Y squad training camp. Squad wars champs!
Dear Y squad,
You stand there staring around the kitchen, the moment before you walk out the door, and wonder if you forgot anything.
Your pack is awkward and heavy, and you hope yours isn’t the biggest one. The ever-growing list of preparation to-do’s is about to come to a screeching halt, and all you can hope is that your car insurance, taxes, power of attorney, students loans, work duties, and other random items are taken care of.
The last stack of thank you notes is stamped and ready to go. You kiss the dog on the forehead, for a bit longer than usual, take a deep breath, and step out the door knowing that a long journey, a lot of growing, and a new person will come home months down the road.
You fight tears as you remember hugging your sister and reminding her she is your best friend in the whole world and nothing will ever change that. You force yourself not to think about how perfectly soft your little nephew’s cheeks were when you kissed them for the last time in what feels like an eternity, the taste of your own tears on his cheek.
And you force yourself to recognize how blessed you are to have an amazing family to say goodbye to.
Sisters and best friends.
Hours of praying desperate prayers for God to equip you spiritually, months of hoping the right hearts are moved to support you financially, and countless moments of “I don’t know if I can do this” are finally all culminating in the scariest moment of all.
Leaving. And all of a sudden everything starts to get really, really real.
I say this mostly to tell my Y squad, who will all begin trickling in over the next few days…I feel you.
Honestly.
Sam and I, and nearly everyone working in the AIM office “behind the scenes” has been in your shoes before, and I personally can relate to a lot of your preparation challenges this second time around.
Maybe you loved your job and have heart-stopping moments of doubt that you shouldn’t be leaving at all.
Maybe you have an elderly grandparent whose health you are worried about, and refuse to let yourself think that this goodbye could be the last.
Or maybe you are in a serious relationship, and have felt led to have one of those hours-long, tearful, gut-wrenching conversations that makes you both desperately sad and teeth-clenching frustrated at the same time.
Almost all of you have people in your life that just don’t get it, and no amount of explaining will make them see that missions work isn’t just a “strange hobby of yours.”
And those often tearful, sometimes frustrating, usually awkward, and certainly sad goodbyes are both uncomfortable and absolutely necessary.
But really, why should this step be easy? Nothing about the World Race is easy.
Mini reunion with some of my original squad mates just a few nights ago. LOVE them.
But listen to me: it is so worth it.
You will have 11 months of challenges and celebrations ahead of you, and they will look uniquely different than any other 11 months ever has or will.
There may be moments where you want to burst into tears of exhaustion or frustration, or storm out of the room in anger at your team mates.
But there will also be moments, more moments, of hysterical laughter, friendships ruled by both truth and acceptance, and bonding moments that you just can’t create under other circumstances.
Days may be, at times, long, boring, unfulfilling, and uncomfortable. Days where you have to fight the temptation to complain, and where you wonder why you are on this trip in the first place.
But there will also be days where you can’t journal enough about the people you met, the food you ate, the adventures you had. Days where you can’t even wrap your head around how outrageous and amazing your life is, and your heart is absolutely captivated by the kids you are working with or the widows you are serving.
And most importantly, absolutely nothing on this earth can compare to the freedom and contentment that you will feel deep in your Spirit when you follow radically, obediently after Jesus.
This year is about you and Him, as He takes you on a journey to new places, physically and spiritually, and opens your eyes to His Kingdom and His children in ways you never dreamed possible.
First time I met several of my Y squad folks at the airport before training camp.
So above all, cling to Jesus. Nothing on this Race, good or bad, will find any significance unless you know how precious and loved you are by Him.
Additionally, I can’t promise you much about what the Race will look like for you, but I can promise you my personal best.
And I think I speak for Sam, Mama C, Pappy, Greg, Chris, and everyone else working for Y squad when I say this.
You can always come to us, with anything.
Our goal is to make you feel loved, outrageously loved, because you are. I almost fell down and broke my neck in the shower the other day because I was praying about how much I love yall and started jumping up and down saying “I LOVE MY SQUAD!!!” This is neck-breaking amounts of love, people. I don’t risk breaking my neck and drowning for nothing.
If we tell you something that is hard to hear, it is never, ever to hurt your feelings. It is because we see an incredibly powerful man or woman just beneath the surface that is begging to be called up into greatness.
We want you to come to us when you are scared or unsure of how to navigate something you are going through. We may not have answers, but will certainly pray with and for you, and encourage you as you navigate the spiritual and personal challenges the Race provides.
We are here for you. Not to “go on the Race again” or because we like to travel. Believe me, the training, mindset, and approach is very different as a leader than as a participant. You, Y squad, are the thing at the forefront of our minds and prayers in every conversation and decision.
So take heart, take a deep breath, and take a leap of faith onto that airplane. Your leadership team is here waiting with open arms…
and no one is more excited for you to be than your Savior Himself.
I am so excited.
Now hurry up already!
All my love,
Bethany
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” ~Jesus.
John 10:27-28
Oh and…I love a good handstand contest. ~Pinterest~
