Happy Holidays from the REAL MC!

For those of you who haven’t heard, we had team changes right before heading to Ethiopia. So I’ve spent the past few months living in community with these five awesome ladies! We call ourselves the REAL MC (originally MC Earl… a mistake we will never live down lol) because we’re all very passionate about being authentic and vulnerable with each other. And we want to encourage ourselves to use our voices and share our perspectives with the world. Plus the letters of our first names spell it out 🙂

So without further ado… here we are in REAL MC order:

Name: Rachael Santaniello 

Age: 30

Hometown: Exeter RI, Lynchburg VA
Food You Miss the Most: Mexican 
Favorite Christmas Song: What Child is This? and Baby it’s Cold Outside.
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: Acts and Romans 
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: Seeing people and surrendering my worries to the Lord life daily 
Fun Fact: I eat almost anything

 
Name: Erika Smith
Age: 24 
Hometown: Roxbury, KS 
Food You Miss the Most: Green bean casserole!
Favorite Christmas Song: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: Leviticus and Numbers 
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: In patience and releasing control 
Fun Fact: I’m the fastest shoe tie-er you’ve ever met

 
Name: Ashley Spickler
Age: 28
Hometown: Durand, IL
Food You Miss the Most: Currently: Biscuits and gravy and sugar Jones cupcakes
Favorite Christmas Song: Little Drummer Boy
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: Leviticus and Ezekiel 
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: Learning how to “just be” and not always have to do
Fun Fact: I can’t sleep with socks on.

 
Name: Lauren Higbee
Age: 23
Hometown: Rockwall, TX
Food You Miss the Most: Chiloso tacos and ranch 
Favorite Christmas Song: I boycott Christmas music – but if I had to pick, it’d be Silent Night 
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: Judges! 
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: Trusting the Lord and falling in love his Word. I think so many fruitful things have flowed from those two areas, like humility, patience (currently working on more in depth), releasing control and surrender. But all these stem from trusting that the Father has my best interest in mind at all times. Very thankful for that. 
Fun Fact: Before the race, I had never been out of the country. So I decided to do 11+ countries at one time. Was that a good decision? Still asking myself that… especially in month 7 of the race 😉

Name: Michelle Dudley
Age: 27
Hometown: The Woodlands, TX
Food You Miss the Most: I miss Olive Garden
Favorite Christmas Song: Silent Night
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: The Book of John
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: Having peace 
Fun Fact: I can touch my nose with my tongue

Name: Catherine Choquette
Age: 22
Hometown: Central Square, NY
Food You Miss the Most: Bagels with cream cheese!!!
Favorite Christmas Song: All I Want for Christmas is You
What have you been studying in the Bible lately?: The book of Isaiah! (which is teaching me A LOT about humility and dependence on the Lord).
What is the biggest area you’ve grown in on the Race?: Actually trusting the Lord and learning what it means to live in hope. It all comes down to knowing and believing the goodness of God.
Fun Fact: I’ve climbed all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks

 
We hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We pray that 2020 will be a year of new beginnings for you! Have a happy New Year!

-Catherine