Ready, Set, Go —–>
I’M STAYING THE FULL 11 MONTHS ON THE FIELD AS A WORLD RACE SQUAD LEADER!!
It was a Monday night in Alba Iulia, Romania. My leadership team and I were out to dinner at this hole in the wall steak house. In casual conversation, Teresa (our squad mentor*) asked my co-leaders (Julie, Madision) and I, “What do you think the best situation for the World Race leadership team would be? In a dream world, what would be most effective to better disciple, guide, and engage with the squad?”
At that point we began discussing how it would be awesome if the coaches** came and out to the field for weeks or maybe even a month at a time.
We mentioned how it would be incredible if the Squad Leaders*** stayed another month or two. Because in just five short months we are not able to spend time and invest with all seven teams, which is truly disappointing.
We started to discuss a plethora of benefits to the squad leaders staying longer – deepening relationships, longevity in discipleship, continuity of care, walking alongside people through all the hardships that come with the journey of abandonment on the race, and just being better able to serve the squad as a whole.
Teresa squad led in 2015, and she too stayed for the full 11 months. She expressed to us how much she loved it and all that she learned through that experience. She shared how incredible it was to see people at the start of the race and then to be able to cross the finish line with a completely transformed and renewed person.
Upon hearing this Julie asked, “why couldn’t we stay for the full 11 months?”
**crickets
We began to look at each other, eyes lit up, and reality hit that it was actually a possibility. After our dinner conversation, Teresa e-mailed our overseer on our leadership team to see if he was “open to it” and she encouraged us to pray about it.
By Tuesday we found out we had the green light and were just waiting for the Lord to individually give us a yes or no.
As I was praying about if this was something that God wanted me to do, God told me to “Count the cost.” My mind started racing. As I started to think about the “what if’s” and things outside of my control, fear started to come over me. I knew that the fear that I was experiencing was not from God. The Bible says that God is love, and that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:8,18).
I turned my music on shuffle, and the first song that came on was “You are my Peace” by Housefires. God cares for His children! God used the lyrics of the song to encourage me.
I lay my burdens at Your feet
I’m letting go of all the things I can’t control
…I trust you…you are my peace.
God started reminding me that even if tragedy strikes, that He is still God and that He is good. Even if things don’t go as I desire, that I will STILL have a Father who is sitting on the throne (Psalm 47:8); and my Father is for me and not against me (Romans 8:28).
He gave me a choice. I could either allow fear to guide me or put my trust in God.
On Thursday night, Julie, Madison, and I all sat in the hammocks outside our house in Romania and began to laugh, cry, and rejoice together as we shared that we all felt the Lord was saying, YES!
In the eleven years the World Race has been sending people onto the missions field, never once has a whole trio of Alumni Squad Leaders felt called to stay out on the field for another 11 months!
We are the first.
The Lord is doing a new thing in us. He continues to grow us more and more everyday!
I have never had to depend on Him as much in my life as I am in this season. I am ministering to the 41 people of X-squad.
I’m speaking life into them, walking through past hurts that have defined their lives until now. We are breaking the chains off and stepping into freedom together through Christ.
I am listening to the Lord for what He has to share with them, how He wants me to Shepard and disciple them, and how I can best serve them as their leader and a representation of Christ.
It has been an incredible journey that has only just begun.
God is truly doing a new thing in me and every person of X-Squad.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
I need your help with fundraising for my time back on the field. My new goal is $8,500. I am only at 14% of my goal. I would like to be fully funded by December 31st, 2017. Please pray that God will continue to provide funds for this journey. If you would like to donate, click the donate button.
*Squad Mentors have not only finished their own race, they’ve also squad led before, and are truly some of the most incredible people you’ve ever met. Teresa, our Squad Mentor has been living as an Evangelist, radically proclaiming Jesus’s name to 47 nations. She felt the call many years ago that God wanted her to go to all the nations and share Him with all she meets. This woman is a force to be reckoned with. She sees every person through the eyes of Christ and actively walks in a heavenly mindset, sharing Jesus’s love with all she meets and telling all of what He’s done for her. It is an honor to follow her leadership.
**Squad Coaches are a vital part of our leadership team. They are a married couple that has given their lives to ministering to people in Jesus name. They are able to offer insight and perspective that can only come from years of pursuing the heart of the Father. Our coaches, Tanya and Kevin began their journey as coaches after their daughter went on the World Race’s Gap Year (a 9-month trip for 18-21 year olds). X-squad is the second squad they have invested into. They will come out to visit us at multiple debriefs and pour into the squad. We talk with them weekly about what’s happening on the field and they spend many of their hours in prayer and interceding for us. I have been blown away by their incredible leadership.
***Squad leaders – that’s us! We are the on-field World Race leadership that travels and lives with world racers (typically two-three teams per month). We have completed the World Race, and we lead by example in and out of ministry time. We teach, we serve alongside, we mentor, and we make disciples in our squad. X Squad is being set free and in turn they are setting people free through the power of the Holy Spirit!
