The end of month 3 on the Race means transition. Squad leaders are raised up and teams are shuffled. Last week Michelle, Bri, and Jason became our squad leaders. I know that they will do a fantastic job leading our squad spiritually. Please pray for them as they enter into this new role and ministry. Teams were switched up as well. Team Rise Up, who I have been with for the past 3 months and have really grown to love, was split up. It was painful to realize that I won't be spending the next 8 months with this family, but God in His grace has given me a glimpse into His plans for us. I know that in order for us to each rise up into the men and women God is calling us to be, we need this change. I am excited to see how Jill, Frank, Hannah, Blake, Steve, and Kelly all grow and do crazy awesome things for the Lord over the next 8 months. I know that the teams they were placed on will be greenhouses where they will flourish. This brings me peace with the change. Similarly, I know that the team I am now on will help me to grow.
Team Chi Rho is my new team. Chi Rho is Greek for the victory that we have in the Cross. It celebrates our freedom and love found in Christ's resurrection. It is a team compromised of 6 women who are walking in the victory of the Cross: Kate Hughes (our team leader), Katie Way, Jenny Measmer, Julie Horst, Kelly Gauthier (who was on Team Rise Up with me), and myself. I can already see how this team is an answer to prayer. I'm so excited to get to know these incredible women and to spend the next 8 months serving alongside of them. We have just arrived in Nepal and are about to serve with a church planting network. It is absolutely gorgeous here. I love it. God has blessed us so abundantly. Please be praying for my new team to be grounded in love and vulnerability. Pray that we would be closely bonded and strongly unified. Pray that we would be focused on our Savior and that we would build each other up in faith. Pray that we will do mighty things in Jesus' name as we serve Him together.
Kelly, Julie, me, Katie, Kate, and Jenny aka Chi Rho
As usual, here's my travel schedule for your enjoyment:
Oct 8, 7:15pm: We piled into the "Winger" (a van without a side door) to go to the train station. I sat in Kelly's lap.
11:45pm: Our train finally left, after an unexpected 2 hr delay. We traveled for 34 hours to northern India.
Oct 10, 9:15am: We arrived at the train station and were greeted by our wonderful hosts for the next week (seriously, the hospitality was unbelieveable). We split up into 3 vehicles and drove 3 hours to the campus. I got to ride in one of the extra seats in the trunk.
1:00pm: We arrived at our destination where we met up with the squad and spent the next week.
Oct 15, 5:00am: All 45 of us on the squad packed into a bus that didn't have enough space underneath to hold all our bags and didn't have enough seats to hold all of us. We embarked on our "19 hr" drive (which ended up being 30 hrs) to Nepal. This was my most uncomfortable travel day yet, but we all survived!
Oct 16th, 11:00am: We arrived at the bus station and waited for our new ministry contact to pick us up.
1:40pm: We got picked up in vans that seemed so spacious and comfy after our last bus ride.
3:00pm: We arrived at our host home. Our two teams have the home to ourselves and our ministry contact provides our delicious meals next door. We are so blessed. So so blessed.
Tomorrow we will travel again! A 10 hour bus ride and then a 3 hour hike up a mountain with our packs to get to a village where we will be doing ministry for a week. It'll be a challenge getting there, but I'm so excited to get to this village; I'm sure it will be breath-taking. This country is so beautiful. Please be praying for us on this expedition as well as for our ministry there.
