With the New Year came some big changes in H Squad. One of those being the first round of team changes. As hard as it was, our beloved River Dwellers were separated. River Dwellers were spread between 3 new teams, and I am now on a team with 6 completely new women. But in honor of our time together, I wanted to let you know about the 5 amazing women that I spent the last 4 months with. This by no means fully describes each of these women, and there is so much more to each of them… but to tell you everything would take hours and way more words than you would be willing to read. So I tried to give you just a glimpse of some of my favorite things about these dear sisters of mine. Also, if you don’t fully understand something, it might be an inside joke, so I apologize. But otherwise, enjoy getting to know a little of the things I learned about or from each of these incredible ladies over the past 4 months!
Anne-Michael McDonald: Our fearless leader! Despite the challenge of leading our rag-tag bunch (be sure to check out my other blog about how far this rag-tag bunch came!), she powered through with grace and love. She loves worship music, and taught us the beauty and art of “soaking”, and of course the all-important “sloaking”. She adores Christmas, and went all out for our team to help us celebrate the month of December in high spirits. She has the voice of an angel, and an incredible talent for learning new instruments quickly (I swear she learned to play the Ukelele overnight!). She is in tune with the Holy Spirit, and encouraged us to do the same every day. She led us with humility, grace, and a servant’s heart, never considering herself better than any of us. She has a fabulous knack for shadow puppets, specializing in Telugu Music Shadow Puppet dances. She has an incredible ability to always look drop dead gorgeous, even in blistering heat and manual labor. Her heart for the country, people, and culture of India will convert even the most stubborn hearts to learn to love them as well.
Natalie Neal: This chick is a blonde bombshell, exploding with amazingness. She loves One Direction, Nick Jonas, and Justin Timberlake. She loves to read, and reads I swear almost as fast as Dr. Reid (Criminal Minds reference.. I’m sorry if that doesn’t make sense to you). She consumed over 15 books in the last 4 months (including the first 4 of the Wheel of Time books!). She loves to teach English, and specializes in phonetics (th and v sounds anybody?). She sings all the time, sometimes on-key sometimes not – every time loud and proud. She radiates natural beauty from her every pore, and her favorite accessory is her headbands. She loves to learn numbers and colors in each local language, and can almost always get a “discount” by bargaining in the local languages. She also is a bomb-diggity treasurer, who genuinely loves crunching numbers. She kept our team on track for 4 months through all kinds of currency changes, budget confusions, hectic travel days, and who knows what else craziness. And I am convinced she is going to be an incredible artist one day, though she hasn’t quite realized that for herself yet. 😉
Kalie Forbes: This woman is a firecracker. Our go-to for Asian cultural references and Vietnamese translator. She adores kids, and is one of the most talented and passionate teachers I have ever met. An avid foodie, She loves to eat and will eat just about anything that is put in front of her (including half of ours that we can’t finish!). She may be small, but she is mighty! Don’t let her size fool you, she is serious about self-defense and Krav Maga and will kick your butt. She loves to play Ukelele and has a beautiful harmonizing voice. She has an amazing talent to sleep anywhere, though she requires like half the amount of sleep that I do (I don’t know how she does it). Christmas Decorations are not her thing, but she went way out of her way to surprise her team with a real Christmas Tree and ornaments. She loves to cuddle, and holding hands will make her dance for joy. McDonalds is a legitimate food group for her, and she is always down for french fries – day or night!
Kaitlynn Boyd: This lady is fiercely loyal, and has an enormous heart for people. She can come up with a group game that will get everyone involved and having a ball any-day, any-time. She loves to sing and dance, not caring what a single person thinks about her. Flannels are her favorite wardrobe item, even if she is sweating a storm in them. She is a fantastic teacher, and loves her students with everything in her. She unashamedly loves animals, and will stop for a dog anytime, every time. She makes a genuine ministry out of stray dogs, and has adopted at least one in every country. She loves to take pictures, and life through her lens will always make you stop and think and see things in a completely new light. Her greatest goal in life is to be re-grammed by AIM on Instagram (Facebook does NOT count!). Adventure is in her blood, and she will never turn down the opportunity to climb waterfalls, jump off bridges, run through temples, or explore uncharted territory.
Melissa Harkness: This woman has one of the biggest hearts I have ever encountered. Her gifts of discernment and empathy are spot on, and she has the impeccable ability to spot and understand what people around her are feeling. She is intentional about building relationships, and is incredibly loyal. She has conservative roots, and understands the beauty in it. She also understands my weird, sheltered-kid culture (Adventures in Odyssey for the win!). She is serious about her fitness, and is convicting-ly disciplined. She has a sarcastic and silly side of her that gets me rolling on the floor on the regular (So that’s a no?). She is generous and would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. She loves Gogi Berry Juice, and got me addicted to it (not sure if this is a positive or a negative?). She is an INCREDIBLE artist, with an impeccable talent for detailed art pieces. She is always down for a trip down the street or across town for a fruit shake (Banana, Pineapple, Mango – no salt please). She is super organized, and trumps me every single time when it comes to packing, finishing a solid week before me every time!
Life over the past 4 months has been quite the adventure with these 5 women. We have come a long way, but I can’t imagine my life without them now. I am so glad to have 5 sisters for life, no matter if we are on the same team, or if we are miles apart. My life has been forever altered by the River Dwellers, and I am a far better women for it. Thanks for a great run ladies!
BR: Melissa and Natalie. MR: Kalie, Myself, and Anne-Michael. FR (AKA Stank-Face Extraordinaire ): Kaitlynn
This is our Rag-Tag Bunch… showing off our ghetto side. Some of us are more natural at it than others. And by that I mean every one else EXCEPT me….No Shame
