I always thought that someday I’d travel the world to experience the different cultures, explore creation, and help other people. I imagined going off on said adventure by myself, with my sister, or a close friend. What I never thought was that I would ACTUALLY have that opportunity and I would be traveling with 6 complete strangers.
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This is my friend Elijah. *Cue the multicolored bandannas and Minnesota twang* After having spent 4 months traveling and living with this guy I have learned a lot of his personal trivia.
We have a few things in common: we enjoy drawing, listening to older music from previous generations, fictitious fandoms such as “Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia”, and the great outdoors. He has a thing for purchasing items that carry concealed blades. This small tendency is one of the few things that terrifies me about Elijah. He is highly resourceful and adaptable with any and every circumstance that the mission field throws at him. In every skit we have performed for ministry he is always cast as the part of Jesus. He’s on track to get a new tattoo in every country–altogether the individual pieces of his tattoos make up the “armor of God”. What strikes me the most about Elijah is the way I have seen him grow from being a boy who was insecure voicing his own beliefs, struggles, and desires into a man who walks daily in God’s truth, wisdom, and confidence.
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This is my big brother Nick in his natural state. Although a year younger than me, the maturity and wisdom that he displays every day is of a man’s well beyond his age. I have discovered that we also have some things in common: we share a love for Star Wars, instrumental music, Broadway musicals, hamburgers, Reese’s Cups, and the piano. He is constantly reminding me that he’s 6’6″ which admittedly makes me feel inferior at my lowly stature of 5’3″. He makes the most dad jokes…more than all the dads in the world. He’s our squad’s logistics leader so if you wanted to know how I’m still alive and not lost in the boonies, it’s because he’s the guy who gets me from country to country. Most of all, Nick is a strong kind of man. He has a stomach like an iron cage, a mind like a steel trap, and a presence like a mighty tower. Every waking minute he invites Jesus into the moments. It’s this steadfast pursuit of Christ that makes this journey with him so incredible.
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This is my buddy Noah Wiley. You know that old country song about back roads and a girl and a truck and a barbecue and a guitar? It’s probably written about his life. This guy loves his Virginia home with all his heart, he’s 100% a family man, dabbles in the art of extreme butt-whooping others in soccer, and he can definitely kick it on his guitar. Some days with this guy are 24 straight hours when his personality is an impersonation of Eeyore the overly dramatic donkey, and some days he is the brightest sunniest sun in the sky. Fun fact about Noah, he’s always quick to learn the lingo in every country. In the short time that I’ve known him I’ve learned so much about this man: his values, his hopes and dreams for his life, his favorite foods, the little things that set him off, the little things that he appreciates, the insane depth of his love for Jesus, his daily spoken words of intentionality and truth, his desire to disciple others, and his honesty and humility. All of these I’ve seen him grow in and all of these I have seen produce fruit.
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These two are literal bubbles of joy. Actually. My crazy pal Heidi (pictured left) packs quite a lot into her personality. She’s the resident fashion expert, chef, fitness instructor, and my overseas mom. She’s your typical chocolate connoisseur, very particular about her 75% dark chocolate, she rocks any hair style you could choose, and she crushes all her opponents in both soccer and basketball. She began this journey missing her family and sense of normalcy dearly, but as the weeks have slowly gone by I have watched firsthand as she has opened her tight fists from holding her desires and expectations to chase full speed after the desires of Jesus. Anyone who talks to her sees the growing passion in her eyes and hears her heart speak through her voice.
This is Sarah (pictured right). This chick loves life. Bright colors, fuzzy socks, that sugar rush you get on Halloween night, disco balls, that big red balloon you got at a birthday party once, all the bumpin Disney soundtracks, teeth whiter than the Chiklet candies, memories of running through the sprinkler in summer, drawing yellow smiley faces on your paper in 3rd grade…these are some things that remind me of Sarah. She’s such a high-spirited person and I have seen her grow from using her bubbly personality as a defense for what’s underneath, to now chasing full force after God’s plan for her life and the gifts He is blessing her with. She makes life fun!
***Disclaimer: this photo was taken on a very bumpy Tuk Tuk ride. @Heidi and @Sarah Please don’t kill me for using this photo.
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This chocolate-glazed munchkin is Hanna Thames. I make her eat all my gluten, we stay up into unnatural hours of the night, watch lots of Netflix together (code for nap times), and we lived in Thailand off of papaya salad, rice, and pad thai. If she doesn’t feel like sleeping she’ll probably be cooking mushrooms. She enjoys singing, strumming her stuff on her uke, loves the color turquoise, eats around the entire outside of all her food before eating the center, and has a really adorkable habit of smelling everything she touches. This little egghead is such a sister to me. She brings such a peaceful presence and gentle nature and joy into my life. I have seen her grow in her dependency and obedience in Christ as well as maturity in discernment.
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If you ever plan on traveling the world, exploring creation, and serving the nations, then I would recommend doing it with a bunch of strangers. You might just make some new friends along the way.
