Normally, right about now you would be reading a recap of my stories from my time in the last country. My previous blogs usually told of me working in schools, an orphanage, or some other ministry. This time around, I don’t have any of those stories to tell. My World Race journey has come to look a bit different for me from now until the time I get home.
Before getting into all of that, let me give you a brief breakdown of what World Race culture looks like. First, I am on iSquad. iSquad, is made up of 34 people. All of these people have signed up for the same route and have been travelling to the same countries as me. Next in the order of things are teams. There are 5 teams within the squad. Each team has around six people on them. They have a team leader, treasurer, and other such positions that help make the Race operate smoothly while abroad. While all of the teams are on the same squad, as soon as they reach a new country they disperse to different ministries.
At the beginning of the Race I was asked to be a team leader. It was something that really brought me growth in the past 5 months of my life (that’s a whole other blog in itself) and something I really enjoyed. Recently, at the end of our time in Honduras (December), we had team changes. During these team changes, I was asked to become a squad leader. I as well as two other people were asked to take on the role of leading our squad in various ways. This basically means that we are the main people in contact with the Adventures in Missions office back home. We do team placements, keep up with how each member of the squad is doing, promote spiritual growth, plan briefing and leadership weekends, as well as make sure team leaders are supported. There is so much more to it, but those are the basics.
One of the main things that has changed for me is my team. I am no longer apart of a typical World Race team. My team now consists of Liz and Megan, the other new squad leaders. Rather than spending every month with them, we each will be going to various teams throughout the remainder of the Race, occasionally meeting up as a team of three. Our purpose as squad leaders is to serve and support our squad in any way possible.
It is important to note, that although my Race will look a bit different from here on out, I will still be able to serve alongside of the various teams I am visiting. The reality is though that my teams will be changing every month and I will have many more logistical responsibilities.
So basically my January was filled with squad leader training in Malaysia. This training covered pretty much everything you could think of that is World Race related. It happened in apartments, in coffee shops, and in conversations all around Kuala Lumpur. While I did not have a “ministry” per se, one thing God did reveal to me is this, people are where the heart of God is. Sometimes ministry is serving the poor in slums, while other times it may look like being an encouragement to people that are weary of being on the World Race for 5 months. The reality is God is for people, all people, and that’s where I want to be. I am sure I will have much time in the future to pour into those among the nations, however, God has blessed Megan, Liz, and I with an incredible opportunity to serve and lead a group of 31 other people that have become more like family than anything else. I look forward to serving them, encouraging them, and loving them, as they do the same for others among the nations.
So I would like to take this time to introduce you to my new team. Meet Liz and Megan, two of the most incredible people I have had the pleasure of meeting on my crazy journey around the world. Please pray for us, as God only knows where He is taking us.
