Hello all. It is I.
Quick little update: we are currently serving in Craiova, Romania. This month the whole squad is together (ideal) and we are serving with a local church. If you’ve done the race and gone to Romania, you’ve probably heard of Raul and Ana. They’re incredible hosts with a grand vision for the Kingdom of God. We have been partnering with them in street evangelism, college outreach, Roma ministry, and the New Testament project. It has been a jam packed month full of ‘divine appointments’ (Dan’s favorite thing) and intercession. It’s been incredible, hard, and tender as heck.
Now, what I really want to share with you all is about the 23 people that I’ve been serving with for the last 10 months.
I’ve learned that my 8th favorite thing ever is people being domestic. Don’t worry, I’ll explain more. But first, a quick visual of my heart when I come home everyday.
This is what happens when I come into the kitchen after ministry and see Oscar cooking food. Or when I wake up in the morning, fall out of my bed and walk into the loft and see a pile of my favorite people reading their bibles. I love that you can hear Jezie’s laugh from anywhere in the house. I love when Cam is sitting on the perch, picking at her guitar as she watches the kittens on the neighbors roof. Wes just existing is enough to make any one of us beam with joy. The sound of Courtney glowing in adoration for the people of Romania is one of my favorite sounds. 90% of the time the table outside is full of conversation, laughter, depth and tangible love. I can’t get tired of walking down and up the stairs, because I know someone I love is going to be at the other end. I sometimes feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest from the amount of joy and appreciation in it. Even in writing this I am smiling so hard it’s making my face hurt a little.
I want everyone to know these incredible people. To give you a glimpse, here’s 3 words to describe each of them.
Sara- joyful, bold, amiable
Cami- steadfast, honest, giver
Brook- attentive, reliable, kind
Mal- bold, observant, considerate
Bre- humble, feeler, loyal
Maggie- seeker, obedient, exhorter
Jenny- steady, whole, God-fearing
Meg- kind, bold, full of love
Oscar- listener, spirit-reliant, gentle
Jada- peaceful, teacher, steadfast
Maddie- aware, respectful/ed, a woman of integrity
Court- advocate, wise, witty
Con- honorable, gentle, influential
Deb- bold, spirit-led, humble
AbbyLin- exhorter, wise, obedient
HB- considerate, deep, guide
Kaylin- wise, lovable, bold
Wes- encouraging, open, patient
Dan- caring, genuine, eager to serve
Jez- full of faith, joyful, humble
Katie- bold, good, pure
Hannah- warm, spirit-oriented, child-like faith
Suze- kind, peaceful, obedient
These people are the real deal. The real McCoy. The most yee friggin haw that there ever was. I am so proud to be one of 24.
Next month is our last month on the race. The best way I can describe how I’m feeling is an entirely honest “holy shit” followed with “sorry for the language”. It feels inexplicable to be so close to the end. The other night I was sitting around a table with Cam, Suze and Bok eating some sub-par Caesar salad and reflecting on the goodness. We cried as we felt the abruptness of the close of this season of our lives. It has gone by so fast, yet so delicately. We cried as we thought about being apart and cried even more at the thought of reuniting in the future. Weddings, graduations, and the dream of all squad reunions. There was a moment that we all fell silent, the tears in our eyes saying more than our words could.
The reality is that it’s going to be weird and painful and awful and beautiful to come home. Though I can’t say that I’m ready, I don’t know that anyone ever is. God didn’t wait for us to have ourselves together and prepared before He gave us glory. He gives it as we are, chaos and all. His kindness knows no bounds and I’m thankful for the 23 reminders that live beside me.
Buen Camino,
Al
