To the six woman who have become my best friends, my future bridesmaids, and my home away from home, Thank you. When the Lord placed me on DZ five months ago I wasn’t quite sure what I was in store for, but I knew it was going to be good. From plane rides to chicken buses to Ferry Boats and truck beds. From cramped vans to taxis and double decker buses you all have truly been my ride or dies. I have never been apart of or loved by such a strong band of women. You all accepted me in and embraced me for who I truly am and for that I owe you a lot. Each one of you has encouraged me, loved me, taught me and showed me what it means to be a strong woman of God.
Anna (Ann!) you’ve taught me how gratitude is never the wrong choice. That even in my weakest moments I can find joy in the Lord. I will always admire your lack of complaining and ability to hold your composure in the midst of any situations. Your spunk is contagious and the amount of hidden talents you have in mind blowing. And don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about our pact to eat tarantulas in Asia either!
Ashley (Ash!): You’ve encouraged me that the power of the Holy Spirit is alive and well. The passion and desire you have for the Lord is inspiring. Everyday of the race I’ve watched you press into who the Lord is calling you to be. Diving deeper into the word and weeding out insecurities and lies from the enemy. You’re knowledge of the word and passion in continual pursuit of it has pushed me. Pushed me to read more and develop my knowledge of who God is. I don’t know what our next teams hold for us, but I definitely wouldn’t be bummed if mine included you.
Kasie: You’ve showed me that no matter who I meet, what circumstances I’m in, or how I am feeling there is ALWAYS room to love. You have truly changed my perspective on what it means to love others well and have loved me so well I’m the last four months. From scratching my back during a six hour church service to giving me and entire box of snickers for Christmas to not letting me give up when all the sickness seemed like too much to holding me while I cried after finding a scorpion in my sock… this friendship we’ve build is definitely going to last a lifetime. I never imagined God would bless me with such an amazing human to be my best friend.
Jessica: You’ve taught me that being sisters doesn’t mean we have to share blood. You say it all the time, but I really feel like you’ve given me the ability to be a big sister. Every time you go rogue or hurt yourself I get thrown into protective mode haha. But I wouldn’t want you any other way. Your willingness to go and do and see is inspiring to me and makes me want to be more adventurous. You’ve opened my eyes to the world of sign language and I can’t wait for our friendship off the race to continue so I can keep learning more.
Mary Beth (Murb!): You’ve showed me that as a woman I am strong. That God created me as a woman of power and He has a purpose for me that is greater than anything anyone else could come up with for me. I don’t think you see it yet, but you have a very powerful mighty soul. The Lord made no mistakes with you. I look forward to the day when you fully embrace who He made you to be, instead of feeling like you have to have permission to be who you are. You carry an influence that could change the atmosphere of an entire room. Stay you boo.
Lynden (Lyndi!) you’ve shown me how leadership can coincide with friendship. From our random dance parties to pelleguay petting and chicken corralling to accidentally breaking out in the same song we really had some fun together. But in the midst of all that fun you showed me what it means to be intentional. Intentional with God, intentional with our team, intentional with our ministry hosts… You led our team well and it makes me so proud and happy that you’re leading our squad now. I couldn’t imagine anyone else more deserving.
I’ve always wanted to have friends that I knew would be in my life forever and I’m praising God everyday He gave me each one of you to fulfill that prayer. I hope you guys like me as much as I like you because you’re stuck with me now! We’ve had a lot of laughs, a few cries and bunch of dance parties and I wouldn’t change anything about the past four months. So here’s to us and our family that is DZ. I love you nut balls!
Always,
Marah
