It is 9:00 at night on New Year’s Day. I am being led blindfolded down the beach by my squad leaders Mike and Stacey. I was asked to sit down in the sand and not say anything… if asked a question, I was to shake my head yes or no. I sat there for a long time… waiting. Waiting for what… I did not know. But, I could tell there were more people being brought out. After what seemed like forever, they began speaking truth over those of us sitting out there… never using our names to hide who we were from each other. That is when they told us the reason we were sitting there… the three of us had been selected to become squad leaders.
What does this mean… Well, this means my race is about to take a different direction. Instead of being on a typical team doing ministry each month, my ministry will become the squad itself. I will travel around from team to team and join them for their ministry, pouring into the leaders and team members.
So, this is my decision… become a squad leader or turn it down to continue doing ministry as I have been. My passion is in doing ministry. Wow God… I have a tough decision.
After talking with us a little, they separated us to give us some time to pray about it. At this point… we still have our blind folds on and have not spoken. So, I have no idea who is sitting beside me still.
As I sit alone… only the sound of the ocean around me, I ask God for some very clear direction here… God my heart is in the type of ministry I have been doing, but what do YOU want me to do God? At that very moment, God brings me such a peace that I know the answer without a doubt…
I am now a Squad Leader for B Squad!
After accepting the new role, I was able to take off the blindfold and see who the other squad leaders will be. Here are the amazing gentlemen I will be leading with… they will become my new family for the rest of this trip… Thomas and Ryan.
Over the course of these past few days, we have started training, and I am becoming more and more excited about this new role… about being able to pour into this squad and really get to know everyone here. It is quite a change, but so far, it is going smoothly. We will spend the rest of this month in training with Mike and Stacey, and then the 2 of them will go home at the end of this month. leaving the 3 of us to take over the squad for the rest of our trip.
I am really excited for what is to come. Please be praying for me, as well as Ryan and Thomas, as we transition into this new role.
With these changes and all of the teams changing, I had to say goodbye to my Beautiful Feet team.
This team that I have spent the past three months of my life with has truly become a family to me.
My boys… What amazing men of God. They were great examples of Godly men for the girls of my team. They treated us with such respect and honor… always being willing to walk us somewhere or carry our bags. They always protected us girls and had our backs. We were definitely blessed to have them on our team.
Jake: A man filled with such knowledge. Watching this man walk out his faith has been an inspiration for me to walk deeper in my relationship with Christ. He always kept us laughing with his fun sense of humor.
Wade: He was a constant encouragement to me… Always willing to serve me. He was my finance person these first three months and it was a blessing to have him doing it… I never had to worry about anything.
Wade is moving into a new position now as well… He will be leading one of the new teams. So, also be praying for him as he transitions into his new role.
My sisters:
Jaime: She has been an amazing part of this team. She has a heart that is so passionate for people, and I love seeing her involved in ministry. She is solid! Such an example to me and the other women of this squad.
Liz: Miss Liz has grown so much over the course of these three months. It has been awesome to walk beside her, growing right along with her. Her heart is definitely for the people here… specifically those who are sick, and I can already tell that God has great plans for her future in this field.
Courtney: She is one of the first people I actually met on my squad. She has always been there for me when I need encouragement or someone to talk to. She finds joy in the small things and has such a heart for kids.
These were the people that became my family over the past three months. I thank God constantly for such amazing people to impact my life. There may no longer be a team named Beautiful Feet, but they will forever be my family. Love you guys!
