During the month of January, I was with my team in the country of India. During this time, I took the chance to get to know my teammates a little better by asking them a FEW questions about their lives pre-World Race, what they’ve been learning from the Lord, and then a couple other questions too, just for funsies:). I love this group of girls SO very much and am beyond thankful for the love and grace they showed me as a fellow sister, teammate, and friend. As I prepare to enter this next season of the race in which I will be getting a new team, I wanted to make sure I shared with you all who the members of TEAM TALIA are and how much they mean to me!
Questions for the team:
- What were you doing before the race?
- What are some of your hobbies?
- What has been one of your favorite memories on the race thus far?
- What meal are you craving the most?
- What has the Lord been teaching you this month?
- Upon arriving home, what will be the first 3 things you will do?
- What is something you treasure NOW that you NEVER thought twice about back in the states?
- What are you currently reading?
- Quote or verse that you have stumbled across that has really stuck with you?
- If you were granted one item from home to have with you for the rest of the race, and you didn’t have to worry about carrying that one item, what would it be?
ELSIE MILLER
- Age- 27 years old
- Birthday- May 9
- Home- Fresno, Ohio
- I was working doing cleaning and hospitality with a company back at home. I was also mentoring young women.
- Cuddling up in a blanket reading books, watching movies with my sisters and eating popcorn and chocolate, and going on coffee dates with my friends (although I don’t get coffees, I usually get a smoothie or tea haha)
- Building relationships with our ministry hosts.
- Grilled chicken, baked sweet potato with marshmallows and brown sugar, and my mom’s brownie ice cream dessert with LOTS of chocolate syrup
- How to rest well on the Sabbath and to keep it holy. He’s also teaching me about “walking with people in the wilderness” and not “taking them to paradise”.
- FIRST see all my family, SECOND eat a good home-cooked meal from mom, THIRD catch up with family and friends on life.
- I miss…good toilet paper!
- Eve by WM. Paul Young- it’s a book talking about Adam and Eve, and it is focused on Eve.
- Quote: “I live in many but rest in few” by Michael Miller from Upper Room.
- A BIG, fluffy blanket
**Elsie has been with me on the race since Day 1!! This girl has been my shoulder to cry on, doctor in time of pain and sickness, prayer warrior, adventure buddy, girl to laugh with when everyone else takes things too seriously, and sooo many more things! I love this girl so much! The Lord knew I would need her to help me keep on keepin’ on on this journey called The World Race. She is INCREDIBLE and I am forever grateful for her..love you sweet friend!
AMY JOHNSON
- Age- 21 years old
- Birthday- April 26
- Home- Blythewood, South Carolina
- I was at Anderson University studying Psychology, interning with a non-profit organization, and getting a bunch of dental work done (haha)
- Cooking, calligraphy, local politics, hiking, coffee-shop hopping, and photography.
- Riding on top of the truck in Haiti. I felt more free and adventurous than I had in a really long time.
- Some good, authentic Japanese-ramen and Chick-fil-A chicken minis with a sweet tea and honey.
- That my relationship with Him is personal and that I can’t let other people’s place with Lord or other people’s stress with Lord affect where I am at with Him.
- FIRST- grab my friends and eat all the food I have missed. SECOND- go to my best friend’s house and take a nap on her couch. THIRD- get a pedicure because my feet are crusty as mess right now 🙂
- Ice and ALONE TIME
- Everybody Always by Bob Goff- it’s about how we can learn who Jesus is through everyone we encounter and that loving people isn’t something we get to be picky about. Also reading Leviticus, Proverbs, and Romans.
- Quote: “Always be kinder than you feel.” – unknown.
- Clarisonic face scrubber!
**This girl…she truly does leave me speechless. She has been such a great role model to me when it comes to walking out her faith…especially during times where it isn’t always the “coolest”, most convenient, or most easy thing to do. She has the BEST facial expressions, a GREAT sense of humor, and a heart for adventure that I adore! Love you Al J, AMELIA Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi!! Can’t wait for us to go on our fancy date when we get back to Atlanta!
ELLE LULY
- Age- 22 years old
- Birthday- May 30
- Home- Littleton, Colorado
- Working as a freelance makeup-artist and working at Starbucks.
