So over the course of this race my team, Meek and Mighty, have been given a lot of different names based on the different experiences we have had. In India we were given the name Broken and Beautiful, because Elisabeth partial tore a ligament in her leg, Sarah Kate rolled her ankle, and Taylor got an infection in her hand. We laughed because our team came into this race believing we were just the last people left to put on a team so they just threw us together… this broken group that had been thrown together was determined to make a beautiful team no matter what it took.
By Nepal we became incredibly comfortable with each other and honestly got kind of weird. When you are on the race, your bowel movements are rarely normal… so they become a very normal conversational topic. We asked two people from another team that we were working with to each describe our team in one word. That is how we got our second name of The Spicy Buttholes, which was scary accurate!
In Vietnam we were called Wounded and Wobbly because on Christmas Day Alaina tripped on this marble staircase and got a hairline fracture on her hip that kept her in Vietnam for an extra 2 weeks. This month our team got a taste of what life back home is going to feel like with normal luxuries (wifi, beds, AC, free time, etc) and struggled dying to ourselves/ our own desires for the betterment of the team. Although this was a wobbly month for our team, in the end we really dug in and chose to fight for each other.
By Cambodia we knew someone else was going to give our team a new name, because that was the trend so far. We partnered with an organization that was very familiar with the World Race and how it worked. Our host said that he has always wanted one of the teams to have their name be The Muffin Mans. Weird I know but he painted a picture that was fairly convincing. He said imagine if Jesus was the Muffin man… then you can walk around asking people, “Do you know the muffin man?” He was like how awesome would that be. So in honor of our host we became the Muffin Mans.
Here at debrief our leadership team has challenged us to create a new name for our team, because although we are with the same individual on a team together, we are absolutely different people than who we were when we started the race in India. So we have been paying a lot of attention to the descriptions people have been giving us. In one morning session we were called freaks (in a very loving and endearing way) 4 different times by 4 different people. We became incredibly proud of this title, which might give you a little insight about our team. The other thing we have been told repeatedly, and the whole reason for this blog, is that we are a group full of powerhouse women.
I have never really looked at our team at anything but a typical world race team. They are the only team I have known, the people that I do life day in and day out with, and where I see struggles and challenges the clearest. But this morning first hearing how different our team actually is made me stop and think about the astounding sisters that I get to do life with everyday. So I thought I would share with you some of the incredible things I see in each of them!
First I will talk about our original team leader Victoria! Victoria is a person who extends grace to everyone who needs it; from the homeless community in Pittsburgh to me, her sometimes overbearing teammate. Through this journey she has blossomed from someone who was afraid to take up space to a mighty woman of God willing to speak up in truth the things that needed to be said. She has such a capacity to love people and make everyone feel a part of a real community! When Victoria decides to fight for you, there is never a doubt in your mind that she will be there ready to meet you exactly where you are when you call on her. She has such a passion for loving children, empowering people, working hard, fast cars (and/or motorcycles), but ultimately for doing the will of her Heavenly Father! She may seem like this soft flowery Christian but when you watch her real colors come out you would describe her much more as a rad biker chick who is radical transforming lives through the love and grace of Jesus Christ! The devil is absolutely terrified of the potential God has inside Victoria and trembles more and more as she is learning to walk in the freedom of who God has created her to be!
Next I am going to speak about the one of a kind incredible woman of God who is our current team leader. Sarah Kate is one of those women who blows your mind with the wisdom that flows from their mouth! Skate (Sarah Kate’s nickname) has such a gifting to be able to speak straight truth into a situation and call it how it is! She also cares so deeply for people, literally the depths of her feeling are like nothing I have ever seen or felt! When she is by your side fighting for you, you believe there is nothing you can’t do! She is a mighty prayer warrior and spiritual leader. God is constantly showing her where He is taking people and having her pray specific and powerful prayers that bring down the walls that keep people from the Father! Her passion and desire for more of God is contagious, rubbing off on anyone who comes into contact with her! This woman’s hears from the Lord so powerfully that the enemy has thrown everything at her that you could possibly image to try and keep her from her Heavenly Father, but Sarah Kate is a warrior like you have never seen! Not only has she overcome those attacks and entered into one of the most beautiful relationships with the Father that I have ever seen, but she comes along side others to fight with them pointing them closer and closer to the incredible power of Jesus Christ!
