K Y L A C A L
I’ve known Kyla for more than a year now. We were on the same team for the nine months of our Race, and are now leading the same squad together. Because of the amount of time I’ve known her, and because she’s chosen to be vulnerable and honest with me, I know where she struggles and where she thrives. In the struggle, she is not afraid to wrestle with the Lord and work through hard questions. Old Kyla used to isolate herself when she was in pain. She used to run away from people and from the Lord. BUT, now, she’s so willing to get to the root of situations, emotions, and lies because she deeply desires healing. She desires greater intimacy with the Lord, and knows that ignorance and isolation will not get her there. There’s a verse in Psalms that says “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” When she’s overwhelmed, she knows the best thing to do is sit with Jesus. Kyla loves people. So deeply. Her joy and excitement to be around people reminds them of their worth – people know that they are worth her time because she MAKES IT known to them. She’s grown an incredible amount in the past year because she’s chosen to work through hard things.
WHAT’S HER ROLE? Alumni Team Leader. There are anywhere from two to four team leaders on each gap year squad, all of whom have done the world race gap year before. Most of the ages of ATLs range from 19 to 22. Alumni team leading is a new program for gap year, and each TL is usually over one or two teams. Their role is to form intentional relationships with the Racers, run team times, work side-by-side with their team during ministry, and provide guidance for assimilation into “world race life.” ATLs have a unique role in bridging the gap between Squad Leaders and Squad Mentors – because of their age, there is a foundation of trust already built that SQLs and SQMs would have to take time to build.
FUN FACT: Kyla was a part of the Chair Series that I did last year. If you wanna read the one I wrote about her, click here!
What do you offer people?
I get to offer people intentionality that hopefully leads to them feeling seen and known. I carry laughter into all situations – deep joy to people who need it. I know how to balance having fun with diving deep and being vulnerable. I create space for people to truly be themselves and not feel like they need to perform; I desire for people to be real and raw no matter how scary it is, knowing that they’ll be met with grace and empathy.
