Team. Changes.
The two most impactful words on the World Race.
Some people cringe at the words, others get excited, and still others are indifferent.
On the World Race, your team is the only consistent thing in your life.
Your wardrobe is ever-changing; getting dirtier, replaced, or donated to the "free pile."
Your pack either gets heavier, full of meaningful souvenirs, or lighter as you try and purge all the nonessentials you brought.
Facebook can't follow your "current location" and is still suggesting you 'like' Nicaraguan things when you now live in Cambodia.
The food on your plate is like a cultural explosion, and you never know what exactly you are going to be served.
But while everything is always changing, you can rest in the fact that your team, your family, will be there day in and day out, and when you lock the door at night, they will be there.
At the end of every month we have a few days of "debrief" where all 55 of us are reunited and get to share all about our month as well as rest and prepare for the next month.
Team changes only happen every few months, so when those loaded words were said, the talk started.
It was the talk of the island; do you want a team change? Do you not? Do you need one? Would it be good for you? What do you think will happen?
But while most people were in a frenzy, stipulating what was going to happen, I stood firm, totally confident in the outcome.
In Malaysia we celebrated our halfiversary- we made it through the first half of the Race! I couldn't believe it had been both that long and that short. But I knew the Lord had more.
After a week of praying and doing the Daniel fast, asking the Lord what He had for me the rest of the Race, what He was going to teach me next, He spoke.
He told me I was going to be placed on an all girls team.
For the next few days, I fought with Him, trying to convince Him that He was wrong, and convince myself that I wasn't hearing correctly.
There couldn't be team changes; our coaches weren't here. My team functions great; why would they take us apart? None of the all girls teams felt right; I didn't want to be the new girl on an existing team.
But as the conversations at debrief continued, the Lord kept confirming over and over that He was in fact, not lying, He was spot on. I was headed to an all girls team.
Apparently, yes, team changes can happen without coaches present. Its okay to take a good thing apart if there can be more growth elsewhere. There could be the creation of a completely new girls team, I wasn't doomed to be the awkward new girl.
Just over 24 hours until we were departing for Cambodia, the verdict had been given to the team leaders. So Johnny gathered Team Living Water and we headed to Starbucks to hear the news; the fate of our team.
"Brittany and Tiffany, you will both be moved to different teams."
The words sounded like a fulfilled propheesy.
Johnny continued, "Brittany you will be on a completely new all girls team led by Sarah and Tiffany, you will be placed on Brant's team"
I immediately felt His perfect peace. He was right, I was going to be on a totally new, all girls team. I knew that this new team was EXACTLY where He wanted me.
I had learned so much on Living Water. Those people were exactly what I needed the fist 5 months of the race. The men taught me how to love them as brothers in Christ, The girls called me up to a higher standard pushing my buttons and accepting me for me, and Josh and Jen modeled for me what a real christian marriage should look like. But it was time for a change, a new chapter to start, more growth to be had. Now it was time to grow with women, to be open and honest and vulnerable, to dig in deep, to start walking in confidence knowing that the Lord has created me to do ministry with women.
So Team Living Water, We had a great run. Thank you for living life with me for the past six months, thank you for exemplifying the love of the Father towards me. Thanks for calling out greatness in me. Thank you for each being exactly who the Lord created you to be. I cannot wait to see what the Lord does next in you.
But now it is time to move onto The Sheilas or Ninjas or whatever we are going to call ourselves 🙂
You six women are so beautiful and I am seriously stoked to get to know each of you. There is so much that we can all learn from one another and I am beyond excited to simply live life with you the next five months. This team has the Lord's fingerprints all over it. He has such exciting plans for us; its gonna be wild, its gonna be great and they are full of Him! Get ready, because we are in for the ride of our lives!
World Race Month SEVEN.
LET'S GO.
Love to all,
Brittany
