Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I have the pleasure of introducing you to the fabulous ladies of Team R1:16. To understand our team, you first have to understand our name; naming something establishes mission and purpose, so we wanted to choose a name that we felt cast a vision for the time we have together. We chose our name for 3 main reasons.
Ruth 1:16, “But Ruth replied “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” We love this verse because it shows sisterhood as a deeply rooted, strong bond that we as women possess with each other when we have Christ as our foundation. Ruth and Naomi actively chose and prioritized each other, and sacrificed to show each other the love of Christ Jesus. We aim to do the same.
Romans 1:16 reads “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” We want this team to be a group of women who are not ashamed of the Gospel, but who BOLDLY and with great JOY and LOVE tell the world about the things that Christ Jesus has done in our own lives and the things He longs to do in the hearts of everyone who believes in His saving grace.
The word “Radiance” was spoken over our team but a dear friend that we met in India and ran into the first day we spent time together as a new team. We strive to be a team of ladies through whom the love of Jesus RADIATES and whose fruit clearly displays our Gardener.
With that in mind… MEET LEAH B!
Leah Broughton (27)
5 of her favorite things: Chick-fil-a, my dog Joan, coffee, music, thunderstorms
Hometown: Gulf Port, Mississippi
Birth order: Youngest of 2
Favorite Color: Teal
Favorite Snack Food: Watermelon Sour Patch Kids and Nutter Butter Cookies
Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream: Moose Tracks (vanilla with swirls of chocolate and peanut butter cups)
Biggest Pet Peeve: People who are “one-uppers” and have to make every conversation about themselves, and people not being on time
Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? Smooth
Strangest thing eaten on the Race thus far: Tarantula or scorpion or snake (Vietnam)
What do you miss the most about home? “There’s honestly not much that I do miss about home, but I definitely miss the convenience of America. Like, if I need something, I just hop in my car, going to get what I need, and go home… And I don’t have to rely on someone for that. I miss the comforts of home, I miss being able to go get the food I want when I want it (so like Chick-fil-a, Taco Bell, sushi, etc.) Obviously, I miss my mom, I miss my church family, I miss air conditioning. Also, I miss, like, the security of knowing what tomorrow looks like, or even knowing what the rest of the day looks like… having control over my plans and situations.”
What have you been reading lately? The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, Love Does by Bob Goff
What’s something that’s happened on the Race that made you laugh? “When we were singing Amazing Grace in church and Pastor TJ picked up that old lady that we had just prayed for and swung her around the church!”
How has your faith changed while on the Race thus far? “The Race has made me completely rely on the Lord and learn to trust Him; to trust Him even in the mundane things that we’re doing, and trust that He’s watering seeds that we’re planting, even if we’re not seeing growth from it. Also starting to see and understand that He’s such a BIG God. Back home I tended to just put God in this box and minimalize the things that He can do but I’m learning that He’s so big and powerful and He doesn’t even need us for anything, but He wants to use us and allow us to be a part of His plan. Also just learning to love people, even when I feel like they might not deserve love; He’s really showed me how to love people better and how to love myself better. That’s something that I’m still discovering and learning to accept… is my worth and that I am good enough.”
What characteristic of the Lord do you feel like you’ve been encountering and learning about the most? “Probably God’s sovereignty and power. That He chooses to use us to help further His kingdom but He doesn’t NEED us… and that even though we might not see fruition of seeds planted, we still are planting them knowing God IS sovereign and will water those seeds and use them for His good.”
What’s one word you would use to describe your Race? Exploration
What’s something people can be praying for you? “Total reliability on the Lord and learning to discern when He’s speaking to me; learning how to hear His voice better. And then just learning to recognize HOW he speaks to me, whether it’s audible or through scripture or however He chooses to speak. And that I continue learning to accept God’s love for me and not letting the enemy speak lies over me, but learning to accept the truth that God has for me.