Alaina is a woman full of wit, humor, and a deep soul. She comes off as quite and reserved but she is anything but that. Her complete dependence on the Lord is astounding and makes you crave more of Him after every conversation. She is also one of the most genuine and real people I know. She speaks life and truth into our team, willing to press in and say the hard things that will ultimately make each of us better! Alaina’s intelligence, passion, and willingness to get down in the dirt with you is at a level that I have never seen a person posses before. God has given her such an ability to seek into the depths of our personal hearts, calling out deep rooted issues many times before we even realize there is a problem. Alaina is a rare gem and a beauty to do life with.
Taylor is a sassy little firecracker. Her love and passion for the Lord is absolutely undeniable! She is the kind of person who could care less about your past or even your current struggles, looks straight into you soul and tells you “You’re worth fighting for”! Those words aren’t empty promises either… once you are in her life she is going to use every ounce of strength within her to love and fight for you well! She is so full of wisdom and discernment from the Lord, that just by sitting around her your intelligence rises. She is most definitely unconventional in all aspects of the word, but her truth in Christ is rooted deep, and her willingness to stand out from the Christian bubble makes her one of the most relevant people I know! Taylor is an incredible soul who your heart longs to trust and depend on!
Ali is an adventurer, looking for beauty and passion in the world around her. She truly looks at each day as a gift, each person as a gem, and every living spirit as a treasure of life! Her words tell stories of love, beauty, heartbreak, and redemption. Ali’s entire being screams about God’s love and grace for the world. Her bravery to step out into the unknown in order to further His Kingdom astounds me time and time again! She doesn’t love partially, she loves with every being of her body! She listens to people so well, sees where they truly are, and does everything within her power to help meet them where they are! Ali is a beautiful reflection of Jesus’ love here on earth.
Elisabeth is one of the most joyful people you will every meet in your life! Her smile literally changes the atmosphere of the room she steps into! Not only is she joyful in a way that I have never seen, but she is passionate, intelligent, curious, gentle, and overall contagious! Elisabeth is one of the few people in this world who isn’t run by social norms. She could care less if your rich or poor, if your popular or an outcast, if you like her or hate her… it makes absolutely no difference to her or her interactions with you. I truly believe this is one of the many blessings God has gifted her with, where she is literally oblivious to these norms that run our society, providing her with the unique ability to create a spirit of freedom and lightness wherever she goes. She also has such a passion for the Lord and for His word! When she starts talking about the Word of God or starts reading scriptures, you see this passion ignite in her eyes and this love flow over her entire being. She is a physical representation of what falling in love with the word really looks like. Elisabeth Gloria Chauncey is a name that all of hell is absolutely terrified of, and a woman who I absolutely adore.
And then there is me, Katelyn Zoe Earhart! I am a woman who loves words, loves people, and loves pictures! I am a woman who often times has a hard time seeing the value in who I am, and thus is using this opportunity to help counter that! I am a powerful woman who has such a desire for learning and passion for life. I am a photographer who sees the world as a series of questions waiting to explore deeper. I am a daughter of the King of Kings who is falling head over heals for her Heavenly Father, not wanting to have a life without Him being in the center of it. I am a student who is learning that sometimes the best thing in life is sitting in silences listening to the ocean call you in deeper. I am a strong leader who is not willing to be stopped by the attacks the enemy throws at me. I am a dreamer who believes in a big God that wants to makes those dreams become my reality! I am a truth seeker and sayer, valuing truth and honesty much more than I care about avoiding hurt. But more than all of that I am Katelyn, a beautiful daughter who was perfectly composed by her loving Heavenly Father!
All in all I agree with both conclusions of fellow squad mates… we are both a team of freaks (defined as “a very unusual or unexpected situation or person”) and a team of powerhouse woman! As we enter into this new season of Africa we have named ourselves Eden: a fresh beginning of living life in communion with our Heavenly Father the way He originally intended, a life full of fruit, freedom, and adventure (of course)!
