Team Intentional Vagabonds – Who They Are Now

THEN:
Meet Devin Tudor, our team leader! Devin is 23 and currently works as a Firefighter/EMT in Georgia until we leave for the race in January. He is in love with Lord and is an all around amazing guy who is a romantic at heart. Team Intentional Vagabonds is lucky to have him as our leader for so many reasons (but mostly because he is just so dang awesome). He is always smiling and will break out dance moves at 7 am in the morning like no one else. To learn more about Devin, visit his blog: http://devintudor.theworldrace.org/

 

 

NOW:
Devin Tudor was my team leader for the first 3 months of the World Race. He and I both got dengue fever during week two of the World Race back in Costa Rica, so we're pretty much bonded for life because of that. Devin may be only 23 years old, but I swear he has lived the life of an 80 year old man. He has had numerous jobs ranging from chopping fire wood to working on a ranch to personal training to fire fighting (plus many more). Devin is so full of wisdom and has a spiritual maturity about him that is like nothing I have ever seen before. Devin is now team leading another team, Team P.A.W.S. which includes two of my Vagabond teammates, Caity Lewis and Pamela Gessler.

Fun facts about Devin: He loves to wear V-neck tees and his Ray-Bans. Yes ladies, he is always this stylish! He has been given the nickname "Capt'n" by Team Intentional Vagabonds because he is our fearless leader and we would (and always will) stand behind him. He also enjoys watching WWE wrestling with the other guys on the squad during his free time. 
 

THEN:
Meet Sara Shoup. She is an astonishing 22 year old from Ohio that is very mature, caring and exudes confidence. Sara has a smile that is contagious and loves a good healthy competition. Basically Satan is going to lose against her and Jesus every time! She has a passion for missions and has been to Venezuela, Kenya and Israel. She is currently working on her family farm where they raise pigs! To learn more about Sara, visit her blog: http://sarashoup.theworldrace.org/

 

NOW:
Sara Shoup is still an astonishing 22 year old who is mature, caring and exudes confidence. She and Gabe were our unofficial leaders of the group whenever Devin needed some assistance… or when he was sick with Dengue Fever. Last month (in Thailand) she was my team leader. Now she is acting as one of the logistics leaders for the entire squad! Sara has so many great qualities about her. For example, she is always there to play guitar whenever we want to worship, and she LOVES to invest time in people. Every time I turn around, she is spending time with a different person on the squad. She has a genuine heart and she really cares about the well being of her fellow squad mates.

Fun facts about Sara: She can always be counted on to finish eating any of my unwanted food or cold pops. I am convinced I am helping her minimal $4 a day World Race food budget work out  in her favor because of this. She absolutely LOVES to play basketball and she really comes alive on the court. She has been given the nickname "Admiral" because she was the second person in our team to officially become a team leader!

 

THEN:
Meet Pamela Gessler, our team treasurer.She is originally from North Carolina, but she currently lives in Israel serving as a missionary until we leave in January for the race. She knew from the age of 15 that she was meant to be a missionary – how cool is that? Pamela is only 22, but she is so wise and mature in her faith. She is a strong woman of God and I am look forward to spending 2013 with her. To learn more about Pamela, visit her blog: http://pamelagessler.theworldrace.org/

 

NOW:
Oh Pamela Gessler… where to start?! She comes from a family of 12 kids and they are basically the modern day version of the von Trapp family (minus the whole running away from Nazi Germany thing). She loves to sing, and I would often wake up to her singing in the mornings when we were in Nicaragua and Honduras. Her family has even recorded an album! Pamela also LOVES grapes. And when I say love, I mean LOVE. She is like a blood hound who can sniff out grapes from like 100 miles away. Her real passion on The World Race is to evangelize. For example, when we were in Honduras, she wouldn't let any of us sit next to her on the bus because she wanted to be able to evangelize to whoever sat next to her. How neat is that?!

