My fellow logisticians,
There will come a time in your illustrious career when you think nothing can faze you, because surely, you have seen it all. Let me assure you, this is an entirely false assumption. You have not seen it all. 12 countries and then some later, trust me: you have not seen it all.
But I digress. Sometime after you fit a 46-person squad and luggage on a 40-person bus with no roof or trunk space; sometime after the airline no longer lets you wait for aforementioned squad because the plane is minutes away from taking off; sometime after you get separated overnight from said squad through an entirely unbreakable but utterly transparent glass wall, (this was all, in fact, over the span of twelve hours), you realize everything will always be okay.
And when times get hard three months later, and you cry your way through a travel day or two, I hope you are loved as well as I was.
Because at the end of the day, family is for you every bit as much as you are for them.
So my dearest Z Squad, this one’s for you.
They told us it was a thankless job. That it was behind-the-scenes work that no one would ever know or hear about. That frankly, we would deal with a lot of unnecessary ish.
But they got one thing right. That logistics would be a sacrificial but rewarding way to serve.
To my beloved Z Squad,
Thank you.
For loving me so well.
For teaching me to let go.
For being patient with me.
For creating “no logistics” sanctuaries.
For setting off alarm surprises on my phone.
For giving me a high five, just because you felt like it.
For humoring me (us) on these last few travel days.
For laughing with me when things got ridiculous.
For giving me infinite amounts of grace when I misinformed you.
For including my responsibilities in the feedback culture.
For encouraging me at every turn.
For trusting me, even when I didn’t trust myself.
For smiling and speaking kindly when I was sleep-deprived or hangry or sweat-drenched or crying uncontrollably.
For hugging me when I just couldn’t do it anymore.
For praying for me in the most private and public of places.
For asking questions. Yes, even the silly ones we heard a million times.
For raising your hand just to say that you love me or appreciate me or that I was doing a good job.
For making sure I had the necessities: food, water, sleep.
For saving me a seat on the bus and a bed in the hostel.
For being a loud voice when mine didn’t carry.
For giving me space after travel days to breathe.
For sacrificing your expensive visa photos.
For asking me how I’m doing.
For being a dream. Seriously. You were on time, listened, and rolled with the punches; what more could we ask for?
To treasurers, past and present,
For serving joyfully.
For stewarding our money well.
For being diligent in your responsibilities.
For all the receipts. Enough said.
To Liora, Amala, Riddikulus, and One Hope,
For letting me ditch my stuff. For carrying my stuff. For making sure I never had to worry about my big pack, ever.
For waiting for me.
For explaining my absence to hosts.
For listening to the occasional rant.
For traveling with me on errand runs.
For sharing my joy in logistical triumphs.
For teaching me how to be a better leader.
For praying for me and with me.
To our SQLs: Megan, Cabe, Mardie, Kappy, and Emily,
For believing in us.
For answering the phone.
For finding some pretty sweet debrief spots.
For making our lives easier whenever possible.
For supporting the heck out of us.
To Clay,
For answering our questions at all hours of the day.
For picking up calls from random numbers.
For leading and serving us so well.
To JoCelyn,
For being flexible.
For pulling me out of my inflexibility.
For showing me different ways to approach problem-solving.
For giving me grace in my frequent moments of pride and un-Christ-like-ness.
For being one of the best pray-ers I know, especially on travel days.
For waking up early or staying up late with me.
For never letting our distance apart get in the way.
For making the time for me.
For coaxing me out of my shell.
For being an easygoing seat buddy and roommate.
For holding my hand when everything was just too much.
For dealing with the people when my introverted self was done.
For having a sense of humor.
For being honest with me.
For having faith, always.
For doing the thang with me the whole 11 months. I could not imagine serving beside any other person.
Z Squad – it has been an absolute privilege.
