As I’ve been on the field for three months, I guess it’s about time to fill you all in on what the heck I’m actually doing in a foreign country again, with the same organization I was with from 2017-2018, doing what seems like the same exact program.
This blog is LONG overdue…
Although there appear to be many similarities from the outside looking in, I assure you my time on the field this time around has been nothing like 11n11, hahaha. It feels more like a “same series, different story” kind of deal instead of “same story, different chapter”, if you catch my drift. My long-winded point? Two vastly different experiences, same format.
Okay okay, let’s get down to it.
In order to have a more comprehensive understanding of what my day to day looks like, I’d like to invite you into the world of AIM lingo. I’ll do my best to describe each term and try not to make it feel like you’ve stepped into a high school literature class hahaha.
AIM stands for Adventures in Missions, which is the organization that dreamed up 11n11 and Gap Year. 11n11 is the program I did last year. This year I am on Gap Year. 11n11 goes to 11 countries in 11 months and is for 21-35 year olds. Gap Year goes to 3 or 4 countries over the course of 9 months and is for 18-21 year olds.
“But wait, Diana, you’re 23…”
Ahh, yes, astute observation, hahaha. Keep that on the DL, I filled out the application and got accepted as a “21” year old…
Just kidding ;). I’m actually squad leading. I’m getting to that, lol.
Each program (Gap and 11n11) launches (sends out into the field) a certain number of squads yearly. Gap launches about 5 squads, and 11n11 launches anywhere from 10-15. Each squad consists of 20-50 racers who have committed to the program. Those racers are split up into teams of 5-7 racers, and those teams are assigned to ministries throughout the year together. In 11n11, the squad’s teams are sent all over the country to various ministries. The squad comes back together after the month is over for travel and for debriefs (a time of processing, resting, and preparing for the next country, usually consisting of 4-5 days). In Gap, the squad rarely ever gets split up (it’s essentially all squad month, every month). In these cases, our accommodations are enough for a group of 40-50 people.
Every squad is set up with the following leadership structure: team leader- squad leader- mentor- coach. Each team has a team leader who facilitates daily team times (45 minutes to an hour daily where the team sits in intentional community together), acts as a liaison between the team and the ministry host (works out logistical details, works out kinks in ministry, communicates details both ways, etc.), and keeps in communication with the rest of the leadership team about how things are going. Both the squad mentor and the coaches stay in the states and support the squad through prayer, reading and responding to blogs, handling emergencies, disciplinary actions, discipling the squad leaders, specifically, as well as the racers, sharing insight and wisdom and hearing from the Lord what the squad needs, planning and traveling to debriefs, giving sessions, and always always pointing the squad and the leadership team on the field back to the Lord as their true north. They do so so much more, but that is just a brief summary!
My official role on Gap is a Squad Leader. My unofficial title is “sister”, “role model”, “discipler”, “friend”, “coleader”, and “mentee”. Some of my girls affectionately call me the “energizer bunny” haha. I’m sure if you asked my racers, they would give you a host of other names for me as well, but I’ll leave that up to your discretion, lol.
I have two other co-squad leaders. There are six teams on my squad and, while my co-leaders and I are all leaders of the whole squad, we are each assigned to disciple and love on two teams intentionally. Cal’s two teams are J Walkers and Orah, Courtney’s are Selah and Arise, and my two are Sonrisa and Ahava. I have the incredible opportunity to walk alongside these twelve women, to cheer them on, watch their breakthroughs, celebrate their victories, support them in any way I can, and help them learn from their failures, as we seek to glorify the Lord, learn and grow in community, and eagerly do the tasks set before us.
These are the women of Sonrisa, who, true to their names, never fail to put a smile on my lips. From left to right, Katie (she was an alumni team leader and her role was for the first three months on the field. She returned home about two weeks ago, a job well done :)), Cheyenne, Claire, Rosie, Zoe, and Lexi.
And these are the women of Ahava who love each other fiercely in strength and laughter. In back row, from left to right: Adriana, Taylor, and Molly. Second row from left to right: Hannah, Madison, Alyson, and Alaina.
To put it simply, my role is to intimately disciple my two teams. They are my primary ministry. I love and serve them so they can love and serve their respective ministries in each country well. My role is to have one on ones with each woman twice a month, to go to ministry with them, to attend their team times and ensure that they are all doing well as a unit, to speak truth into them, to encourage them to pursue the Lord in all that they do, to keep them safe on the field, to challenge them out of their comfort zone, to iron out an logistical details regarding communication with our hosts or in travel, or to plan and give sessions that need to happen that month. I am also responsible for communicating with our mentor, Megan, and our coaches, Roger and Rozy McCormick in the states about what is happening in the pulse of the squad and receive wisdom and direction from their rich perspective in the Lord. Along with building and maintaining relationships with my girls, I remain in constant community with my teammates Cal and Courtney, as we seek the Lord and our leadership team how to continue pointing the squad back to Jesus.
Honestly, some days I’m so busy I wake up early in the morning and don’t catch a break until late in the evening. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. My soul is soaking in every moment with these precious humans- this beautiful Gap Y Squad. The reality that the Lord hand-selected me for such a time as this has me boggled every day. He chose me for these two teams, for this squad, for this leadership team, and better yet, He chose them for me.
It has been such a gift to do these past three months with Squad Y. I have been blown away by their wisdom, their love of fun, the fact that they welcomed and accepted me with open arms, and have trusted me enough to invite me into their stories.
I hope this gives you a better idea of what my role looks like here on the field. Definitely so different from 11n11, as my ministry this time around is my squad, not the ministry itself.
If you’d like more insight into my role, my co-leaders, Calvin and Courtney, both wrote blogs summarizing their perspective of what we do on the daily, and I’d encourage you to go check them out!
Calvin’s- https://calvinherrmann.theworldrace.org/post/thailand
Courtney’s- https://courtneyjackson.theworldrace.org/post/being-a-squad-leader
Update: We made it to India! It is cold here, surprisingly, and I am THRIVING in flannels, sweatshirts, and my yellow Firwood beanie (shout out to my girl Amy for giving it to me!). We’re ready to settle in to three months living and loving this country. Continued prayers for wisdom, joy, gentleness, grace, peace, and kindness over the whole squad would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks, y’all! Much love from Gap Y!
Until next time,
Diana 🙂
