I started reading Cold Tangerines, by Shauna Niequist, recently, and it’s simply a bundle of her life memoirs, up ‘til now, of course. The point of her writing, she says, is to celebrate. To make a point of being fully present, of throwing a party for the here and now and to stop waiting for the something else or something bigger to begin.
She made me start thinking of all the things in my life that I am currently missing out on, because I’m waiting for the Hollywood version of my life to roll. I began thinking of all the relationships, opportunities, and chances to extol and exhort the people and places and experiences currently in my life. So here is my first practice, and exercise in making a big deal out of the ordinary or, in other words, to see the normal for what it is: extraordinary.
Celebrate Your Leadership
Brent Acker
Brent and I have, admittedly, had several rows in the last couple months. We see differently on many things, from small to big, and we both make it a point to set our own opinion to the forefront, and definitely above the other’s. But there is something special and hard-boiled and spurring about this louder- and larger-than-life character.
A big black man from southern Mississippi, Brent grew up with a raspy twang and a healthy respect for his mama (a healthy amount of fear, too, as all good southern boys do). He grew up saying yes ma’am and no, thank you and a lot of hallelujahs. He grew up in church, in football, and in leadership. If you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s always had the mark of leadership on his life, and that he knew the Lord would one day have him lead people spiritually. That is one of the things he has stepped into as a World Race Team Leader. I remember when we were all still at training camp (ages ago, it seems), he would rise early in the morning, with darkness still draped around us, and walk amongst the tents, gently awakening us with a it’s mornin’, everybody, c’mon now, wake up. I remember thinking then that he would be the prime example of a leader, with his clearly self-sacrificial and nurturing aura.
Since camp, although he has only been my leader for three short months, he has continued to impress me with his sacrificial and giving nature. He goes out and buys water for our team and brings the 5-10 gallon jugs back by himself, he is constantly encouraging us to preach or teach when given the opportunity (rather than taking all the opportunities himself), he reminds us to love each other well with a ringing hugs, not drugs! every night before bed. Admittedly, he is human, and we see differently on many things, even to the point of yelled arguments and hurt feelings. But he is also usually the first to go ask what happened, or to apologize. He is usually the person who listens to a rant or tear-filled emotion-fest without interruption, and to offer a hug and a you’re fine, it’s fine at the end.
Perhaps we will still argue or look at the world from different perspectives, perhaps I will put my desires ahead of his, or he will put his ahead of mine… as we fallen people do… but I know that I am better for knowing him, this massive, laughing, dancing man of God, and I know that the challenges we face in the future will continue to shape our perspective of faith, love, people, and relationship.
Happy Easter #2 near Malak Varshets, Bulgaria
Celebrate Your Friends
Jordan Alessi
Jordan is, to the best of my descriptive ability, a taller version of Mr. Rogers. He brings such wisdom and clarity to conversations amongst the team, he brings laughter and witticisms to moments of lightheartedness, and he brings strength and solidness to moments when you’re scared or losing it.
A Floridian by birth, he’s everything you think a mid-twenty-something moderate Christian beach boy might be: relaxed and easy-going with a quick laugh and slow temper. I’ve rarely heard him speak negatively and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard him argue with someone out of anything but patience, honesty, and integrity. He says the hard stuff with gentleness and love, and it’s pretty easy to take whatever constructive feedback he might offer, knowing it comes from a place of desiring to see your growth. I have only been on a team with him for three months, but I truly consider him a friend, one I can bounce ideas off, cut up with, and receive sobering truths. He’s not the kind of man who takes friendships lightly as he reminds us daily with when is team time?? He reminds me, in ways not verbal or aggressive, that the real reason I’m on the Race is to learn about and build relationships, and figure out where I fit in this messy wonderland that is community.
Our first dinner as Team Oflow, at an Italian restaurant in Sofia, Bulgaria
Celebrate The Quiet
Christine Perry
There is this girl on my team who, if you just glance at her, might escape your attention. Average-sized, slender, with average-length but pretty brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a gentle smile, if you only look once, you might miss out on some serious treasure. She won’t force her way into your life, but months down the road when you’re still looking around for friendship or a listening ear, there she’ll be with that easy smile and look of compassion in her eyes.
She is the best listener.
Hailing where the motto is Virginia is for lovers, Christine seems to take it to heart to love people and love them well. She might not force her opinions on you, but she will definitely force herself into your heart, one quiet understanding hug after another. The many times I have felt misunderstood or slighted or lonely or frustrated, she has sought out my company just to have the chance to listen, to make sure I know I belong and I’m wanted. I can see her face in those moments even now, patient, waiting for me to finish my story and then waiting a little bit longer to see if there’s more before she speaks or offers encouragement. It’s so comforting to know that, even if I’m selfish and wrong and messy and on the left side of gracious living, she will continue to come alongside me, wait til I’ve had my say or wiped my eyes or blown my nose, and she will walk with me toward heaven and forgiveness, toward grace and release. I have never once felt condemned by her, I have never once felt her judgment. I have only felt acceptance and okay-ness, like I can lash out as much or as often as I need and she will remain.
There’s something to be said about her quiet nature, the unassuming, unobtrusive way of breaking down the walls you think you have built around you, that make her someone you want to spend all your time with.
