Dear D-Squad,
Well here it is. The end of not only my blog but our time together. We’ve been home, back in the states for a week now. Some of us have actually been in our states for that long, some of you since thanksgiving, and Shannon…we’ll you’ve got a few more weeks. But the truth is still the same, we’re no longer 34 missionaries split among five teams across one country, we’re now 34 missionaries split among 33 teams (Ethan and Bethany count as one, we all know it) across one country for now, soon enough it will be across the world as Tammy heads back out to Asia, and Maria starts the process of heading back to Argentina and the rest of us decide where we want to be the States or someplace else.
I can’t believe how fast the 2016 year flew by. I can’t believe it’s been more than a year since we all met at training camp for the first time. I MISS YOU ALL so much.
This last week as been great being back home, seeing family I haven’t seen in ages some as long as a decade ago; eating more food than I care to admit…going on a shopping spree to get clothes that actually fit, sorting through all my old clothes to donate those I no longer need. Sleeping in a warm bed that I could guarantee wasn’t going to fall through on me while I slept, flushing toilets, electricity (although I woke up to none on Thanksgiving), knowing that there should be toilet paper when I walk into a public restroom and so much more. This week has been great…but at the same time as I’ve gone through this week I couldn’t help but think about you.
In the moments of quiet, I realized just how quiet, quiet can be without five other people around at all times, and how quiet can really be without 34 other people around. Church was good, it was nice being in an English service, but the worship just wasn’t the same without you all, it wasn’t as….I don’t even have the words to describe, it just wasn’t the same. I miss having you all around for the feedback, for the time to process at night (Ironic I know, since I’m not a verbal processor); I miss the kick ass worship sessions at LDW and Debriefs, and always knowing that there is someone to do something with. I miss you all.
But as much I miss you all, I know this…God brought us all together for a season of life, he knew we would need each other during the 2016 year, and he was right…but he also knew we would be going our separate ways at the end of the year to share him with others. But what’s cool about going our separate ways is that we get to share HIM with so many more people, we get to take what we learned this year, not only from Him, and from the World but from each other and use it to better share Him with our Worlds, with our family, friends, community that we’re creating.
True, we may never 100% be together again, but that doesn’t mean we’re not still together at heart. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t still impacting each others lives; heck that’s what Facebook, email, text, Instagram, etc.. are for…we may not talk everyday, or see each other for long amounts of time, but I KNOW each one of us would be there for any one of the people on our squad if they need us…whether it’s someone you were super close to out on the field or not. Because only other racers can possibly know what we went through out there.
I Love you all and want to say thank you. Thank you for teaching me about generosity, about love, about loving others and yourself, about intimacy with the lord. Thank you for teaching me about selflessness, about kindness, about hope, about trusting in the lord. Thank you for teaching me about letting people in, about learning to open up, about forgiveness, about trusting yourself, about self-awareness. Thank you…Thank you for trekking through the mountains of Chile with me, of walking alongside me as I learned to preach, to public speak, of hiking down a mountain in the Andes. Thank you, for teaching me a thousand silly songs, for the hours of standing beside me as we did music ministry in Thailand, as we did countless hours of children’s ministry, as we figured out what Unsung Hero’s looked like for us in Argentina. Thank you. Thank you for being men and women of God who taught me more about what men and woman of God look like. Thank you for patience as we all dealt with language barriers, and trying to figure our who we are, and our identity’s in Christ. THANK YOU.
These thanks’ aren’t just for D-Squad. But for our coaches, logistic leaders, Squad Mentor, and ASQL’s as well. THANK YOU.
As much as I could keep writing thank yous, and reliving this year the time has come to say Goodbye. Goodbye to our all-squad months; Goodbye to all-squad worship, to changing homes every month, to having set up sheets that are not helpful at all (R.A.M.S. never did make it to the jungle). Goodbye to having to figure out conversion rates, wondering if our clothes will dry in time for travel days. Goodbye to questionable food, and wondering if the water is safe enough to drink. Goodbye to hard feedback sessions, and team times that last hours upon hours (yes, Bravehearts’ I’m talking to us)…Goodbye to the late night movie nights, to the can I borrow your headlamp to go the squatty, to crap I now have staff infection moments. Goodbye to the questionable medical care, and the why do I have to step over the chicken head to get the doctor. Goodbye to team budgets, and team phones. Goodbye to all the unknowns, and yet not because we’re entering a whole new world of unknowns. Goodbye.
Thank you 4th Gen D-squad for be an awesome amazing group of men and women that I got to spend the 2016 year with, and Goodbye. I love you all.
Love,
DEEDS
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To my supporters both financially, prayer, emotionally, etc…thank you. Thank you for your support this. Thank you to DANA BELKOT for always reading our blogs and for commenting on them. Your words mean a lot, and so does knowing that we have someone out there who’s been praying for us all year.
This is my last blog post for the World Race…its my end of race blog. However, I Have many more stories to tell; not just about the race but about life and what God is doing…if You would like to continue following my journey, fill free to jump over to http://trust4eighteen.blogspot.com/ and follow my personal blog that I’ve created. Odd’s are I am not going to write in it quite as often as I did this one, but I’m gonna aim for once or twice a month.
Thank you all and Goodbye to you all for now as well.
Dee Dee Peters
