*This blog was written by the other 5 girls on Team Emunah. Each paragraph is one of us telling you all how much we adore Alyssa and how we have seen her grow in the past 4 months!*
Alyssa has been growing over the last 4 months and it has been amazing to witness it. I am so blessed to have met her, and that I now get to call her friend. Life long. She is on fire for the Lord and is non-stop in His pursuit. She has taught me so much in servant leadership and is one of the best examples I have seen in it, next to Jesus of course. She is humble, selfless, and fierce. She is patient with the rest of our team, but tough when she needs to be. She has been pursuing worship a lot with some of the musical people on the squad, and praise God for that because the Lord has given this woman a voice and she is using it to lead others in worship. It is so beautiful to watch her use one of the gifts the Lord has blessed her with! Alyssa also isn’t ashamed. She knows what she wants, and she is going after Him. The joy of the Lord is so evident in her and you can always find her laughing, smiling, and having a good time despite whatever circumstance. That is another thing that I am learning from her, how to be a joyful person. Joy is something that she displays so well, and I want that! I know her joy is coming from the Lord, and I have been trying to soak up as much of it as I can when I am around her. This woman is a STRONG woman of God. Thank you for leading our team with so much grace and love Alyssa. I love you to death and I am praying that the Lord will take you deeper. I pray that He will continue to show new sides of Him and in that it will make you fall deeper in love with Him. I love you, sweet friend!
Oh my goodness! I cannot believe that I am getting the opportunity to boast about the amazing growth I have seen in this equally amazing woman! If you knew this Jesus filled lady before the race you may not recognize her (save for the wildly curly hair and glowing heart) when she comes home! I would watch this girl worship at training camp and could just see the deep, deep connection she had with Jesus and the true love she felt for God. I would think to myself how I wanted the same relationship she had with them because it just looked like so much fun! Before she was even made my team leader I was following her in this way, how cool is that? I’m so happy she did say ‘yes’ to being our team leader as I know she had felt like that was not something she wanted to do upon entering training camp and actually launching for the race, but she did and I was able to gain such a wonderful perspective on this crazy little thing called life because of that. She has always been a woman of God, a diligent follower, a benevolent heart, and a longing soul for more, more, more of Him; now she is just four times that much (x1 for every month is the world race math we are using here…think a treasurer would be proud?) and simply gushing with His glory. Four months into the race and I get to call this extraordinary woman my friend while I also get to witness how she emulates our Savior every day in how she loves others, serves them, prays for them, and simply looks out for them. What an adventure it has been.
Alyssa aka Sunny..not sure why we have not been using this nickname more often for her because it explains the disposition of her soul. She radiates light and joy into each room she steps into. Her heart is already so big; it is crazy to think that God is growing it even larger each day. She is a great example of being on fire for the Lord and living for Him. She leads this team with a selfless servants heart but also knows when she needs to be tough and lead those hard conversations. It has been amazing to watch her grow these past four months in her relationship with God and seeking Him out throughout the day. Her faith in Him is inspiring and she has a true gift of making others feel seen. She also has a beautiful voice that she has been using to praise our Father. It is something He has given her to point others to know whom the Lord is and she has been using it as a weapon against the enemy. I am going to miss all her noises (sorry Alyssa, I couldn’t think of a better word lol) she uses to express herself. I am so thankful for the friendship with this girl and how she is always down to be weird and have fun with people. So thank you for leading this team so gracefully. Thank you for bringing joy and gentleness everywhere you go. Thank you for not being afraid to be you. Thank you for always pointing me back to God. Thank you for being optimistic and knowing God’s got it under control. Goodness gracious does He have some big plans for this girl. I am just excited to call her a friend and watch her grow even deeper into her relationship with God. Love you chica, sorry cause you’re not getting rid of me now!
Oh, this girl. This beautiful, precious woman of God who has one of the most tender hearts I’ve ever seen. The way she takes on each day is so full of joy, kindness, & childlike wonder…it gives me new eyes. It gives me hope for more. It helps me see people better. It inspires me to give grace. Her heart is so very genuine & her love so generously given. Alyssa is always brimming with an infectious joy & laughter & usually a song. She is quick to share a smile & is such an amazing brand of goofy 🙂 Every single day she makes me laugh & stirs up within me a joy that can only be explained by the fact that God gives good gifts & Alyssa is one of them. & the snort — you gotta love it 🙂 She has such a steady heartbeat to serve others, & servant leadership is a defining characteristic of the way she treats us every day. She’s always ready to say yes & step up to fill whatever need may arise. She always takes care to include others & make them feel heard & considered. Alyssa isn’t afraid of hard things & she has the humility to admit if she is wrong. She leads by example in the way she cares for others before herself. Her heart is so tender toward what God has to speak to her…I have watched her take things to Him over & over when she needs wisdom or wants to respond correctly. I have watched her grow in love & understanding. I have seen her grow deeper. I have watched her eyes fill with tears as she is overwhelmed by the goodness of our God. I have watched her surrender her will to Him & lay down her past & pain to be redeemed & restored to the newness & fullness of life that He has for her. Alyssa is the kind of friend every person needs. To laugh with. To cry with. To eat tacos with. Maybe even to pee your pants with 🙂 but definitely to go to Jesus together with. Pray for this mighty woman of God — she’s changing the world.
Oh Shalyssa. There’s just something about this ukulele strummin’ hawaiian hippy. Wow, it has been such an honor to walk this journey under her leadership so far on this race. She has grown tremendously in the first four months and it been such a joy to see. One of my favorite things about Alyssa is that she has such a heart for worship. In any and all circumstances, this girl stays passionate about worshiping her God. She has discovered so much about the Father and His love on the race so far and I cannot wait to see how that grows and develops. She fights so fiercely for her teammates and for anyone she comes in contact with. Never have I had a conversation with Alyssa where I didn’t feel heard. She listens intently, she takes it in, and then she points us to Jesus. She meets people where they are and she cares tenderly for their hearts. I have never seen Alyssa operate outside of love. She loves deeply with the kind of love that only comes from the Father. I cannot describe how much I love this friend. She loves any and all things Hawaiian, volleyball, beach related, Tim Tebow related, but most importantly she loves the Lord deeply. Love you Shalyssa!
Love you Alyssa!
Love,
Caley, AJ, Candace, Shelby, and Amber
