Small Things (throwback blog)

We have now gone through our second team change and I wrote this blog back at the first one.  I never got around to posting it then so here it finally is a throwback blog.

How can little things have such a huge impact on our lives?

Having gone through three months on the race, I have experienced so much and learned to love my team.  People that when I first heard I was with them I had a sense of dread.  

Most of my time at training camp was spent with a completely different group of people.  A team that I was opening up to and sharing my heart with.  Then the teams were announced and my first thoughts were: seriously I don’t know any of these people, how can this be better?  I’m starting over.  Why does this have to be so hard?

Debrief came in South Africa and team changes were on the horizon.  I handled it by avoiding it.  I didn’t want to think about what changes might come.  Weeks earlier I had said I looked forward to a new challenge and getting to know more of the squad.  I still believed that but it is still hard to let go of things that matter to you.

As the time drew nearer I avoided thinking about it as much as I could.

Then the day came.  We went to the beach and had our last moments together as our first teams.

The squad then stood in a circle facing out asking God to prepare us for the next stage of our journeys.  

I went to my knees on the beach and the winds washed over me bathing me in sand.   It was there on my knees that something small changed everything.  

A piece of paper two inches across was placed in my hand, my name written on the front. 

Unfolding the paper my new team was there before me:

Jon Dundore(Team Leader)

Paul Stafiej

Brendon Woodall

Lauren Kell

Emily Gironimi

Drianna Litton

Dot Fredrick

Cassie Simpson

My first thoughts were: “Lord help me love these people.”

So I am still with two of my old team mates, everyone else is new.  Looking back, I am truly thankful for every moment I spent with Nooma to Nations.  That season is now over.  The relationships I built there will always be important to me.

Now I get the chance to develop even more of those bonds.  It might be hard but it’s going to be worth it!(ed. looking back it totally was!)