You know the fury that occurs when you turn on your garbage disposal and quickly discover there is a fork getting eaten alive? You make a mad dash to the disposal switch, or for those of you adrenaline junkies, you reach for the fork. Either way, there is a moment of heightened anxiety and heart-pounding action, as the roaring and clanging overtakes your kitchen.
This was the overwhelming feeling I had during the change after change that occurred within 72 hours in Manila, Philippines. First, Team Unsilenced was debriefed and dissipated. Next, new squad leaders were announced (that’s when we lost Derik) and alumni squad leaders took their step aside. Finally, new team leaders called out the names of their new team members. In all her sweetness, Dottie said, “Victoria” and that’s just about all I heard. The lump in my throat formed and I couldn’t come to terms with all the changes happening so quickly.
New, new, new. Change, change, change.
We circled up– Dottie, Michaela, Jessica, Jeni, Rebecca, and myself. It’s an odd moment when you’re standing around with squadmates you met six months ago, but essentially know nothing about. There is a freshness to it all though; it’s an opportunity to start anew, learn from each other, and ultimately discover why the Father has placed you all together. There’s also the reality of feelings of loss as you watch your old teammates/best friends greet their new teams across the room.
The six of us took some time to discuss what our Father has been up to these past few months and it didn’t take long to see the pattern forming:
fear
freedom
freedom from fear
Whether it was fear of failure, the world’s opinion, or inadequacy, the reality of fear was apparent in the group. However, it was beautifully coupled with freedom. Freedom from those fears and freedom our Father gives through His Son was sweetly spoken of in our lessons learned. We wanted to stay in this newly found freedom with all the boldness, courage, and bravery that comes with it.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
— Acts 4:13
“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance!”
— Acts 28:31
We took a look in Scripture, glancing at the lives of Ruth & Esther, followed by paging through a 3-inch thick Hebrew word dictionary, coupled with a study of Thesaurus.com for synonyms and landed on a word that caught our attention:
VALIANCE (noun): 1. to have great courage or determination; 2. valiant nature or quality; valor; bravery; courage.
It was a beautiful, yet strong word– just like we had hoped for in a team name. It encompassed the season the Lord is taking each of us through. It spoke of the truth that we are more than conquerors through Christ. Now, as a team, we have the privilege to cheer each other on to step out into this boldness, as well as speak truth over the moments when we fall back into a spirit of fear.
Change can be heart-wrenching and difficult. Moving into new seasons of life mean grieving old ones. However, change is also a beautiful opportunity for the Lord to work in our lives, challenge us, and show us more of who He is.
Our Squad Mentor, Ashley Francis, put it wonderfully when emailing our squad about these changes:
“It’s crazy what saying yes to change can do in our lives. We see that Abraham, Moses, Daniel, David, Esther, Paul and Peter were all people who were called to do something great, but first they had to change. Change locations, names, cultures, dreams. Change gives us a platform for new things – great, God things – to come to fruition. […] We believe that with these changes the Lord is calling all of us into new places with new growth and new challenges. And the great news is this: He goes before us and with us. He is sovereign and good. He promises to do a new thing among us and through us.”
Team Valiance is thrilled to embrace what lies ahead and we are ever so grateful for the way the Lord goes before, and carries us through it all. Expect big things from this team, after all, we are His precious daughters and co-heirs with His son, Jesus Christ. Please keep us in your prayers as we learn what it means to walk in that title and love others well in His name!
