As month 4 debrief approached we joined together, seven teams meeting up as a squad knowing that things were about to change.
Team Changes…
The two words that occupied the minds of many H-Squad racers in month four as the idea hung over our heads. We knew that team changes were inevitable but we had just gotten comfortable in our original teams and the thought of starting over sounded challenging….
And that’s just why team changes were necessary. I am so eager to introduce to you my new, amazing, wonderfully passionate, driven, God-loving, question asking, Kingdom-Seeking, creative, bold, beautiful team:
TEAM WOVEN
After we gathered for the first time as a team our squad leaders prayed for our team. We had creativity, boldness and unity prayed over us as a new team at debrief and decided to take some time to think about our name. We came up with the idea of a woven tapestry. A woven tapestry is beautiful and vibrant, it’s detailed, unique, colorful, unified and tightly woven. If it’s not correctly woven the tapestry won’t look right, if it’s not woven correctly it won’t hold together either. We liked the idea of being woven in that same way as a team.
My team is made up of 7 women who I am honored to be on a team with!
Kristen. A beach and surf-loving girl from Alabama, her joy and excitement for the little things in life inspire me to look at life through a similar lens. She and I were on our last team together and get to keep doing life together in this next season!
Kat. This girl is caring, loving and imaginative. She has an unwavering and inviting spirit that is encouraging to be around, whether she is finishing a book, encouraging a teammate, or pursuing the Lord, she is determined and it’s beautiful.
Rachael. Her life experiences and stories may seem unreal but the thing is, they are real and they are amazing! Her love of life and desire for more are beautiful. She is fun to be around, encouraging and has a laugh that is contagious. Oh and she’s part of a Cherokee Native American tribe so she’s practically Pocahontas.
Ashley. She is the coolest. Her love for learning, excitement and all things Japanese have made her into the most talented Japanese speaking, bagpipe playing, 3rd degree black belt, butt kicking, archery shooting, Japanese flute playing teammate I have ever (and will ever) have. We were also on our last team together and I am thankful to continue this journey with her.
Leah. Her need and desire for adventure is so big that she exudes such excitement for this journey and adventure that is her walk with the Lord, and one that is inspiring and exciting to watch.
Ali. She is a gem. I had the privilege of spending a month with her in India and I am excited to get to know her better on a team together! Right now she is in the States recovering from some medical procedures, and I cannot wait until her return to our team!
When I was given the list of names for our new team the Lord told me to read Ephesians 4:1-16. So I did. I sat down, opened my Bible and got chills at the message He had for my new team and me:
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all….
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
I am excited for what we will face as a team, and for the way that we will encounter and pursue the Lord as a team. I’m excited for the 7 of us to spur one another on in Christ, “to be completely humble and gentle; to be patient [with one another], to bear one another in love.” I pray that as a team we will “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” and that God will use each of us to intricately weave a story of unity, growth, and boldness in Him.
Here is Team Woven missing our one important teammate, Ali!
(Left to Right: Rachael, Me, Leah (Back), Ashley (Front), Kristen (Back), and Kat (Front))
