Daughter Zion has seen me through nearly every moment I’ve been on the race. They know my quirks, my habits, my likes and dislikes. They understand what areas I’ve grown in and areas I need growth in, they know what the Lord has done in my life and have seen me evolving because of it. But things change.
Teams change, more specifically. After Lesotho was over, we spent a few days in South Africa for a debrief where we rested, refueled, and changed teams. Daughter Zion was split up. There were a lot of firsts for our new teams and a lot of lasts for Daughter Zion. It was not easy and isn’t easy knowing that DZ will never be a team again. Our family is now separated and it has been a grieving process. Not only do I miss everyone individually, but I also miss just being Daughter Zion. A lot. It’s a thing of the past, a chapter in our books that has been closed. It isn’t fun knowing we’ll never have a real team time again, or be able to see each other grow and hear what they’re learning from the Lord, but I am so thankful for the time that the Lord has given us. Daughter Zion, please make sure to read my letter to you at the end of this blog!
New team! I’m very excited to be with a group of new women that can encourage and build each other up in new ways. I know the Lord has a lot of growth planned for each of us and I am excited to get to know these women better. My new team consists of myself, Kasie (who was on DZ, glad I get to keep her!), Elyssa, Rebecca (Becks), Haley, and Shea. Our team name is Spades.
We chose the name Spades (spades as in shovels, not the card suit) because we want to be very intentional in how we pursue. We want to dig deep into relationship, into pursuit to ultimately discover more about the love of God through his people. We are the tools that dig to find God’s hidden treasures. By discovering more of who God’s people are, we discover more of who he is.
I have also been deemed team leader of Spades. I was asked to be a team leader by our leadership and my initial reaction was “Huh?!” I was not expecting to be asked to be a team leader, so I was definitely taken off guard. Leadership for the World Race works like this: we have 2 squad leaders that encourage the spiritual health of the squad, a team leader for each separate team, logistics leaders that arrange all our travel, a treasurer for each team, and other designated roles for more specific tasks. There’s no specific way to describe the role since it is a very “to each their own” role but as a team leader, I will be in charge of communication with our ministry hosts and communication within our team. God giving me this responsibility will push me outside of my comfort zone, grow my self-confidence, and deepen my dependence on the Lord. I am so excited for how God is going to grow me in this season and can’t wait to become more of the woman of God that he wants me to be.
Please pray for me as I transition between teams and step into this new leadership role!
Dear DZ,
Where do I begin?! I guess I’ll start off by saying how thankful I am for the time God gave us. Isn’t he a great dad? Our unity and connection was instantaneous the moment we found out we were a team and since then, we have only grown stronger. God truly gifted us with one another. Doing life with you was easy. Loving you was easy. Laughing with you was easy. Growing because of you was inevitable. Looking back on my race when all is said and done, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of my fondest memories came from my first four months. Thank you for choosing and fighting for me, for loving me and trying to convince me that I am good at loving people, for allowing me to release all my bodily functions whenever I pleased, for laughing with me, and for pushing me to walk more in line with the Spirit to become the woman God created me to be. I am so incredibly grateful for all the memories we’ve made and excited for new ones to be made during future travel days and debriefs.
Although it is hard to say goodbye, I know that God is sovereign, his plan is good, and we will all be better women because of the refinement we’ll experience in our new teams. As hard as it will be, I pray we don’t play the comparison game in our new teams. Put on the armor of God and protect yourself from the flaming arrows of the enemy, from the lies he will try to invade your mind with. Don’t let him steal your joy. Comparison is the thief of joy, so be on your guard. Through it all, God is good. I love you guys so much and I am excited to see how you’ve each grown in the upcoming months apart. Thank you, Lord, for each of these amazing women and for giving me a family away from home. May we forever cherish each other and the time you’ve given us. All praise and thanks go to your awesome name!
Amen!
