I have to confess something to you. When I thought about Africa and the last three months of the Race, I thought that I was going to be able to just ride it out and just kinda “relax”. I was hoping for a chill ministry where I would kinda just get to mentally prepare myself for coming home.
Then, Hillary (our squad leader) asked me if I wanted to be a team leader the last three months.
Now, lemme let you in on another secret. Team leading was not something ever really on my radar. I had watched my previous team leader, Rachel, team lead and after walking closely with her in that, I really didn’t want to have to do all of the hard work that comes with it. Especially not with my “chill” last three months plan.
However, God had a different plan for my three months in Africa. When Hilary asked me to team lead, I actually got excited. I went to Rachel and asked her what she thought. She affirmed me and said she thought I would do great.
So I said yes.
I said yes to hard work. I said yes to failure. I said yes to amazing relationships. I said yes to learning how to text on a track phone. I said yes to team leading.
As I prayed about what God wanted from me as a team leader, I asked Him that if He was going to make me push myself these last three months, I wanted to get a team that would do the same.
When we landed in Africa, we got on a bus and headed to where we were staying for the night. I sat on the bus in a seat by myself and looked out onto the passing landscape. I was filled with a joy that I haven’t had in awhile. My life dream has finally been met. I was in Africa.
Then, I began praying again about what God wanted for these last 3 months. I started wondering what our team name should be (keep in mind that I had no idea who my team was yet). The words “relentless pursuit” popped into my head. I wrote it down and thought on it. It made sense. But I told God “If that is really what you want from me and my yet to be known team, then I want someone else to suggest it when we are deciding our team name.”
The next morning, I found out my team. As I read the list that held the names of the people that I would be living in community with the next three months, I was filled with pure joy. I read each name and my excitement grew.
God had given me the team that I asked for.
We met for our first team time and I shared my vision for the next three months. I mentioned that God had given me the words “relentless pursuit” for the next three months and left it at that. Later, as we began talking about team names, my teammate LE suggested “Team Relentless Pursuit”. I was in awe. God was answering my simple little prayers left and right, affirming that I was walking down a path that He has anointed.
God has asked me to continue to push, struggle, and triumph with Him and my new team the last three months of my Race to truly prepare our hearts for home. I can’t wait to see what He has planned and what challenges are thrown our way.
Team Relentless Pursuit:
Me
Lauren Emily Tysdal
Abigale Bass
Madison Millikan
Wendy Cornier
Callie Harmon
Maddy Hammer
We are living in Cape Town with a sweet family. We are literally living in their home with them. We affectionately call them Ma and Pa and they love us so well. Our ministry consists of three days (Mon-Wed) in a school basically being teachers aids. We love on the kiddos and just shine light into their lives. Then, Thursday and Friday, we go into town and do street evangelism. So far, it has been so amazing to see how open people are. Saturdays are our free days and last Saturday we went to the beach. The water was freezing but my Colorado blood LOVED it. I played in the water until my muscles were so cold that I could barely move them. On Sundays, we go to church in the morning with Ma and Pa and then, in the evenings, we go to Hillsong. That’s right, Hillsong. It is amazing.
We have been getting super involved in the surrounding community and we are loving life here.
God has been, and will continue to be so good. I have never loved a place so desperately as I love it here.
He is so faithful.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
