I am excited to have Andrea join us because we have worked together in Serbia and I think we will not just get along well but I sense that she will be a good friend to me, even after the race. Prior to the team change I had been feeling a bit lonely from the age gap between me and the rest of my teammates. Each of them brings a unique quality to the team, but we are just at different stages in life which makes the gap that much more apparent to me. So when I found out that Andrea is coming to our team, I was personally excited that God answered my prayer.
However, i wasn’t expecting April to move to Fresh. When a teammate leaves after spending the past 7 months together, something feels incomplete and it’s not just a matter of transition. While I know that April and I will be lifelong friends, we will not have this same opportunity to live in community the way we have been the past 7 months. i will not wake up and see her beside me. I will not be able to say goodnight to her and eat meals with her. I will not be there for her to hear her laugh or cry on the best and worst days on the Race. I will not be able to experience daily life with her, however mundane or exciting.
And so i am sad, even though I completely see God’s hand in this team shift. I see how and why God ordained this to happen – for everyone it has impacted, myself included. And once again, this just affirms that the World Race is about a pilgrimage with God. Things change when you least expect it to, because your plans are not the same as God’s plans.
