, however, a minor detail is missing. When I say minor I mean MAJOR. The fact that I
speak truth in the easy and hard times,
the fact that I am not afraid of confrontation,
the fact that I am thick skinned
make those qualities in me a prime target for the sneaky little devil to get into my head and use those things to my detriment.
It is not until I am operating fully under the AUTHORITY of the Lord will I be able to understand how to use those same gifts to glorify HIS kingdom and edify Him and Him only.
Because after all, what else really matters…?
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. “
Psalm 73:25
