A couple weeks ago when three of my teammates and I were in Cape Town for the weekend, our squad mentor e-mailed all of us to let us know that changes were coming at debrief at the end of the month.
One of those would be team changes.
This is something I haven’t experienced yet on the Race, and the thought was a little overwhelming.
For starters, I began this journey with my team back in August when we made our first memory together at Training Camp in Georgia.
We have literally spent more time together over the past six months than I probably have with anyone since the age of four. We have lived and worked and eaten and rested together, whether we liked it or not.
And if I’m being completely honest, I’m tired. It’s month 6, and a good deal of the dreamy-eyed adventure gloss has been well worn off by now.
As an introvert (something I’m increasingly aware of), it is a commitment for me to build relationships. I was not at all confident I had the emotional energy to sufficiently invest in a new team. Starting over at this point in the Race seemed like too much.
So I prayed. I prayed that God would prepare me for the team he had for me. I prayed that He would help me believe that change would actually be a good thing.
We arrived at debrief a few days ago. And the changes came. And what can I say? God is faithful. He placed me with another group of incredible women to do this next leg of the Race with.
He also gave me the gift of just a little comfort.
One of the women I’ve had the honor to spend the past six months with is going to be continuing on this journey with me. Blair Grace will be leading our new team into Swaziland and beyond.
The other four women are all people who I know will stretch me and challenge me in incredible ways. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for us and how he wants to use us this last month in Africa and as we travel to our third and final continent, South America!
The point of all this is that I wasn’t trusting in God. I was afraid because change has always been a little (or if I’m being honest, very) scary to me.
In our new team brief, I was explaining all of this to our leadership team. I told them how I had been more focused on what it felt like I was losing than on what God wanted to add to me.
One of our coaches, Bob, encouraged me to look at it differently…
We’re not starting over. We are continuing on in what we’ve already begun.
I’m not starting over because I’m not the same girl who started the Race six months ago. I’m not the same person who began this journey with those six other women. And I’m not the same woman who was too insecure to believe that people would want to have a relationship with her.
I don’t have to start over. I don’t have to make all the changes that have already been made. I get to carry those things with me into this new team.
As Rachel, one my new teammates, has been saying a lot lately, “Our last teams’ ceiling can be our floor.”
So team changes don’t seem as scary anymore. I realized I haven’t really lost anything. I still have those six beautiful women that I started the Race with in my life. But now I have added new sisters to help me cross the finish line.
And I’m not starting over with the same issues as before. I’ve got new ground to take for the Kingdom and new countries to infect with the gospel.
Stay tuned for an introduction to my new team!
