They say that your first team on the World Race is something special. What you don’t know is how true this statement really is. You get placed on a team with complete strangers at training camp and honestly you hope for the best. Luckily, I got the best of the best (sorry rest of X squad).
Your first team, that’s your team. They see the raw beginning of everything. They see the first time you fall apart because of the brokenness you see. They are there the first time you lead a lesson at school or preach a sermon. They see how the Lord changes your heart day by day. They see the good, the bad, and even the ugly. And they are the ones making the memories with you that will last a lifetime.
If I could give a play by play of the memories that I shared with Team Shine, I would. But here are some of moments that made my time with them unforgettable.
- One night our team was in charge of washing dishes after dinner in South Africa. We cranked up the Disney tunes and belted our hearts out. A moment where I knew I was placed on the right team.
- Joelle, Irma, and I walked to a little fruit and veggie market near our home in Victoria Falls. We bought chips and Stoneys. We laid in our hammocks, listened to a podcast, and prayed. The best Sabbath I’ve had on the race.
- The moments that weren’t funny then, but looking back it’s a moment to laugh about. Like the time we went to the police station because we didn’t have seatbelts on in Zambia. Or maybe when we flooded a house in Victoria Falls…
- We sang Raise a Hallelujah a few times in front of a crowd. Enough said.
- A big bowl of popcorn, some dark chocolate, and laying on our bedroom floor at Impact. In our room, testimonies were shared, tears were shed, laughs were belted, and movies were watched. A place where we started to become a true team.
- We had bus rides and more bus rides. We had a 7 hour ride to Victoria Falls. No food, no water, and a three-seater. It was rough.
- First, it was spicy uno. Then the monopoly deal cards came in the picture. Let’s just say we only have a slight problem of playing a few games a day.
- The last week in Africa, we hung out with a couple chiefs, prayed for salvations, casted out demons, and got two chickens as a gift. Casual way to end our time in Africa.
To Team Shine, thank you. Thank you for showing me first hand what Christ’s love is like. You loved me in my best and called me higher during my worst. Thank you for making me laugh until my belly hurt and tears were falling from my face. Thank you for killing the spiders, cockroaches, and scaring away rats. Thank you for boppin to anything from Disney classics to emo rainy weather music. Thank you for surviving baboon attacks, electrocution attacks, heat attacks, and much more. Thank you for making me a better person.
You have been a light, a breath of fresh air, and my home away from home.
I love you forever Team Shine.
