This past month while Team Uplift was in Macedonia, we were blessed enough to have two Exposure girls with us! World Race Exposure is a program for guys and girls ages 18-21 who can join a World Race team on the field for one month. Our girls are Abby and Renata, and they were a HUGE blessing to us! They took one month out of their lives to spend in Macedonia growing, learning, preaching, evangelizing, and getting to know our wonderful hosts in Štip. They not only allowed us to pour into them, they also poured into us. They gave us important feedback. They encouraged us. They gave us an amazing reminder of what our first month on the field was like!
As you can see, these girls are so very special to us. Abby brought so much courage and boldness. She came with such an eagerness to grow and learn, and she taught us so much about being intentional with the people around us. Renata brought so much wisdom and a gentle and quiet spirit. She humbled herself daily and is such a seeker of wisdom and knowledge. We miss them. So much.
Before I cry, I have to show you this amazing poem that sweet Abby wrote about Team Uplift on one of her first few days with us! She was brave enough to share it with us and to allow me to post it here!:
They Strolled through
Foreign streets
Hand in Hand with
Radiant Command;
Basking in the while
In babbling brooks
To smooth their tender dreams.
A fluttering heartbeat from
Mountain to sea –
Sharing whispers, songs, peace.
Synonymous Earth to see.
All eyes in search of a key.
In wrapping arms through
Fortress walls and
Dirty streets,
They danced through
foreign streets
Hand in Hand with
Radiant Command.
Swaying grasses for tired eyes.
Yet temporal ambient clouds
To rally towards the feat.
A feat worth grasping towards
Worth all the tears to weep.
Worth all the chords to be
Sung in praise.
From atop all hills
They sang through
Foreign streets
Hand in Hand with
Radiant Command.
Please pray for Abby and Renata as they are easing back into life in the U.S. They may have only been away for a month, but in World Race time they were away for at least 8 months… and with that much growth. Pray that they find AMAZING community in their respective hometowns, and that they continue to walk in boldness in Christ as they put what they learned on the field to use.
We love and miss you Abby and Renata!!
