What’s up friends. I’ve been thinking of some funny things to say about being away from my blog for a while. Unfortunately, they all sounded dad joke-ish, so I will spare you the pain.
I got home at the beginning of July and man has it been crazy. I got strep throat my second day home. I traveled all over the state to see friends and family. I thought I was coming home for a month to relax before a crazy year. Wrong. My life actually went into overdrive. I just sold my car today and I am officially 100% out of debt. Now that I can’t drive anywhere, I am able to sit down and write some blogs and thank you letters. Oh, and pack tomorrow since I haven’t started that and I leave for Atlanta Thursday morning. I have so much to tell you all so let’s get to it.
“Safety Man”. “Mr. Safety”. Those are a few of the sarcastic nicknames I have from my whole squad. I was nominated to be the Squad Safety Coordinator for the entire group. I am responsible to facilitate safety measures for 28+ people during the trip. I will help lead World Race safety and risk management processes and assist in incident or crisis situations. I am excited for this responsibility and also hope I don’t have to do anything at all. If I don’t have to do anything that means we are all safe and sound.
Our entire squad is made up of 28 people. We will have some alumni racers who will go with us for the first 5 months as well. In order to help in the best way possible, we break this large group up into smaller teams. We will probably switch up teams 2-3 times in the 11 months. To start the trip, my team is called the Joy Riders. I want to introduce you to all of them below. Please follow their blogs closely because you will be able to read other versions of what we are experiencing!
https://allisonbodle.theworldrace.org/
Allison is one of the funniest people I have ever met. She will definitely be the one who will keep our spirits up day after day. She has such a loving heart and passion to change the world. Her ability to connect with others is truly amazing and she uses her hilarious personality to build a strong foundation. She is going to move mountains.
https://danielpeters.theworldrace.org/
I talked about Daniel in my last blog. He is quite the musician and singer. Daniel can strike up conversations with just about anyone and be their best friend five minutes in. He is very outgoing and he will help the team so much when we need to find new ministries. He has infinity courage, yes that’s a thing. He is going to move mountains.
https://ambersmith.theworldrace.org/
Amber had such a big calling to go on this mission trip and she has been nothing but faithful. She has a very strong personality and makes sure things get done. I cannot wait to change the world with her and get to know her more. Her drive to accomplish goals will be great for the team and also keep everyone on track. She is going to move mountains.
https://hadassahtillotson.theworldrace.org/
Hadassah can also sing! She was a worship coordinator at her church and knows how to light up a worship session. She is so faithful to the Lord and I cannot wait to learn more from her. Hadassah is also so easy going. It seemed like every time we had to make a decision on something at training camp, she was cool with whatever. She is going to move mountains.
https://breannaalverson.theworldrace.org/
Breanna aka Bre is so kind. She is the soft spoken, doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, type of woman. Her soft heart is going to be what keeps us grounded. When she speaks, people listen because it comes from the deepest parts of her heart. She is going to move mountains.
That is my team! Subscribe to their blogs. Follow their journey as well. They are my sisters and brother now. As I prepare to leave for Launch weekend in Atlanta this Thursday, please say some prayers for us all. All five routes/squads that are heading out to help the world need you all. As I have said before, the power of prayer is real and we could use it for safety and guidance. God will answer your prayers for us and we will be able to live out what you pray for. I will be posting those life changing stories weekly on here. Also, I will be posting lots of pictures on my Instagram @tyburke_ and on my Facebook too! Thank you all for the love and support so far. Here we go, it’s finally here.