She has her faults, though, as we all do. Her major one is this alarmingly serene demeanor when she’s playing a practical joke on you. You would never believe it, but she is the biggest prankster on our team and finds utter delight in hacking your facebook or setting your alarm for 5 am on your first day off, or giving your ipod a new lock screen photo, one she’ll take randomly when you aren’t looking. It is always so startling to find these things accomplished, never believing this behavior of someone so seemingly quiet. But attack she does and giggle, too, when you find out with an Ahhhh! She did it again! Something else she is less quiet about is her relationship about Jesus. Man, when this girl speaks in church, when she teaches in a youth service, I am convinced that holy heaven fire comes down. She speaks with power and authority and truth, and you know your perception of that particular part of scripture has been changed, and you are a little bolde, too, because you’ve been witness to her passion-filled connection with Jesus.
And all from a girl who seems so outwardly quiet and ingenuous.
near the tomb of the national hero in Lezhe, Albania
Celebrate The Seeking
Karilyn Head
A tiny, sprightly bubble of joy and energy, my teammate Karilyn is plucky. On the Race so far she has made many of her own bold and daring dreams come true, from getting a tattoo in Guatemala to shaving her head in Romania. She is a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, to speak the truth, or to speak against falsehood wherever it presents itself.
Karilyn-from-Maryland (say it three times fast) is so brave. She is one of the bravest and most stunningly elegant women I’ve ever known. She finds her strength and guts from just the place we all should: the bible. I can’t count how many times we’ve had a couple hours free and I glance at her with bible in lap, headphones in ears, and eyes closed in worship, contemplation, or prayer. The thing that sticks out most to me when I think of her is the word seeker. She is a seeker of truth, she is a seeker of life and joy, she is a seeker of God, through and through. What she wants more than life is a greater understanding of and connection with her Savior, which she receives daily from constant reading and contemplating His Word, continuous worship of Him, and persistent conversation with Him.
Sometimes she intimidates me. Sometimes when she brings truth and conviction to the table at the fifth team meeting in a row, I feel like I’m not doing enough, like my time or relationship with God isn’t good enough. Sometimes I feel like there’s nothing I can do to compare. But isn’t that spirit of comparison just the most ridiculous tool of the devil? Doesn’t he use just the most ridiculous ways to make us feel less than? Karilyn has never done anything wrong or, really, anything to incite my compari-jealy. She has only ever shown me what it means to truly seek after God, to seek Him with my whole heart and my whole time and my whole desire. Perhaps a little of my ugliness comes from not being willing to follow after her into glory. But there she stays, gently pointing the way toward more, toward abundance, toward what this life is meant to look like. And if I follow, we win. And if I don’t, she doesn’t leave me behind, but stays and gently waves me in the direction of Jesus. And I love her for that.
at a Mcdonald's in Bucharest, Romania
Celebrate The Outgoing
Gerardo Daniel Gonzales-Marques
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. This man has been on a team with me from the very beginning of the Race, seven whole months now! We have had our ups and downs, from tears shed, to soda snorted out of noses from intense belly-laughter. Daniel is one of those guys who is almost too big for real life.
Originally from Mexico, he is currently residing in New Mexico, and I love hearing him say this every time he has to introduce himself to a new school or church or group of people. You can tell how much he loves both countries and both cultures by the way he admits to halfway being from each.
The thing with Daniel is that his Latin culture is #1. He is loud and funny and talkative and loves going dancing more than anything else. We all frequently joke about how someone needs to take Daniel on a walk if we’ve been in the house too long. Daniel can spin a yarn easier and better than most folkwives who originate the old wives’ tales. His stories are full of life and color and laughter, and the jokes he drops in at pivotal moments are each like handfuls of gold dropped to the roaring masses at church time in the Renaissance. You wait eagerly for one to fall and when it does it never misses its mark or fails to delight and entertain.
One of my favorite things to do with Daniel is go to the movies. It’s one of my favorite things at home, and he is usually the only one willing to spend money on something as frivolous at surface entertainment (something I am definitely willing to do). We have been to the movies on every continent and almost every country together. He never makes me feel like my movie choice is poor, or that he would rather do anything than go see Henry Cavill’s new pre-nuptial fantasy blockbuster Man of Steel. When I invite him he always answers a resounding yes and he has even taken to inviting me out which is a real delight and surprise because it’s usually a lack of knowing there is a theatre around if I don’t ask first.
Daniel and I have butted heads a few times, mostly over differences in our cultural sensitivities. One thing he loves to do is go out and I, most of the time (probably because of the intense lack of personal space over the last seven months) have preferred staying in. He feels bored and cooped up when stuck in the house too long and, as he’s always the life of the party, it’s normal for him to want to go out and do something. I have most often chosen not to love him well when he needs a diversion from the normal ebb and flow of house- or tent-living, most especially when we are living in a tiny, rural area with few amusements or recreations. But I think it’s very special that he finds energy and delight in the hustle and bustle of life. He is always the first to make friends absolutely everywhere we go, he has never had a boring or lifeless time anywhere (including long travel days), and he always comes back from an adventure beyond our home walls breathing a little easier, smiling a little bigger, and with shoulders a little more relaxed.
I’m not a fuddy-duddy, but going out all the time wears me out. Daniel, on the other hand, is worn out by a lack of activity. There’s something inviting and intimate in the way he needs to be around people, the way he desires to be fully IN in life. I hope he rubs off on me more and more during these last four months because there is something attractive and lovely about the way he interacts with and covets relationship. And I hope at the end of this season I can be a little more like him.
on a boat at Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala
Team Overflow