- Calligraphy, drawing, painting, exploring new places, going to new coffee shops, and workkkk! 🙂
- ALL of South Africa.
- Anything but Indian food (haha)!
- The healing redemption of the Lord!
- FIRST- pet my dog. SECOND- hug my dog. THIRD- play with my dog.
- Cold water, ice, and grocery stores!!
- The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz- it’s about understanding your enneagram type in a way that leads you to spiritual growth and intimacy with the Lord. (I’m never reading less than 7 books at a time haha) Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist- it’s about leaving behind your chaotic tendencies in life and frantic way of living for a simpler, more in tune reality.
- Bible passage: 1 John 3– it’s been teaching me a lot about loving and serving others and God and what it looks like to love in action and truth.
- My dog or a REAL pillow!
** Haha this girl…I’ve literally had some of the deepest conversations with this chic and she’s someone I’m able to be 100% real with. She’s a safe space for me, a friend who challenges me, and someone I can always jam out to throwback songs with! Even though she persistently tells me to “fight” her, there’s no one else I’d rather split Mexican spring rolls and cheese balls at the Hard Rock cafe with! Love you a ton, Ella of Frell (maybe one day we can ACTUALLY watch Ella Enchanted together, too haha)
LAIKEN MARTIN
- Age- 23 years old
- Birthday- July 27
- Home- Zurich, Ontario Canada
- Working at a greenhouse and getting ready for the World Race training camp by walking with my pack on in the woods (haha)
- Playing my guitar and ukulele and walking my dog.
- Ummmmm. I. Can’t. Pick.
- Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, cooked beets, and green beans.
- To trust in what He tells me to do.
- FIRST- get an ice cappucino from Tim Horton’s. SECOND- hug my dog. THIRD- hugg my family
- REAL beds!
- I am reading through Psalms and I am still reading Brene Brown’s I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t)– it’s about recognizing shame and how to deal with it.
- Bible passage: Ephesians 6– putting on the full armor of God…something to look at when its getting hard because we are entering month 7 of our race!
- My guitar!
**My girllll….Laiken! Whether or not she knows it, I have always been one of her BIGGEST fans! She has been my go-to dance partner and music buddy…we also share the same love and appreciation for all things food! I have shared SOO many tears with this girl…mostly resulting from us laughing at ourselves (and mostly her laughing at me)! Haha I LOVE you Laiken, and don’t forget I’m ALWAYS in your corner shouting “Go Laiken, go Laiken, gooooo!! You’re doing it! She’s doing it!!!”
KATIE MARTIN (aka Me)
- Age- 25 years old
- Birthday- January 23
- Home- Alexander City, Alabama
- I had just graduated from Auburn University and was working as an engineer in Atlanta, GA.
- Hiking, kayaking, camping, riding bikes, and eating my Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s food 🙂
- Bungee jumping in Zambia!
- Carrots, hummus, and MEAT! I miss meat…any and all kids of meat!
- He’s teaching me to be more vulnerable and open on the race for His glory
- FIRST- get my eyebrows waxed, SECOND- go to the doctor and get my ears cleaned out (I can’t hear a darn thing haha), THIRD- go to THE COFFEE CORNER with the fam and get 2 chorizo tacos, chips and queso, and a peach tea!!
- Toilet paper and a big ole’ glass of milk!
- Scary Close by Donald Miller- it’s a book about what can happen when we face our fears and allow ourselves to be truly seen and known in relationships. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist- it’s about recognizing what’s important to you and then having the strength to reorganize/take some things out of your life so that your life is less full of those things that are so important to everyone else and more filled with the people and things YOU truly love. Man’s Search for Meaning by Vitctor Frankl- it’s about how living a life with purpose and meaning can give one strength to endure and overcome hardships…this is done through the telling of how the author survived 2 Nazi concentration camps .
- Quote: “He (Jesus) wasn’t just calling them (the disciples) into a life of sacrifice. He was calling them into a life of meaning, even the kind of meaning that would involve suffering. Suffering for a redemptive reason is hardly suffering, after all.” – Donald Miller in Scary Close.
- My whole bathroom from home 🙂
