Introducing 2 of the funniest, God focused, absurdly weird, righteous men that you will ever meet that I have the honor and privilige of squad leading alongside for the next 7 months. I feel that it is necessary to take a whole blog to familiarize you with these 2 since I have a feeling they will be making an appearance in a fair amount of my future blogs. I want you to have an accurate picture of who they are as I recount stories and adventures.
Joshua, me and Jamie in Chiangmai Thailand
Let’s start with Joshua Savage. Joshua is from the great state of Colorado and enjoys film making, dancing (you should see this guy move I have never seen anything like it, I mean talk about talent), quirky T-shirts, sunglasses of all sorts, a good cup of coffee, and one of his favorite pastimes is “getting weird”. One of the goals of his on this race is to grow his beard and hair without cutting it the entire 11 months, unfortunately if this gets out of hand and hygiene is compromised I might have to step in and have an intervention with Joshua.
But seriously Joshua is a tremendous leader that leads out of a place of gentleness and humility. He is a manly man that knows how to be sensitive to others feelings and can be the best listener and counselor. God has gifted him with wisdom and discernment beyond his years that has blessed me and others around him greatly. He has an unwavering faith that is admirable and I can see that the Lord is rooting him deeper and deeper in it every single day. Joshua has the unique ability to make people smile and laugh which is a huge gift for me and this squad. I’m blessed by Joshua.
Next up we have Jamie Smucker. Jamie is from Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Interesting and cool fact about Jamie is that he used to be Amish, it’s really cool to see how those roots have made him into the unwavering man of faith he is today. Anyway, Jamie, hmmm….when you first meet Jamie you think he is quiet, serious, righteous, pure, and all of those descriptions are correct, but there is so much more than meets the eye with Jamie. He can get sillier than anyone else in the room just keep him up past his 10pm bedtime and crazy Jamie comes out. Another fun fact you should know about Jamie is that he doesn’t get embarrassed, I’m not convinced of this and as we will be spending ample time together I will for sure be on the look out for embarrassing stories. Jamie likes to get to the point and get things done in a timely manner which is and will be a good balance for Joshua and I as we tend to get off track more times than not in a meeting.
In all seriousness Jamie has the great gift of peace and peacemaking. Jamie has a presence that causes peace to follow him wherever he goes, and is imparted on those who are around him. He has great patience which is a great quality in a leader and something that I can definitely learn from and grow in. He lives a life of high honor and integrity, a life lived above reproach that is admirable and is contagious; he sets a high standard for all of us and I know he will grow me and this squad in righteousness and holiness. I am blessed by Jamie.
I’m stoked to work alongside these two and be stretched and challenged by them. These next 7 months are gonna rock. E-Squad is gonna rock this world with Jesus’ love. What an incredible season to be in leadership I can’t wait to see what God has in store.
Now to introduce you briefly to our “seasoned” squad leaders, these are the people that have been leading our squad up until now. They are sadly leaving at the end of our debrief in Cambodia and will only be returning for our month 8 and 11 debriefs. They are Lindsay, Allan and Hannah. E-Squad has been greatly blessed by them and all of their prayers, work and effort on our behalf. They have left big shoes to fill and I only hope to continue in the legacy that they have left behind.
Lindsay, Allan and Hannah
New and Seasoned Squad Leaders (Lindsay, Hannah, Allan, Jamie, Joshua, and me)
