What did I do as a Squad Leader and why is it so important that I get back my racers? Everyone knows I’ve been gone. I’ve been all over the world and that I’ve been a leader. But doing what? Most pictures I’ve put on Facebook have been me smiling with people. But what did I DO?
Simple. I spent every single day… building relationships. Listening. Talking. Encouraging. Confronting people with hard questions. Investing in people. One on one. In groups. And working hard alongside them in their ministries. Every. Single. Day. It was a full time job and there were no “off” days.
As they were investing in people around the world, I was investing in them. I’d had my race and knew how much it changed me. I wanted them to have the fullest experience of theirs.
There was a time thought of leadership as power. I was wrong. Leadership, especially as a squad leader on The World Race is about servanthood. Servant leadership. And influence. Building others up to ultimately work yourself out of a job. Discipleship. Living life in a way that others willingly follow. Living alongside them and investing in them during daily life. In no way did I or do I take this role lightly. In fact, it scared the heck out of me. All that pressure to lead. Pressure to show them Jesus. To serve when I wanted to be served. Make hard decisions that would effect people’s lives. But it was humblingly good.
My co-leaders and I compared squad leading to gardening where the first 5 months with the squad were like weeding. Pulling out the junk in their lives and getting down to the core of who they want to be compared with who they are. And how to get there. Practical ways to get to the proverbial “there” of what their identity is in Christ. They break down. They know God’s working in them to change certain parts of themselves. They meet the Holy Spirit as they’ve never met Him before. And they dive full force into pursuing Christ transforming them.
After having experienced the race before, the first 5 months that I got to spend with them was about walking alongside them with some understanding of how they’re feeling and what they’re dealing with. Speaking with a little more clarity into how to deal with certain people, situations, and cultures. And hopefully bring the center of everything back around to Jesus and pursuing their identity in Him above all. Guide. Remind. And have some fun along the way 🙂
If you read my blog, “Speak Less, Say More”, you would know there were times that I shared personal words of conviction to the squad because I knew that while they were for me, I was called to be transparent and share my own struggles with them as an example. I even led worship by headlamp with my little guitar and nervous voice. Not because I wanted to, but because I was called to be an example of doing something out of obedience to the Lord even when it was uncomfortable. Stepping out in discomfort to produce fruit. My door was open 24/7. Any time someone needed to talk. Think something through. Ask questions about the bible. Talk about the spiritual gift that scares them but they know they have. Be a listening ear as they verbally process what God has been speaking to them.
It was a humbling honor to be used in their lives as a tool to delve them deeper with the Lord. To serve them first and myself last. To invest in them. So as I left after 5 months, they could continue with the new tools and perspective my co-leaders and I aimed to instill in them about their ministry to the nations.
Now for the invitation of this blog…
Part of what I committed to do was go back out to them in their month 8 and final debriefs. To build up what the enemy is tearing down. To offer fresh perspective and rejuvenation as they need it. To mediate issues as they arise. To do this, I am still needing to raise $3,000. I need to have $1,500 raised by January 24th and another $1,500 raised by the end of April. In an incredibly necessary way, you can come alongside their journeys by helping me continue to lead them by supporting me financially at suzannebradford.theworldrace.org.
As I’m back in the states, I still read their blogs, get updates, and talk to many of them out on the field when I can. I know that God is doing great things in them and through them. Q Squad is now in India. And now that the weeding is done and it’s just them, they are able to grow deeper and wider and taller as they walk more in the identity that Christ has already given to them. They are giving, loving, serving, contributing, and sacrificing like they have never done before. It’s hard, but it’s good.
Thank you for all of your emails, phone calls, conversations, prayers, and investment in my life as I’ve been on this crazy ride as a “missionary”. I never thought my life would entail any of this. That I’d be a “leader” in this way. But I know He’s not just using me. So, how is He using you as a servant leader?
