I posted a blog shortly after leaving Mozambique about some things that the Lord had taught me the most about during that month. One of those things was “community”. I thought I had learned a lot then, but over the past 3 months, I’ve learned so much more. Living in community 24/7 is simply bittersweet. Some days you love it and some days you greatly dislike it. It’s one of those things that I never really thought deeply about in preparing for my race experience.
During training camp, I was placed on an all women’s team. That felt normal. I grew up with one sister and I lived with all girls throughout college. I was excited for what the Lord would do within my team spiritually and ministry wise, but I never thought about the relational aspect within the group.
Then, after month 4, I was placed on a mixed team. It was a hard transition. I had never lived with guys before in my life, except my daddy and when I lived with my aunt and uncle and their two sons. I didn’t really know what I was walking into, but in so many ways it has shaped and molded my race to be something so much more than I ever expected. I’ve learned more about myself, living in this mixed community, than I did in all previous living arrangements. I’ve learned a lot about odd “manly” characteristics and traits that when experiencing them, I think, “Wow, is this for real? I feel like I could only dream this up”. As Kip Deaton would say, “men truly are a different breed”. They eat way more than I could consume in a week. They really are “ok” with skid marks in the toilet because they’re equipped to “power wash” it off later…GROSS. And they enjoy seeing who can hold out the longest without taking a shower.
Despite those crazy antics, I am very thankful for the men on my team! I tend to bottle my emotions, especially around guys, but they’ve encouraged me to release it. They come along side me like brothers and get excited to see me grow in my relationship with the Lord. They’re awesome encouragers and truly are men of God.
Community living isn’t always easy though. I’ve learned the importance of investing in what’s present and tackling confrontation head on. I was talking to one of my teammates the other day while I was simply feeling frustrated and annoyed about something that was happening within our team. Throughout our conversation I realized that the most unique thing about this journey is that we didn’t pick who we’d be on a team with. It’s the same as family – you can’t pick who your family is. But, it is a choice to love them – despite their character flaws, habits of living that are different from yours, or the way they know just how to get under your skin, they’re still my family and I have to choose to love them.
After we’d finished our conversation, I was much more thankful for my team. I think that Poppa orchestrated this team in such a way that’s perfectly preparing me for the future. By being on this team, I’m learning to tap into the lives of 6 other people that back home I may never strike up a friendship with or perhaps, even talk to. I’m learning how to get to know people that are different than myself and invest in those differences. And because the desire of my heart for the rest of my life is to serve God by loving His people, I’m excited that I have this opportunity to grow in this area.
How do you love the people around you? Do you find yourself feeling stuck in the “Christian” bubble or even your own circle of friends? Or, are you allowing the spirit to lead you to befriend people that aren’t like yourself?
In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Are you loving your neighbor as yourself?
Chuck Norris
He's a solid man of the word and loves learning about leadership. He's great at seeing potential in others and calling them up into that. Kev has an amazng servant's heart and would probably carry all of our packs if he could. Teacher by day, professional sleeper by night. He loves to hang out with Tony (P90x) and master his pull-up technique.
Most likely to be considered homeless.
Tim aka Jim aka Timulteous
Legit came out the womb with the gift of evangelism. You could catch him anywhere talking to anyone and Jesus always manages to come up in conversation. He's quick to pray for those around him and desires deep growth in his own walk. He's the only person I know that would eat birds off a stick and rotten sausage. He's also nocturnal and hates vegetables.
Most likely to contract the stranges plagues on our team.
Mr. Log (Char came up with this name, hahah)
Awesome brother in Christ. He's quick to love on us sisters and encourages us to talk about the hard stuff that we're walking through. And through that, he's incredible at affirming us in the process. Great example of a Godly husband who loves Da so sacrifically. He's quite the jokster and always keeps us laughing.
Most likely to pee out windows.
Dada
Dada also came out the womb with the gift of hospitality. She's quick to listen and slow to speak. She loves well and serves our team with the utmost selflessness. Da encourages depth within our team and challenges us to get to know one another more. She keeps us healthy and strong with all the amazing food she cooks. She's my favorite after she's had about 2-3 cups of coffee.
Most likely to go home with 15 dogs.
Kipster or Kristina (hahaha)
Kip shares God's word with our team like a champ. Her devotionals are always so deep and thought provoking. She loves the Lord and I'm excited about the new level of openness and vulnerability that the Lord's created in her heart. She's artistic in every sense of the word and I'm always so blessed by her creativity. She's my favorite to workout with Jillian Michaels. My abs are always 50 times stronger after a round of that. Her bedtime is PROMPTLY at 9pm.
Most likely to be designated "Grandma" on our team.
KENDRA
Char loves to know people and invest in their lives. She challenges me to simply "see" people. She is wise (full of insight) and a great counselor and friend. She walks deeply with the Father and loves to learn more about His word. She accepts feedback so gracefully and desires to see the Lord work. She's HILARIOUS and always makes "Team Time" fun. She never ceases to surprise me by some of her antics.
Most likely to ride her bike into a swimming pool.
Who loves Team 220? I love Team 220.
