Earlier last week on Tuesday, my squad was told to meet for some big and exciting announcements. We all knew that meant change. I honestly wasn’t worried because in my mind I knew my team wouldn’t change because we had fought so hard to love each other and had become a family. God had told me that I would be on the team with Amy Dillman which in turn meant that I would have Ashli Blackwell to because they are a package deal. But I just figured God was going to add them to the family I already had.
I had spent three months getting to know and investing in my teammates and now changes were at bay. I had developed trust and relationships within Team Genesis and a new team meant starting over again and I’m not always up for opening up to new people.
But as God keeps showing me over and over, He knows what I need and does not withhold any good from me. Opening the folds in the torn piece of notebook paper, I read the names of my new teammates: Joseph Johnson, Adam Mollica, Erin Smith, Amy Dillman, Ashli Blackwell, and Lauren Lee.
With the creation of new teams, came the task of choosing a name for our team. This usually proves to be more challenging than necessary. With seven individuals, there are at least seven different ideas or inspirations for team names. We began throwing out ideas of words, phrases, and scripture: renewal, life, arise, going deeper, pressing onward, Genesis 28, Ezekiel 37, and even Mei Foo which is a Chinese name that means NOTHING….lol
Joseph, our leader, felt drawn to Ezekiel 37 and the intensity of God’s power in breathing life into dry bones. We read the passage together as a team and each one agreed that there is deep meaning and parallel to why we are on the World Race. We also listened to Gungor’s song, “Dry Bones”, and found the lyrics to express so much of our hearts (see below).
My soul cries out
My soul cries out for you
These bones cry out
These dry bones cry for you
To live and move
'Cause only You can raise the dead
Can lift my head up
My soul cries out
My soul cries out for you
Jesus, You're the one who saves us
Constantly creates us into something new
Jesus, surely you will finds us
Surely our Messiah will make all things new
Will make all things new
My soul cries out
My soul cries out for you
These bones cry out
These dry bones cry for you
To live and move
'Cause only You can raise the dead
Can lift my head up
Jesus, You're the one who saves us
Constantly creates us into something new
Jesus, surely you will finds us
Surely our Messiah will make all things new
Will make all things new
Life is breaking out, it's breaking out
Life is breaking out, it's breaking out, it's breaking out
And life is breaking out, it's breaking out, it's breaking out
Jesus, You're the one who saves us
Constantly creates us into something new
Jesus, surely you will finds us
Surely our Messiah will make all things new
Will make all things new
Now you may be wondering why I am still in Hong Kong and able to use internet when I am supposed to be in China by now. Well, God had different plans for my team this month.
Toward the end of our month in Swaziland, my teammate Ashli’s tents flooded one night during a heavy rainstorm. As a result, Ashli had some damage to her passport. It was soaked, smeared, and smelly. She did her best to dry it out and unstick the pages from one another. Due to her soggy passport, Ashli was only granted a 15-day visa into China while the rest of iSquad got 30-day visas. And so that is why The Dry Bones is still here in Hong Kong. God has provided so well. We had no trouble finding accommodations and we were able to link up with a ministry here in Hong Kong, Crossroads Foundation. The plan is to be in Hong Kong until December 17 and then cross the border into China.
