So here I am, at the brink of the most amazing adventure/experience of my life. The trip has not yet sunk i to my mind since we are still stateside, however we are already getting into world race shape.
Before we launch we are covering ourselves and teammates in prayer, living on a daily food budget of $7 a day, and fasting (starting tomorrow) from anything that has a screen.
This is a time where, as a team, we are drawing close and being raw/honest with ourselves and each other. There is a mental switch throughout our squad from me to we. Over the next year, we are going to rely on each other more than ever before. Considering the betterment of others before our own is going to be necessary. Those words are easier said than done.
So as I prepare to leave the nation's capital, I would like to introduce you to the team I will be traveling the world with.
Luke and Chelsey Duffney:
Luke is our fearless leader and a native Minnesotan. He is an awesome man of God who works like the ying to my yang. He is very laid-back but willing to do some wild adventures. He is a great kayaker and pretty goofy when he wants to be. My favorite quality about Luke is his willingness to follow the call God has placed in his heart, even when it means going against cultural norms.
Chelsey has one of the most amazing hearts I've ever gotten to know. Chelsey is very considerate and a woman I view of high honor. She is also a great pine-cone baseball player! My favorite memory of Chelsey is when we were doing an excercise about suriving a plane crash in the arctic tundra. Since I'm expert in the cold outdoors(NOT!!), I made a contribution that was disregarded by the team. I shut down feeling that I could not contribute to the excercise. Suddenly, Chelsey went against the group to hear out my contribution, and overrode their decision. My contribution ended up being correct, but what stood out was Chelsey's willingness to be a voice to the voiceless.
Tia Roberts
Tia is sooo multi-faceted! This girl can run circles around guys when it comes to building things from scratch! Tia also is very bold and blunt. She will tell it like she sees it and is willing to jump into any situation to help people. I love Tia's generosity. She is the kind of person that would give you the shirt off her back. She is also a self-proclaimed minimalist, which should be interesting as we go through the race together.
Joan Moore:
Joan is a lot of fun to be around and embraces her tom-boy roots from growing up with 4 brothers. Joan is a fan of playing soccer and all things Ohio sports. Unfortunately she is a Ohio state Buckeyes fan and a LeBron James hater. Pray for her! (lol) On a serious note, Joan's story is inspiring. She has had multiple injuries to her feet/legs that have resulted in breaks and sprains throughout her life. Because of this, Joan's liklihood of re-injury is higher than most. Joan is an encouragement that even though she faces the threat of injury, her heart is more concerned to doing the will of God.
Drea Stadler
Drea is my twin! Actually she is a foot and 3 inches shorter than me! But dont let her size fool you, there is a mighty warrior woman inside of her. To the untrained eye, Drea is quiet and reserved, but to those who know her, she is tremendously funny and kind hearted (unless you fall down anywhere near her). Drea is someone who is going to keep it real with our team throughout this journey. She is also my personal bodyguard. 🙂
Sidney Fowler:
Sidney has the biggest personality on the team by far! She is very active and lively, sharing all kinds of youtube clips and creating memories that turn into inside jokes! When she is not making everyone laugh and feel comfortable, Sidney is speaking life into those around her. God is going use this woman to speak Satan out of people and bring them to the eternal life found in Jesus. She is the youngest member of our team and I am so excited to do ministry with her. Errrrrmmaaaaagerrrrrdddd I lerve yerrrr. HAHA!!
So there they are! Pray for us as we leave soon! Next update will be in Bulgaria!!! WHAT UP!!!
