This is a video of the dance our squad made up together for Squad Wars. We are all wearing green because that is our squad’s color. We messed up at the end of the dance, but we did a pretty good job of putting it together in 2-3 days at Training Camp, and our squad won 2nd place after I-squad (red). Our Squad Mobilizer, Lindsey, graciously filmed this for us since I was in the dance.
K-Squad and some of our Serve Team at Squad Wars!
This is K-Squad. We are the group of 50 Christians (including myself) that will be traveling to each country on our route together for the 11 months we’re away. When we get to each country, each team will be split up to a ministry partner to live, work, and stay with for that month. Some months we will be serving with another team from our squad and one month our entire squad will be serving together in one location.
When I see the word “squad,” I think of “family.” These are the people I’ve been getting to know for months over a group chat and Facebook, and these are the people I got to meet and grew to love for the 10 days of Training Camp. When I think of K-Squad, I think of the unconditional love we have for each other, the maturity we display, the silly inside jokes we have, and a group filled with servant-hearted leaders with a desire for more of Jesus.
There are some people on our squad with specific leadership roles, such as: Team Leaders, Logistics Leaders, Storyteller Leaders, Treasurers, Beauty for Ashes Representative, and Unsung Heroes Coordinator. I did not get one of those roles as of now, but that can change during the course of the Race. However, I see everyone on K-Squad as leaders, even those of us without roles, because we all contribute to this family in our own ways with our own gifts and talents. I can’t wait to see what God does with all of these world-changers for the next year of our lives!
The leadership above us are our Squad Leaders, Casey and Jami. They will be spending the first 5 months of the World Race with us on the field, training us and teaching us how to do life on the field. We also have a Squad Mentor, Ashley, who will be living in the U.S., staying on top of technical things here while we are away. Ashley will also be visiting us 4 times during the year for our squad debriefs at the end of certain months. Our Squad Coaches, Dan and Ruanne Banse, will also be living in the U.S., but will be visiting us for debriefs. They have lived more life than the rest of our leadership team, so they are therefore pivotal for imparting spiritual wisdom and guidance to the rest of our squad. Our Squad Mobilizer, Lindsey, has been the person to answer our endless phone calls asking about everything from the dress code to visas to checking in on us spiritually, from the moment we got accepted until now. Soon, we will have to say goodbye to her after we have a few days of Training at Launch in Atlanta, Georgia. L We will miss you Lindsey!
At Training Camp we were told that we will no longer be traveling to Burkina Faso. This is because our contact was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed by a terroristic group in January. Our prayers go out to the family of our contact, who has a wife and 4 kids (2 adopted, 2 biological) that live in Burkina Faso. At Training Camp we got to hear from Patrick, a man who had personally known our contact. He told us that he got a chance to speak with our late contact’s wife, who told him: “I’d rather spend every day without my husband than a single day without the Lord.” I wanted to share that with you because it’s uplifting to see her strong faith in the Lord shine through during this hard time. I’m sure she sees it as her husband not being gone, but that he is now with God in Heaven.
Instead of Burkina Faso, there will be a month where our squad might be serving in Laos or our squad will be split between Laos and Burma. This means we will now be spending only 2 months in Africa and 5 months in Asia. Although it is sad that we will no longer be going to Burkina Faso, it is understandable that the family would have this time to grieve now. Contrastly, I am very excited to be going to an extra country in Asia, since I’ve had a special place for Asia in my heart for a few years now, and I can’t wait to serve there and see what God does in these countries! That being said, our new official route and order will be: Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Laos/Burma, Thailand, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize!
We also found out at Training Camp that for the first 6 weeks of the World Race, we will be participating in a Media Detox. This means that for the first month and a half of the World Race, we aren’t allowed to use email, Facebook, skype, google hangout, computers, cell phones, etc. except for on our off days, which is about one day a week. I’m actually looking forward to this because getting away from media means getting to spend more quality time getting to know my new teammates and squadmates, as well as our ministry partner and people we will be ministering to, while we’re away. After this 6 week period, we will discuss how it went and make up contracts for ourselves how we will use media intentionally and how often we’d like to use it to set limits for ourselves.
What does this mean about blogs? You might ask. We’re still allowed to write blogs during the week to keep our family, friends, and supporters in the loop, but we’re not supposed to post them except on our off days. Since I hope to be blogging about once a week on the field, this seems fair to me. Also, now is a good time to mention that while I’m going to be trying to blog about once a week from now on and during the Race, sometimes we won’t have Wifi or electricity to charge things in a particular country (I heard especially that there is not much electricity or Wifi in Africa in particular, depending on where we stay), so I might not blog for a while when this happens. Sometimes I will have to post things a month behind if I can upload stuff on travel days. Please do not be alarmed! Something Adventures in Missions has been teaching us to pass on to you guys, our family, friends, and supporters, is that, “No news is good news.”
