“Close your eyes and hold up your hands. On a scale of one to five, with one being ‘get me away from these people now’ and five ‘I want to spend all eleven months and more with this team,’ how much do you like this group? …Okay. Now open your eyes.”
I looked around the table at our raised hands, surrounded by fours and fives, and grinned. After a few more debriefing questions, our trainers left us to ourselves. “I really hope this is our team,” someone said.
Later that afternoon, as teams were announced, I told myself not to be nervous, that I was only shaking with excitement. But there was no need for nerves: as the list was read, our hopes were answered, and we all bounded together for a group hug. Then we set out in search of ice cream to celebrate our team and hash out a team name.
Kenosis: Greek, meaning “to empty out; to empty oneself of one’s own will in order that one may be filled with Christ and His perfect will.”
That’s our collective prayer for this season: that each of us will be emptied of the things that are holding us back from Christ so that we may overflow with His Spirit.
Jen, Katia, Christina, me, Deborah, Vashti
Guys, these women are awesome. As I gush over us, this sounds like a cheese fest (trust me, I hear it too). But in September, the rubber will meet the road, and the insta-community begun at Training Camp is going to turn into true life-on-life unity. I couldn’t be more excited that God has selected these five women to make up my team. I trust us to love each other well, pursue each other, fight for each other, pray for each other, encourage one another, speak life over each other and support each other when we’re weak. Community is a core element of the World Race, and Team Kenosis rocks.
Want to meet these lovely ladies? Clicking on their names above will take you to their blogs. Will you consider praying for Team Kenosis as we look towards launching on the beginning of our journey? We’re still in the throes of support raising and preparing for life on the field. Please pray for peace rather than freak outs, for provision rather than frustration, and for the Lord to bind our team together in love.
One final note: Launch information has been announced! On September 6, J Squad will arrive in Atlanta for a few days of preparation before departing together for Haiti. With just one month left, the Race is getting real!
