When I signed up for this I knew the squad would only be ours for 3 months. Month 4 would involve change, growth, and transition and I knew it would be good. But I had no idea 3 months would fly by this fast…
Last week the squad was reunited because of a flight to Asia. Along with the first big continent change, the Lord was calling for other changes as well. Through tons of prayer the shifts were set and presented to my 61 loves. There were changes in teams and their leadership, and then there were changes made to the squad. Two big ones to be exact: Scotty Barron and Shannon Ahola. This truth-filled man of God and this bold woman of God have (finally!) been raised up to the position God has had in store for them all along — Squad Leaders! As Tim, Abby, and I prepare to head back home at the end of this month, I am honored and super excited to present to you the new squad leaders for S Squad:
Shannon Ahola:
Mighty woman of God is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Shannon. And boldness. Tons and tons of boldness. Shannon is a woman who confidently claims her identity as a daughter of the Most High God and just oozes it onto other people. The women on this squad are going to explode with joy and fresh revelation of their true identities as His Beloveds through Shannon’s contagious spirit. And it’s through her intentionality and calling out of people’s true potential, that the men on this squad will step into their roles as leaders and fierce kingdom-bringers. Shannon is a woman who I honestly hope to be like in her optimistic spirit and deep intimacy with the Lord. She seeks her Savior wholeheartedly and it’s so obvious that she finds Him every single time. Just being around Shannon for more than 5 minutes makes you feel loved and smacks a giant smile on your face. She casts vision that is huge and I am so excited to see how the squad catches that from her. I honestly believe she will bring the “crazy” that this squad needs to step into their next season on this wild adventure. She is strongly in-tune with the Spirit and the Lord’s voice and obeys His calls in the best way — with complete abandon. I am honored to call Shannon my sister and have been blessed beyond belief by her life-giving words!
Scotty Barron:
Truth. If I had to describe Scotty in one word, that would be it. The depth that his roots reach is untapped by most people. This man of God lives up to that name with an intimacy with God that absolutely blows me away. I don’t ever remember having a single conversation with him without at least one verse of scripture coming from his mouth. When I read in James about the power of our words and our mouths, I think of Scotty because of the righteousness his words always exhibit. His passion for the Word has led him into deeper relationship with His Father and you can just see it. His love for people and this squad directly stems from his love for God and the power of that love can also be felt through his awesome hugs. Scotty has truly become my brother and I am honored to call him that. He is a man of integrity, respecting everyone and honoring them in every way that he can. Because of his wisdom and his huge heart to serve every person on this squad I am so pumped to leave him in this position of leadership. I am so excited to see his personal foundation in the Truth spread to be the foundation of this squad. A firm foundation laid so that they can leap even higher into God’s heavenly kingdom and bring even more of it down onto this earth.
Just a week ago I was on another continent, in a different position, a younger age, and in a different year. It’s amazing how quickly God can move. The plans He has for this squad are so extra-ordinary that I can’t even begin to describe them. And I know that through Scotty and Shannon’s leadership, this squad is going to reach heights never known by any squad before them.
