I
realized the other day that most of you have no idea who these people
are that I’m traveling the world with. Because of changes in our squad,
there’s always a serious possibility that teams will get switched up.
This possibility is literally heartbreaking to me, because these people
have become my family over the last three months; please be praying
about that. I trust the Lord and I trust our leadership, but the
thought of not being with them is overwhelming to me!
SO, it is with great pleasure that I (finally) present to you the other 5 members of Lovesick 514!
Anna
Nicknames: A-Bizzle, Anna-Banana, Madea, Jimmy Matthews, Hookah Haze, Schmanna from Heaven
Common Phrases: “I’m not bein’ ugly,” “Kiss it,” You’re awesome”, “Do I have time for a shower?”
Oh
Anna… first of all, she’s one of the funniest people I know without
even trying. She has the thickest accent I have EVER heard, and is such
a good sport whenever we give her a hard time about it. Seriously, if
you ever get to meet her, ask her to say “daddy” or “wheelbarrow”–
it’s hilarious. (Jus’ pickin’, Anna 🙂
Anna has the biggest heart
of anyone on our entire squad. She lives every day to speak life and
encouragement into every person she comes across– and I do mean
everyone. She is fearless when it comes to walking up to someone she
doesn’t know and just pouring out encouragement and love. It’s totally
normal for us to find her in deep conversation with a complete stranger
as they pour her heart out to her and she pours out the love of the
Lord in response. It’s just what she does! No one is too annoying, too
creepy, too dirty for Anna. She’s our Encouragement Fairy 🙂
Garrett
Nicknames: Longboy, “Babyface” McNeill, Longshanks, Gurt
Common Phrases:
“Get outta my face with that,” “This one time (followed by a ridiculous
story), “That’s my jam!”, “Say word,” “Shut the front door!”, “Oh mylanta…”, anything having to do with ECU and/or Pirates
Garrett is… Garrett. He makes me laugh more than most people,
which I love. Anytime we’re in a stressful/annoying situation, we
somehow find something ridiculous to laugh hysterically about (which is
usually a good thing, but can get us in trouble sometimes). He is our
fearless team leader, and he has grown into that role in an HUGE way
over the last three months. He has completely given himself over to the
Lord, and it has been a beautiful thing to watch the Lord stretch and
grow him. He is super-super friendly and outgoing, and makes new
friends everywhere he goes. It is pretty commonplace for us to look up
and realize that we’ve left him two blocks behind because he stopped to
talk to the man begging on the sidewalk. He has a huge heart for the
Lord and for people, and it is a blast getting to serve with him.
Matt
Nicknames: “Teach me how to duggie” Delaney, Promethius (his LARP name), Little Spoon, “Bobblehead” Delaney
Common Phrase: “Eesh…”
Matt
is pretty much the sweetest and most genuine guy on the planet. No
joke. He is this calming and comforting presence on our team, but he is
also fun and goofy and just lightens the mood and makes us laugh. He
has a huge heart for the homeless– he absolutely thrives when he gets
to minister to them and love on them, which is a huge encouragement and
inspiration for the rest of us. I had had maybe 2 minutes of
conversation with Matt before we were put on a team together, and now
he literally feels like my brother. Any time Rachael or I are having a
bad day, we pretty much just have to see Matt and he makes us feel
better or makes us laugh somehow. He’s just flippin’ awesome. And his
family is pretty hardcore Irish, so it’s been fun to get to experience
his homeland with him 🙂
Rebekah
Nickname: Little One
Common Phrases: “Are we done?”
Rebekah
is the “spark plug” of the group. She is one of the youngest people on
our squad, with probably one of the biggest personalities. And she is
not afraid to speak her mind! She teaches us something new all the
time– about herself, about the Lord, and especially about the Holy
Spirit. She spent a summer at the International House of Prayer, and is
constantly bringing what she learned there to our group, and it is
fascinating! She has come out as this incredible prayer warrior for our
team, which is invaluable to us. She is passionate, heartfelt in
everything that she does, and absolutely beautiful. I don’t think Bekah
and I had ever talked before we were put on a team together, but I have
had so much fun getting to know her. She is just fun and giggly (when
she’s not tired– heaven help you if you keep her up longer than she
wants! 🙂 and I have had a blast getting to know her as my sister!
Rachael
Nicknames: “Finger-Lickin'” Ratz (it sounds terribly inappropriate, but I promise it’s not)
Common Phrases: “Is there any Nutella left?,” “What the crap, man!”
Rachael
is pretty much my soul mate on the squad, and a total answer to prayer.
By the last night at training camp I knew I’d found a friend for life.
In a lot of ways we are the exact same, but we are also very, very
different (in a good way). She challenges me to be a better, stronger
person every single day. She is brutally honest like no one I’ve ever
met, but her honesty comes out in a constructive way, and I know I can
trust her opinion completely. She’s just so incredibly strong and
brave, but at the same time she’s not afraid to humble herself and ask
for help. Rachael has truly lived so much already, but she is always looking for a new adventure– and always
pursuing a Kingdom-mindset. The Lord has grown her so much already, and
it’s amazing to watch her come alive more and more every day. I have so
much fun giggling with her over random things, and I will never get
tired of our freaking awesome music exchanges! I cannot wait to see
what direction our lives go after the race is over 🙂
I absolutely love this family.
P.S. READ THEIR BLOGS!
