It’s been a little over two weeks now that we have been in Madagascar and let me tell you the Lord has been shaking my world up in so many ways! This month my entire squad is together staying at a beautiful Christian compound. The country is breathtaking in so many ways but specifically the beauty in nature is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There is so much green here and the vegetation seems to be unstoppable. The Malagasy people are among the most kind people I’ve ever encountered. They are shy at first but will come out of their shell after a little conversation.
On our first night here my Squad Learders made an announcement that they were taking me out of my Team Leading posistion for a season of rest. Honestly, I was thrilled. The Holy Spirit had begun to speak to me like I have never experienced before in Botswana and I realized how thirsty and deep my desire to know more of Him was. While I was growing in the Spirit during team leading it was very difficult for me to take the pressure off myself that I had grown so accustomed to being a leader in a Western Culture. I am looking forward to spending time on this race as simply a World Racer and seeking the Lord with my undevoted attention and the best of my time and spirit. In fact, I had stated the night before in a discussion with my fellow team leaders, “The day they ask me to step down is going to be the best day ever.” Talk about God having a plan! Along with stepping down however, brought some heartbreaking news. The team I had come to know and love, the team I had spent two months with, the team that I had been growing in the Father with was no longer mine. Just like that, Seven Strong was a thing of the past and I was being moved onto another team. This was an extremely hard pill for me to swallow because I did not want to move teams. I loved my team. I had been praying and hoping to go the entire 11 months on the same team. The Lord however, had directed my leadership team to go another direction. It took me a few days to see the light in this situation and to truly believe that the Lord was working through them but after mourning my old team and what once was for a few days I had the better perspective I had prayed for.
The Lord revealed to me how cool of an oppurtunity I had to be among the first on our squad to be a part of a team change. I now had the chance to get to know six more women on the squad at a deeper and more spiritual level. I get to not only continue to grow in the Father but also get to know their hearts and minds and we get to grow as a new team. My new team’s name is, Shebrews. We are seven women who share a love for Jesus, coffee, and Nutella. We have just begun to get to know each other but I am very excited and honored that the Lord felt like I would be the perfect addition to this team. My previous team will continue to grow under the leadership of a mighty warrior for the kingdom, Miss Jackie Marquez. Although I will miss them and we will not be able to share memories together throughout Asia, our African memories will forever be embedded in my soul.
Thank you Jesus for the season that Seven Strong was. Also, thank you Jesus for the new season of Shebrews and Team Forefront (my previous team’s new name) and for what’s to come through your power and your great name.
