As I write this, my team leader Sydney is packing. Sydney is the alumni team leader for Team Café. She did the World Race last year, finishing in August 2019 and only a month later came back on the field to team lead for our first three months. And now she is getting ready to go home.
Ecclesiastes 3 says that there is a time and a place for everything, but it is hard for me to say goodbye right now. I don’t think God could have picked a better person to lead our team for the first few months. While I don’t believe she recognizes it, Sydney did such a beautiful job guiding the process of creating a culture on my team in a way that I have never seen before, and for that I am forever grateful. It is my desire to somehow communicate to her at least a tiny picture of what she means to me and to honor this woman of God for everything she has done for me.
In the Bible, it says that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) and I see each of these in Sydney.
Love
Romans 12:12 says to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. This is empathy and the reality that Syd lives in. I know that she is a safe place to bring all my feelings because she will respond with empathy every time. When my heart was breaking because my uncle was dying, Sydney cried with me. When I met one of my fundraising deadlines, she rejoiced with me. When I wept for the brokenness in the world, her heart felt my pain. And when I get excited about a flock of birds, a beautiful sunset, a new revelation from the Lord, Sydney stops to hear all about it. Her ability to feel and her choice to love makes her safe to come to with anything.
Joy
Sydney finds joy in the littlest things. She likes to take pictures of graffiti. She likes mangoes with salt. She enjoys a good facemask. Her favorite fruit is maracuya (passion fruit). She likes rap music and skateboarding. She likes Ramen noodles and hot Cheetos. She loves children. She likes meeting new people. She loves the little things in life. And the most beautiful thing is that she receives incredible joy from each one of these. She is thankful for the gifts of God and chooses to rejoice in the things she loves.
Peace
All of our hosts and ministry partners have been amazing gifts from the Lord, but there have been days when their personal or cultural quirks has really gotten on our nerves. Through all of this Sydney has showed great peace. She didn’t get upset, angry, or annoyed. Or if she did, she handled it properly and took it to the Lord, not reacting in front of them or badmouthing our hosts to her team.
Patience
In Ecuador, Hannah got lice. In the United States we freak out about lice, however in other countries it’s normal; this makes getting rid of lice harder. Ironic if you ask me. In the States if you get lice, you can easily get hair treatments or even go to the doctor. On the Race you have to get special shampoo and then pick through your hair for hours. And Hannah had lice really bad. She washed her hair with these chemicals at least five times and for a week, Sydney painstakingly combed and picked lice out of Hannah’s hair for at least three hours every day. And not one complaint, remark, or comment, even though being that close to Hannah’s lice dramatically increased her chances of catching it herself. If that’s not love and patience, I don’t know what is.
Kindness (moral excellence; treating others well)
Sydney is always ready to do hard things for the people she loves. Before coming on the World Race, pretty much the only thing she knew how to cook in the kitchen was Ramen noodles. But when I am preparing dinner and I ask for help, guess who is ready to chop onions, roll out pie crust, and wash dishes? Sydney. When it comes to construction, hand tools are not her forte. But when we were sawing wood for a building project, guess who pushed themselves to use a handsaw for the first time? Sydney. Even when it means stepping out of her comfort zone, Sydney is ready to help.
Goodness (virtue; doing what is good)
A few days ago, Isaac’s backpack got stolen, including many personal items such as his wallet, phone, and passport (we later realized that his passport wasn’t in his bag, but at the time we thought it was). The following day we all went to ministry, but Syd went with Isaac to the police station, the US Embassy, and a café to get wifi to cancel his credit cards. I know Sydney would have loved going to ministry but as our team leader she knew it was her responsibility to be there for her team and accompany Isaac to accomplish the things that he needed to do.
Faithfulness (constancy of conviction)
Sydney is Sydney all the time. She believes what she believes and lives it out. This is faith: constancy of conviction, living out what you believe at all times. Sydney loves kids, even if they have lice. Or skin rashes. Or smell bad. She loves them, a lot. I can’t count the times I have seen Sydney walk right up to a child and affirm them in their identity. If they want to play with her, she is always ready to pick them, hold them, kiss them, or even lay on the floor with them with her long hair next to theirs. She loves children and that doesn’t change based on where they are from, what language they speak, or how clean their hair is.
Gentleness (meekness; signified by humility)
Sydney is my friend. Sydney is also my leader. But this doesn’t bring any conflict because she understands the balance of leadership and friendship well. I can tease her, and I can come to her with anything. But she is also my leader and I listen without a second thought to the things she tells me because I trust her. And when I have done or said things that have accidentally challenged her authority, she is quick to lovingly correct me so that I can grow and our friendship is restored. I have learned so much from Sydney about friendship and leadership, not so much from the things she has said but from the life she has modeled.
Self-control
Sydney has a beautiful testimony. She came to know the Lord at nineteen and then came on the World Race the first time at twenty-one. Sydney lives at 100%, living her life all the way, and now that she is living for the Lord, she is living her 100% for Him. Before coming to know the Lord, when she was still living in the world, abusing alcohol was normal. But now what is most important to her is living her life to honor the Lord. One day, while we were at the park, she met these two girls. They were singers and invited her to come to a bar where they were performing. So, Sydney went, and she had a great time. She listened to them sing, talked to the girls, and drank Coke. While Sydney walks in so much freedom, she has decided that in her desire to be set apart from the world, she does not want to touch alcohol again. She knows her limits, her past, and her calling, and chose to live to her conviction regardless of the circumstance. She understands perfectly that in itself, alcohol is not evil, but she has chosen to not partake of it because of the specific calling the Lord has placed on her life.
Humility
But above all, what I see the most in Sydney is her humility. I have seen her cry. I have seen her mess up. I have seen her repent for her mistakes. I have seen her get embarrassed. I have seen her act silly in front of us. I have seen her learn from everyone on her team and tell us when she does. I have seen her ask others for help. And I love her all the more for it. Sydney is one of the most humble people I know. Much of the time, when people are humble, there is at least a small measure of the false humility that is actually pride also present. But with Sydney, it’s not there. She is fun-loving and full of joy and personality, but at the same time, extremely humble. And it is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks Sydney. I am going to miss you.
