We had TEAM CHANGES at the beginning of Cambodia!! We will be finishing out the last 3 months of our Race with these new teams. WOO!
Before I introduce the beautiful women I get to do life and ministry with for the next three months, I want to share with you a vision that God gave me about the seasons of my World Race teams and the promises He’s made me for this last season.
My first team, Wild Fires, was hard. We arrived to the Race as untouched fields, and we needed to do a lot of weeding, tilling, and digging to make our soil fertile and ready for new growth. It was hard, backbreaking work but it was worth it, kind of like the soccer field we helped build in Guatemala! The work we did in each other was so important for the season that would follow. We transitioned into our second teams as cleared fields with tilled soil and seeds scattered.
My second team, Five Multiplied (5x), fully embodied the word peace. They created an environment in which the seeds that were scattered in Wild Fires had the opportunity to grow! During my time on this team, I focused a lot of energy into pursuing intimacy with Jesus. It was like I put my soul into the soil and as I chased after Jesus, I grew deep deep roots. It wasn’t until the end of our third month together as a team that I glanced above the surface, looked around me, and saw that the roots I had dug deep into Jesus had fostered growth in the exterior of my life, too! My field was full of leafy green plants!! Wow how cool! And all the while, my team tended to me, watered me, and cared for me. The way you care for baby plants is very different from the way you handle weeds in your garden, so my experience on 5x was drastically different from Wild Fires, but again, the work we did in Wild Fires was absolutely essential.
When we found out our teams were changing again, I already knew the first two parts of the vision: the untouched field and the green leafy plants caused by deep roots. I asked God what His plan was for my final season of the Race, and He told me,
HARVEST
He told me that my last team would be made up of women that He specifically chose to harvest the fruit He would produce in me. These would be women who are trustworthy to prune me in wisdom and partner with me not only in my personal journey but in the Kingdom. He made a promise to me that I would see the harvest of the fruit He’s been nurturing in me, and that my team and I would see harvest in the Kingdom as we work together these next three months. WOW what a cool promise.
With that, may I introduce…
THE INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERS!!!
John 4:34-38 says, “Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
We are women living out Acts 2:42-47 and walking in the promises of God’s harvest!
Age: 23
Hometown: Moorhead, Minnesota
Three words to describe me are: fun, uffdah, adventurous eater
The thing I miss most about home: driving with my windows down through the country while listening to country music
Favorite thing about the Race: creating relationships with my sisters and deepening my relationship with the Lord
How you can be praying for me: to continue to grow in obedience and discernment of the Lord’s voice
Fun fact by Jess: she’s the only International Harvester with actual farming experience haha!
Age: 26 – she turns 27 on July 3rd!
Hometown: Mequon, Wisconsin
Three words to describe me are: competitive, hard-working, vegan
The thing I miss most about home: control and Zevia
Favorite thing about the Race: growing in my identity in Christ and intimacy with Him; the relationships I’ve able to make on our squad and with people all around the world
How you can be praying for me: that I would walk in obedience to what the Lord calls me to do in the day to day, moment by moment
Fun fact by Jess: if I come home from the Race a vegan who does Crossfit, you can blame Ally hehehe. ALSO, Ally and I have been on all three teams together!! And we love to eat Indian food together!
Age: 28 and a quarter
Hometown: Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Three words to describe me are: funny, wise, compassionate
The thing I miss most about home: the beach and Alfie (my dog)
Favorite thing about the Race: friendship
How you can be praying for me: deeper intimacy and wisdom and revelation with the Lord and discernment in the promises and dreams He has given me
Fun fact by Jess: she loves juice! (which is fun because my name is Joos) and she loves lipstick!
Age: 22 – her birthday is July 30th!
Hometown: Chester, Illinois
Three words to describe me are: full of life
The thing I miss most about home: Champ (my dog) and pizza rolls
Favorite thing about the Race: the ability to be myself
How you can be praying for me: discernment for upcoming life changes (transitioning home) and self control when I get home with all the American food
Fun fact by Jess: she’s a shark fanatic
Age: 23
Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina
Three words to describe me are: chocolate milk lover
The thing I miss most about home: Critter!! (my brother)
Favorite thing about the Race: community!
How you can be praying for me: to grow more intimate with the Lord and press into hard things
Fun fact by Jess: Monica and I met for the first time before training camp at a Cracker Barrel in Lynchburg, VA!
That’s my teeeeam!! Yay yay yay!!! Click their names to view their blogs! Follow them to get a full view of my last season on the Race!
Love to all!
Jessica
