How do I even start to write about how these people have changed me, molded me and softened my heart? How do you start to describe the every day occurrences that have made up the trust and love you have for one another? How do you go home after nine months of that constant life giving community and be across the country from your best friends? How do you end something so beyond beautiful that shaped you into who you were created to be for the kingdom??
The only thing I can think of is by giving thanks. The only thing I can think of is looking to The savior himself, Jesus, and what he did before the end. He broke bread and gave thanks.
community living; something I didn’t understand before the race but have grown to love. I’ve lived with the same 11 girls for 6 months of the race. My 5 teammates, my girls, my sista’s, for all 9.
Most of the time it’s loud, very loud, which is fine by me because I’m usually a big contributor. My teams been told many times that we’re the loudest team to live with. It’s thankfulness when you get an ounce of personal space. But also thankful for the cuddle puddle parties.
It’s having a Justin Bieber alarm set for 6:30am and opening your eyes to your girls dancing and singing along. Waking up in laughter, most days honestly.
It’s having many many random dance parties and serenading one another often. Its leaving encouraging sticky notes on one another’s beds.
It’s the cleanly ones getting on the not so organized ones to clean their area (I ADMIT I AM ONE OF THEM BUT IM WORKIN ON IT). It’s picking lice out of each others hair. It’s rubbing aloe on one another’s crispy burnt backs.
It’s getting frustrated with one another and having some gooood heart to hearts later on. It’s having a mental, emotional, break down and your girls holding you while you sob & vise versa.
It’s buying new body wash that’s gone in a week because everyone else uses yours instead of their own!!
Its playing what are the odds way too much, about things that go way to far, but are SO funny. It’s playing countless games of volleyball, and honestly, with all of our skills put together we’d probably make a really good D2 player hahaha!
It’s freakin hand stand and kart wheel support group. It’s getting thrown into pools with all of your clothes on. It’s wrestling matches that end in laughing to death on the floor.
It’s singing (screaming) Alecia Keys, in cars with way too many people in them. It’s waking up and seeing the same exact faces every single day that will soon be gone.
It’s being extremely sick all at the same time and sleeping on the bathroom floor as you all take turns throwing up in the one toilet your house provides.
It’s being bored out of your mind when all your friends leave into town and being SO excited when they get back home. It’s prank wars. It’s creating alter egos for one another as you tan in the Filipino sun on your roof.
It’s creating a soap opera at 2am that you end up acting out in front of the whole squad. It’s meal planning and the wretched grocery shopping.
It’s waking up in the bush of Africa, on Christmas morning, in a tent, sad you’re not with your family but thankful you have new faces smiling at you yelling “merry Christmas!!” the second you unzip your tent.
It’s doing everything and nothing. Everything from flying around the world together to praying for a man sleeping on the side of the road. From hiking Victoria falls together to singing in a Haitian choir. We’ve done it. We’ve run the race.
Time. The gift of time is so generous of our God to give. Time to grow, and love, invest and enjoy. Thanks God.
Our very souls that’s intertwined us into one another, growing from being in each other’s presence. I keep getting this picture in my head of all these different flowers planted along next to each other. Under the soil the flowers’ roots are all connecting to the others, intertwined, entangled. Rooted together in the same place. But then above ground, the most beautiful of flowers. Hydrangeas, Gerber Daisy’s, Sunflowers, Hibiscus, random flowers etc. Blooming so beautifully, growing in different ways, different directions but always towards the sky. Up. Towards The Most High.
I can’t wait to see where the Lord takes these girls in life. I can’t wait to hear about what he’s doing through them for the kingdom. I can’t wait to see how these girls let Jesus use them. I am so proud of each and everyone of them and love each and every one of them so dearly.
The transformation God has done in my life has been monumental these past nine months. But these people. My teammates, my squad mates. These friendships that I know I’ll have forever are the best gift I could’ve ever received. I’m so unbelievably thankful for the five gifts on my team. The four gifts on our sister team and the gift of friendship from our squad leader. Thank you Jesus for real, raw, goofy, one of a kind friendships.
This insane, crazy endeavor of life is nothing but Eucharisteo. Friendship; the sweetest of gifts, that I am so thankful and honored to get to accept.
Thank you Jesus for this life. The gift of breathe, eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to feel. Thank you for hard lessons learned and joyous celebrating. Thank you for the gift of getting to feel truly loved, empowered and valued by other men and women. Thank you for the rest of my squad that we got to do life with. Thanks for the four other teams of life that spread your joy wherever they end up. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus for community. It’s the most humbling, sincere gift I’ve ever received. Sometimes all I can get to leave my lips is “wow”. And that’s enough.
Ending this race in awe of His gifts.
NOW WHOSE READY TO RUN ACROSS THAT FINISH LINE AND CELEBRATE??!
–Kaylin
p.s. There is not a doubt in my mind that when our plane lands back on American soil that our squad will start belting out the national anthem. And boyyyyy am I excited for that moment!!