Fun facts about Pamela: She can make some mean chocolate milk, and has blessed our team with her chocolatey goodness of chocolate milk in almost every country. YUM. Pamela has her own theme song on the race: "Pamela!!! Don't break this heart of mine! Please remember, it will heal in time!" Oh, and she has several nicknames, too: Par-mela, Parmie and Pah-mela. Oh, and she can yodle!! And for your personal entertainment, here is the infamous Egg Carton photo that her mom made one year for a Christmas card. Priceless!
 

 

THEN:
Meet Gabe Bedford (he's the one in the middle). He is 25 years old and is from Missouri. Gabe has been coined as the team "Big Brother" because he is protective and caring. He comes across as a tough guy, but once you get to know him, he is really more like a giant teddy bear. Gabe is also our team comedian and can be counted on to make you laugh and smile in any tough situation. To learn more about Gabe, check out his blog: http://gabebedford.theworldrace.org/
 

NOW:
Gabe Bedford. He is the son of Carl "Carlsbad" Bedford and Karen Bedford. If I have learned one thing about him on the race, its that Karen Bedford is a saint, and that she is a nice lady. Perhaps one day I will get to meet the legend (Carl) and that saint (Karen) that raised Gabe. Aside from his family, I have come to know Gabe as truly being like an older brother to me. He is always there to protect those around him (both physically and spiritually), and he's always got your back. He was often the comedic relief for Team Intentional Vagabonds, but he also has a serious side to him. I've seen him change and grow so much since January, and I am happy to tell you that he is now my new team leader on Team Lighthouse Mosaic! 

Fun facts about Gabe: He is addicted to Skittles and Pepsi. And if that's all he could eat for the rest of his life, I'm pretty sure he would. Gabe LOVES wrestling and is constantly talking about all these different wrestling moves that mean absolutely nothing to me. Oh, and he loves The Heat and bashing Caity's favorite team, The Oklahoma City Thunder. 

THEN:

Meet Caity Lewis (she's on the right). I first met Caity when we carpooled to White, Georgia for Training Camp. She is the youngest member of our team and will be 21 in December! She is from Oklahoma and is excited to visit Cambodia again after she spent some time there last summer as a missionary. She is adventurous, easy going and loves the Lord. To learn more about Caity, check out her blog: http://caitylewis.theworldrace.org/

 

NOW:

Caity Lewis was definitely our best kept secret. She came across as quiet and introverted at first, but that's only because she is a thinker. She was often one of the last people to talk during team times, but whenever she spoke, we would all listen intently because her thoughts were always so profound and thought provoking. Caity is a hard worker and would always be the first one to start working and was always the last one to quit working. She is one of the teammates that I grew closest to over the first 4 months of the Race, and I feel like she is not only a sister, but a best friend. Caity is on a team with Devin Tudor and Pamela Gessler, and she is now serving as the team Finance person! 

Fun facts about Caity: She is OBSESSED with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Her and Gabe are constantly arguing over sports teams and who is better than who. During her free time on the race, you can find her near her computer listening to music, sermons, or watching movies whilst painting her nails. (Her favorite hobby is cuticle care.) She loves to quote movies, comedians, speak in a high pitched voice from time to time, and she has a smile that radiates joy. 

So there you have it! That is my first team (in a nut shell). I was so incredibly blessed to have these 5 wonderful people in my life for the first season of The World Race, and even more blessed to be able to call them my family. When team changes were announced at the end of Thailand, I have to admit that I was extremely sad that our team was split up – it felt like I had half of my family ripped away from me! 🙁 But the Lord is good and gracious, and he has blessed with a new team that is already becoming ike a family to me. Although we may not be Team Intentional Vagabonds anymore, loyalty will forever run deep and I know we will all be life long friends and family to one another! 

Enjoy a few pictures of us as a team!
 

Pamela, Gabe, Sara, Caity, Devin and Aimee at first debrief in Granada, Nicaragua.

Sara, Devin, Gabe, Aimee, Caity and Pamela in Honduras at Zion's Gate ministries.

Stacy (squad leader), Pamela, Vanessa (squad leader), Sara, Devin, Aimee, Caity, Gabe, and Joel (squad leader) ready to board a plane from Honduras to Miami, FL.