Its month five and we are close to the half way point of the race! As we head into South Africa we dive into a season of change. We are entering a new continent with completely different culture, a literal change of seasons- from summer to winter, and as a few team leaders get raised up to be squad leaders that results in team changes!
The reason behind team changes is mainly because old squad leaders are preparing to leave and new squad leaders must be raised up to lead the squad around the world. This causes a decrease in the amount of people on some teams. Also, after four months you are able to learn a lot from those six other people. Changing teammates helps to keep growing and learning more.
Change can be hard and very uncomfortable sometimes. But I feel like I’ve been in a similar position about a year and a half ago. After my soccer career ended I was asked to help coach my old teammates. With this task came professional boundaries- this meant I wasn’t allowed to have the same relationship that I had with all of my best friends anymore. I had to build trust as a coach instead of a teammate.
Being basically cut off from them was one of the hardest things I have had to go through but also a season where I learned and grew the most. I realized how much I wanted to be their shoulder to lean on, their crutch, they were my people. My coach told me, “You’ve planted many seeds along the way. Now it’s time to step back and let them grow on their own”
It’s like you’re watering a plant, at some point you give it enough water. You have to stop and let the seed grow on it’s own. If you don’t stop watering it at some point it will end up drowning.
As the season went on, I was able to gain a new perspective through coaching. I wasn’t doing daily life with them anymore, but I was able to watch them from a step back and I saw them grow exponentially. This was something I wasn’t able to see very well as a player because I was in on all the action and had my focus on so many other things.
This is a similar situation to my world race teammates but not quite the same. Thank God we all still get to be close friends and have those deep relationships, a few of us just go separate ways and don’t do life together daily. But the cool part is that we are all still doing the race together. We all still get back together at the end of each month. We all still get to see each other grow. I’m excited for the K-Shakes to go our separate ways and then come back completely new and more Christ-like people for the next seven months!
So I am excited to introduce to you, my new team, THE FIRE FOLLOWERS!
(In the middle is Granny Den, our ministry host and South African Grandmother for the month!)
We came up with this name from a flower called the Fire Follower. They only grow after a major fire. They represent that in order for something to live, something must die first.
Here are my new teammates blogs:
Kaylahouser.theworldrace.org
Dellaherysantos.theworldrace.org
Kimberlyparker.theworldrace.org
Carissachurch.theworldrace.org
Nicolepavis.theworldrace.org
Moniquemorris.theworldrace.org
Also, I just want y’all to know that I am SO SO SO proud of my old team leader, Hayley, for getting raised up to squad leader! She is one of the most people-loving, genuine, driven people I know. She showed me so much love and grace on my roughest days. She was always down to be silly with me and go on adventures. She always called me out on my crap but more importantly called out the good things in me and pushed me to walk in my gifts. I am so excited that she will get to pour into the whole squad the way she has poured into me over the last four months.
