He knew…

When God
put team Ridiculous together at the end of March we all agreed He
knew what He was doing. Not that it would have mattered if we didn’t
agree…but we did. The first 3 months when we were all on separate
teams definitely had their purpose, too. Those months were great for
preparing us to come together as a powerhouse for the Lord. So when
we were all placed on one team we knew for sure that these specific 7
people were put together for a specific purpose and we’ve seen that
confirmed over and over again this year.

In April
[our first month as a team] God knew we needed time to get to know
each other. We needed to be able to just hang out, have some fun, and
make some good memories. So He put us in Cambodia during the
Khmer New Year – a time when everything, literally everything
including the church we worked at, shut down for an entire week. This
left us with nothing to do but spend time together and take a fun
trip to see one of the 7 wonders of the world.

In May
God knew our team needed time to bond with people of the same gender.
He knew we needed to work on some things apart so we could be
stronger together. So God put us in Thailand where the girls
and the guys [even the married couples!] were split. They guys did a
ton of hard, manual labor…a definite bonding and respect-building
thing for men. The girls worked with sex trafficking and were able to
support each other while our hearts were crushed for the injustices
we saw.

In June
God knew we needed to be renewed and poured into as our team came
back together full-force. So He brought us to Kenya where the
members of DCS loved on us as if we were their own. We were
encouraged, challenged, and refreshed. And we got an added bonus –
a temporary team member who became a lifelong friend – Hunter.
Kenya wouldn’t have been the same without him.

In July
God knew team Ridiculous needed to be pushed and broken. So He took
us to Tanzania where we were all stretched, shaken, and
transformed. Our team had to face each other with hard things and
face ourselves with hard realities and we are forever stronger
because of it.

In August
God knew we needed to work as a team and enjoy ministry as a unified body. So He brought us to the middle of nowhere in Uganda.
That’s where we were able to reach people together and we learned
more than ever how to function as a team – plus we had a blast
doing it.

In September
God knew our team needed to just chill, enjoy community, and think
about some things. So He put is in Romania where we were able
to make an impact in ministry but we also had a good amount of down
time. This down time was perfect for having fun with our community
and digging into deeper intimacy with the Lord and with each other.

In October
God knew we needed to be reminded of making our lives ministry. So He
led us to Slovakia where we only had “ministry” scheduled
3 days a week. The rest of the time we were able to get a taste of
what life will be like back home – no schedule, no contact person,
just living our lives in a way that show’s Christ’s love. So we just
lived. And God showed up.

And here we
are in November, the last month of the Race. After 10 months
of go, go, go and giving it all we’ve got, God knew what we needed.
God knew that for month 11 of the Race team Ridiculous needed to have
fun and enjoy each other. So that’s why for month 11 we are in
Ukraine doing manual labor!  We spend the majority of our days
shoveling dirt or moving heavy rocks and we couldn’t be more excited
about it. Who can complain when our view while we work is the Black
Sea? Doing this type of ministry has been a wonderful mental and
spiritual break for us. Plus it requires a lot of teamwork and allows
for down time in the evenings for us to play games or watch movies
together. On top of all that we all got to be a part of a special
day for Ricki and Kendall – they were both baptized on the beach on
the most beautiful day ever. Perfect.