Apparently, most people from The Q and R-squad remember JD from Training Camp in July. I don’t. I mean, I knew a guy on The Q who happened to be on Amber’s team was named JD, but I never had any interaction with him. I knew nothing about him.

No no. My first memory with JD came in the Kuala Lumpur airport as we were arriving in Malaysia. Like usual, the amazing men of The Q grabbed all of our huge packs off the baggage claim conveyor belt and loaded them onto various carts that would allow us to easily move throughout the airport and to the bus stop. JD’s cart had my pack. I followed him. Through a series of elevator rides and turn-arounds, JD and I found ourselves on the wrong floor. More than once. I was lost. In the KL airport. With a guy I didn’t know. Perfect.

We eventually found the rest of The Q, were happily reunited with our teams, and went our separate ways [I know I make this sound like we were lost forever…when in reality this whole scene took place in less than 15 minutes].

My time in Malaysia left me with more questions than answers but definitely in a good way. Because of things I had heard about JD [through various members of The Q], I knew he was the man to talk to. During Month 2 Debrief in Bangkok, JD and I sat down and chatted one day. For me, this conversation was amazing. He helped answer a few of my questions…and admitted he didn’t have the answers to the rest. He helped me see more clearly one of the reasons I am on the World Race and encouraged me to keep seeking answers from God. I found out that day that JD is a pretty cool guy.

[Insert Cambodian-team-change day]. Again, like with Jared, I was mourning the loss of my brother, Taylor, and not really wanting new guys. However, I was excited to be on a team with JD because I knew that he would be able to challenge me and help me grow spiritually.

I have absolutely loved getting to know JD over the past 4 ½ months. He is an amazing man. Every day, without fail, he gives me a new reason to love him. Seriously. Sometimes [like two days ago] it happens right before we go to bed. All I have to do is say, “JD, every day,” and he knows exactly what I am talking about.

In Kenya, when asked the question, “If we [team Kindle] were on a raft, and you could save only one person, who would it be?” I picked JD. Easy decision. Seriously. I love this man. I’m excited to one day meet his wife [don’t worry, JD’s mom, he will get married someday — hopefully sooner than later for your sake].

 

JD:

is an amazing man.
loves the Spirit.
has 4 names. John-David Corwin Russell [Corwin is my Bubby’s name].
is probably the most physically flexible man I have ever met.
can debate about almost anything.
is an awesome preacher.

laughs a lot.
had a child named after him [read story here].
always eats. and finds interesting food/combinations of food to eat.
wanders.
makes me laugh with some of his prayers — "Dear God, thank you for Nutella. Amen."
takes a self-pic everyday on the Race.

owns 10 bazillion podcasts and forces us to listen to them.
is the reason I am currently obsessed with podcasts. perfect.
knows card tricks / uses them for ministry opportunities.
speaks in Spanish. Me gusta!
writes/gives encouraging words on notecards.
is an awesome photographer/takes 8 bazillion pictures.

is full of compassion.
constantly works to become more in-tune with God/Jesus/Spirit.
gives me a new reason to love him each & every day.
is hilarious.
is really good at soccer & always manages to find a game on TV.
preached on the radio in Rwanda and Uganda.

has a mom who comments on my blogs [shout out to Elyse!]. 🙂
loves talking about end times.
plays guitar.
is an international superstar. [Insert Manzi chant].
loves talking about conspiracy theories.
loves to just GO — evangelize on the streets, pray for healing, pray for salvations — just GO.

enjoys life.
is relatively balanced emotionally — I pretty much always know what I’m going to get when JD is around.
is hilarious/awesome with kids.
always asks for naptime.
is the best Goliath I have ever seen — scares me every time / made a Ugandan child cry.

gives amazing hugs.
has hilarious hair — that he doesn’t wash.
is every contacts' favorite.
listens to/makes us listen to songs that last 17 minutes.
has prayer parties with me. 🙂
Shekinah.
 

JD is amazing. Plain & simple. Check out his blog here.