Koinonia: (coy-no-knee-a) A Greek word meaning “fellowship�,
a dynamic community resulting in action. It’s often used to refer to the Last
Supper of Jesus with His Disciples. The first occurrence of it is in Acts 2:42.
That is the name of the family team that I will be
travelling with for the next year. We
were told by AIM staff that the name we chose for our team is actually a
prophecy of how this year might go, so taking that into account we decided to
seriously consider what we would name ourselves.
So with some random words thrown around (like Acts or
action,) and a quick search on Google, we ran across the word “Koinonia�, which
instantly sparked a memory for me. I recall hearing Pastor John (from the
Ascent) use that term frequently in his amazing sermons, and I remembered how
he used it when we were sitting around the table one evening in Bolivia. He had
said something to the effect of “I’m enjoying this Koinonia,� as we were all
sharing life experiences.
I find it fitting, then, to be a part of this family,
because I have come to learn how important a spiritual family community is when
you want to achieve God’s Glory.
So without any Further Ado, may I introduce you to the
members of team Koinonia!
Alex Cole is our amazingly hilarious team leader. He’s from
Alabama and seems to enjoy a variety of activities, which include, but aren’t
limited to, Ultimate Frisbee, rating his vomit, and taking over AIM. He is fully versed in the expertise of how
soda (or pop, or coke, or Coke) is referred to around the United States, and
he’s dedicated to expanding his knowledge base with his travels around the
world. (For example, in the Ukraine, coke is referred to as coke. Big
surprise.) http://www.alexcole.theworldrace.org
Mar y Hollis hails from Georgia, and has a laugh that is
quote contagious. She’s spent time in South Africa with AIM before, so she’s
our go to gal when we need insider information on whether or not what we do
will be considered acceptable conduct. She also plans on throwing out a shirt a
month, so by the end of the trip, she expects her bag to weigh negative 32 lbs. http://www.maryhollis.theworldrace.org
Stephanie Webster is from Texas, where she’s 6’7� tall, but
because she’s decided to travel outside of the land where “Everything’s
Bigger,� she’s now only about 5’4�. She’s brought quite the movie collection,
some of my favorites being “10 things I hate about you� and “Mean Girls.� Not
that she’s a mean girl at all. But she does drink a lot of Diet Coke. I think
her biggest challenge this year will be adjusting to the taste of “Coke Light.� http://www.stephaniewebster.theworldrace.org
Carrie Campbell is a partner in crime straight from Florida.
Other than me, she’s the second oldest member of the team, so we can make jokes
about listening for the dial tone on our cell phones and 8-track tapes in the
car while the rest of our team looks at us and scratches their heads. Also,
Carrie is an artist, and thought I have yet to see some of her work, I hope to
share some creative thoughts somewhere along the road. http://www.carriecampbell.theworldrace.org
Jonathan Beckman is our other man friend on this trip. He’s
also our financial planner, so he’s in charge of all of the money for our team.
Which means he’s responsible for feeding and lodging us. So if I complain about
how hungry I am later, you know who to send nasty emails to. He’s also sporting
the finest facial hair this side of Israel. http://www.jonathanbeckman.theworldrace.org
Michele Hop is our youngest teammate who comes from Indiana.
She’s actually still in college, but don’t let that fool you. I think she’s the
smartest member of my team. I think she actually has something like three books
published. (I think her pen name is Stephanie Meyers, but I can’t be certain.
Either that, or she hates her. I can’t tell which.) I look forward to reading
more of her work this year, mostly because it might be about us. http://www.michelehop.theworldrace.org
So that’s our team. Please don’t take my word for how
awesome they are, please go and check out their blogs. They are going to be my
family for the next year, so please pray for them as you would pray for me. I
look forward to getting to know each of them and becoming more and more like a
real family that is fully focused on God’s will for this year. Thanks for being
willing to take the time out to get to know them.
Love you!
Kirsten 🙂
