Tears began to well in my eyes as we all sat on the dusty floor of our bedroom in Guatemala, our little tribe, gathering together for one of our final times as a team. As Emily opened in prayer, fat tears trickled down my face, my heart welling with love for these five girls. In that moment, they became family. It was a sacred moment for us, because we got a glimpse of God’s divine plan. It was like, for that moment, God pulled back the curtain, and we got a glimpse of the beautiful symphony He’s been orchestrating in our group. And in that moment, we just reveled in the music.
The thing about friendship, about real community, is that it takes time to build. I think we all want it to happen instantaneously. When we were all placed on a team together, I think we all thought, things will just fall into place, and just like that, we will be the kind of team we all want to be. One that chooses vulnerability. One that chooses to put our teammates above ourselves. But what we soon learned, was that this kind of community, the one we all wanted so desperately, was going to take work. And that it did. It took hard conversations, ones that we were all a little afraid to initiate. It took saying the hard things because we want to see people look more like Jesus. It took giving grace. It took a million little moments to build. That’s the special thing about friendship, the collection of a million moments strung together. Our team was built when a teammate challenged us in vulnerability. It was built when we comforted each other after a hard day of ministry. It was built when my team prayed over me in Guatemala. And all the moments in between. And what I’m finding, is that those little moments, are actually the big ones.
These girls have walked through such a special season with me. We navigated the first days of the World Race together and every day after that. We’ve spent every day together for the last four months. They are the first ones I see when I wake up, and the last ones I see before I fall asleep. I know who’s laundry is whose. I know Brittany’s mannerisms by heart. I know what recharges Shara. I know from a simple sigh that Emily needs to talk. I know Rachel’s dreams of opening a coffee shop to support women who have been trafficked, and of her secret talent: beat boxing. And I know that the way to Kelsey’s heart is a good flannel, crystal light packets, and movies. And I know so much more. I know of their struggles and their celebrations. Their strengths and skills and all of the unique ways that God made each of them. We chose the name Steadfast Pursuit because we wanted it to symbolize what we wanted our team to embody and what we wanted to strive for. We wanted to pursue each other, whole heartedly, but most importantly, we wanted
to pursue God together, pointing each other to Him in all things. I think our name is perfect. It’s perfect for the journey we’ve walked through together, and the team we’ve become over the last four months. And although we will be on different teams next month, this season will always be marked by those five faces.
Community isn’t built overnight. But what these girls taught me, is that it is worth fighting for. It will take time, and it will take patience and grace and refinement and challenging one another, but it is so enriching, when you get there. These girls have taught me it is worth pursuing.