If I don’t post right away when I get to a new country, that doesn’t necessarily mean that my plane didn’t land safely, we got lost, or my laptop was stolen. More likely, it will mean that I did land safely, I’m acclimating to my new host’s home, I’m being present with my team, I’m getting to know where things are in the country like the local church and where to buy clean drinking water, and I’m either obeying the Media Detox or my country might not have Wifi. I will try to post within a week of landing in a new country, but sometimes things come up and that’s just not possible. Please know that Adventures in Missions does have our safety in mind and will re-route us to a different country if our planned country is deemed unsafe, but that also sometimes things come up that no one can plan for and that’s okay. Even before applying to the World Race, I felt a peace about leaving my safety in the Lord’s hands. I know that God will keep me safe during this journey of mine, and that if I do end up being in a dangerous situation that no one could plan for, then that was God’s will for me to be in that place at that time and He will get me through it. No, this isn’t a eulogy, haha. I fully expect to return to the United States whole and well. But I do want to make you all aware of the safety precautions that are put in place and that I trust God’s will for me no matter what happens.
In other news, yesterday I was approved for my Cote d’Ivoire visa! Praise God! That means that I will definitely be traveling to my first country with my squad in August. Yesterday I mailed in my application for my Ghana visa, so prayers that it would reach the Embassy of Ghana in the U.S. safely and that it would be approved and returned to me quickly would be greatly appreciated!
Some fun pictures from Training Camp:
Rebecca and I took the same plane to Training Camp!
Eating with some friends on Africa Day!
Africa Day! Oranges, hard-boiled eggs, french fries, and bananas!
Kelli, Rebecca, and I during the “Airport Scenario”
Photo Credit: Kelli Reder
Camping Day with the Fire-Making Group! Dylan, me, and some friends
Photo Credit: Brittni Wisner
Bre and some squadmates at Squad Wars
Kelli and Rebecca at Squad Wars!
Photo Credit: Kelli Reder
Bre, Allison, Emily Sue, Amy L, and I at Squad Wars!
Photo Credit: Brittni Wisner
My Team: One Pulse at Squad Wars
Emily Sue and I found a porch swing during the Swimming Challenge!
Swimming Challenge at Squad Wars
Hammocking at the Campsite
Brandon at the Lodge Balcony
#Where’sJJ
Our campsite at Training Camp
Some squadmates visited Atlanta, GA Post-Training Camp
Photo Credit: Brittni Wisner
Part of my Team walking back to the campsite after Squad Wars
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As a fundraising update, although my support bar doesn’t reflect this yet, I have currently raised $12,598.25 out of $17,361! Praise the Lord!! This means that I am only $401.75 away from my next goal of $13,000! I am also only $4,762.75 away from being FULLY FUNDED!! If you haven’t donated already and are a regular reader of my blog or even if this is your first time reading it and you’d like to read more, please prayerfully consider donating! Today marks 27 days until Launch training in Atlanta Georgia on Aug. 5th, 30 days until K-Squad gets on a plane to our first country on Aug. 8th, and 32 days until we land in Cote d’Ivoire! It’s getting so close now!! Please pray for the Lord’s provision and that the Lord would prepare my heart and the hearts of those around me for my leaving!
I also want to say a special thank you to everyone who has already donated to me or supported me in any way. I am now fully funded for gear and shots, and that would not have been possible without all of you! Any cash donations will now go directly towards my Adventures in Missions goal in the portal above or towards expenses while I’m away like culturally appropriate clothing; doctor visits if I get sick; meals out with my team on off days; refills of shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste; paid bathrooms (I’ve heard these exist in some countries!); and things that come up along the way. If I continue to receive donations once I’m fully funded and I don’t use it on the field, I will use this towards my plane ticket home when I get back from the Race to a major U.S. city, towards student loans, or towards housing when I return.
A special shout out to everyone who gave cash or personal check donations towards my shots! Thank you! I will be fully vaccinated on July 18th! I also wanted to say a special thank you to the extremely generous anonymous donation of $1,000 to my account! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you to the Church I most recently spoke at, at the end of June! Your kindness and generosity is so appreciated and I will be praying for you all! Thank you to all the Churches I have spoken at so far and the Churches I will speak at before I leave in August! Thank you for welcoming me into your churches as the body of Christ so abundantly! Thank you to Brooks shoe company who took back my old shoes that didn’t fit right months after I bought them and for sending me a free pair in return that will accompany me on the Race! Thank you to Jersey Mike’s Subs for so generously donating 3 boxes of subs for my Family 4th of July and Going Away Party! Thank you so much if you’ve partnered with me monthly, one time, a big donation, a small donation, for encouraging me or showing me love in your own way, if you’re reading this blog, if you’re a regular reader, if you’ve subscribed to my blog, if you watched my videos, or if I somehow helped inspire you to do missions locally or globally! I have a team and a squad that will be traveling and serving with me overseas for the next 11 months, but if you’ve done any of these things, please know that you’re a part of my team of supporters here that has helped to make this possible and I couldn’t do this without any of you!
Please subscribe to my blog if you haven’t already by clicking the orange “Subscribe for Updates” button underneath my name to get emailed updates when I post a new blog. This will keep you updated for when I leave in less than a month! If you feel so led, please share my blog link on social media to get the word out and “like” my blogs on Facebook so more people will view them. As a fun challenge, if you have read this far, comment below what kinds of videos you would like me to make next!
