The past few days (week?) have been a blur. Don’t ask me what day of the week it is. We went from teaching English in Cambodia to Thanksgiving and Debreif in Siem Reap to praying over an envelope that had our new teammates’ names in it to a surprise Christmas party to a bus station to a train station to a Christmas production where we were doing stage makeup and directing 38 children around the age of 7 on and off the stage in time for their performance (“and make sure the penguins have their masks on before Jingle Bells!”)
I hope you read that in one breath because that’s what it felt like. Whew. One double shot of espresso please.
It’s now December something and I’m locked out of my room in Vietnam blogging in the hallway before getting picked up for International Church and then one last day of Christmas Production and I remember I haven’t finished editing my Cambodia Video from Month 4 to send to my church.
Thank the Lord (more often pronounced, “thank the Lordt!” in high stress situations) that I have a team that can handle the madness and laugh through every second of the uncertainty.
Now that I’ve pulled you in every possible direction, let me take you to the start of True North, our new team:
Whether we were excited for team changes or grieving our first team, our entire squad of 50ish gathered on a rooftop in Siem Reap and held out our hand to receive an envelope with our name on it, knowing what was inside: an index card we had written the night before about what we would be bringing to our new team, and an index card with our new Team Leader and teammates; essentially our life, spiritual journey, and family for the next however many months. We were given time to pray and listen to music before opening our envelopes and I used every last second to read scripture about peace, trust, and community. It wasn’t until our Squad Mentor paused the music and said, “Now get together with your new teammates and go out to make a memory,” that I scrambled to open it to see who to go hug and squeal with. Basic. But no regrets.
Tate! Sound familiar? You probably know the name by my mom saying, “You think Janine’s blogs are good, you should read Tate’s blogs!” That’s right, my teammate Tate was “promoted” from team storyteller to Team Leader, and I’m so excited to be on her team again! She is a breath of fresh, honest, authentic air and after 4 months together, I still have so much to learn from her. My favorite thing about Tate is that when she speaks it’s either super wise or super hilarious. T8 & J9 live on!
Ben: Ben is the man. He is what I like to call, “naturally candid.” I got to really know Ben the most during all squad month in Nepal, and realized he was nothing like I expected him to be when I first met him at Training Camp this summer. He’s a southern gentleman from Tennessee who hiked the Appalachian Trail in his bright yellow shirt and challenges everyone in conversation to think differently (is this the experience being a Prosecuter before the World Race or all the introvert time reading Freud!?) I love that he can listen to others with an open mind and not feel like he is swaying any of us to agree with a particular way of thinking. I’m excited for us to “bring out the shovels!”
Matt: One of my first friends at Training Camp because we both went a day early for the Storyteller Workshop, Matt is the poster child for “smiling extrovert.” He is super positive which I love love love and has a huge heart for helping others. He’s the cameraman. The videographer. The cinematographer? He can help me with the lingo these next couple months, but he’s undeniably got talent! Always down to have fun and do the daring things (or watch Asia’s Got Talent and cheer on completely different people), I’m stoked to have Matt as one of my adventure buddies in this season!
Ashley: Ashley is a gem. The perfect balance of girly and not. I feel immediately comfortable with Ashley like I’ve been friends with her my whole life. She is gifted with kids and loving people well and if the Lord is willing, perhaps some of her God-given patience will rub off on me somehow during our time together. Ready for late night chats and early morning coffee runs!
Paige: Paige is an anchor. Steady and loyal, she is going to bless us all with her love and wisdom. A woman of few words, Paige commands a room as she speaks with intentionality. She has passed the test of having me as her roommate these first few days in Vietnam where I have woken up basically on top of her or in her face (I’ve clearly forgotten how to sleep in this luxury they call a “bed”) and she just laughs and gives me grace. Paige is an angel on our team.
So, although we are all over the place getting settled in and discovering what ministry on the beach and in the pizza shop will look like in a “closed country,” we know that no matter what comes our way we will help each other stay aligned in truth. We might not have it all together or know what team-time with our new team will look like yet, but we know who our compass is and we know the Way. The immovable and unchangeable True North. Please pray for us, our incredible hosts, and the people of Vietnam!
