The team building activities finally came about half-way through the week at training camp, during which they split us into small teams and gave us a project to work on together. First they placed me into a team of 7 girls. Our assignment was for the team to stand on a towel and flip it over, with ever touching the ground around the towel. I know the picture below looks like my foot is touching the ground, but it’s really hanging in the air above the ground – so hard to stand on one foot for a long time! I thought this team worked really well together. We were able to communicate and contribute as needed through the assignment. And we succeeded in flipping that towel over! Yay! Only 1 or 2 other teams were able to do that.
The second team-building activity involved being placed in entirely different teams of 7, with the assignment for us to each have a light touch on a hula hoop and lower it to the ground without anyone losing touch. This is pretty hard actually, but this new team and I were able to do it successfully twice.
Then for the third activity I was placed on a new team of 7, though it included one person from the hula hoop team. This team was required to use our collective belongings from our backpacks to create something. The first instruction was “Build,” followed by “Change.” So we piled all our books, bibles, journals into the shape of a Y for Y squad. We then changed it to be the shape of a cross. Then we were told “Improve.” So we piled our backpacks around the cross, representing laying our burdens at the cross. We placed a black jacket in front, representing our life in sin, and leading from from the black jacket to the cross was a red sweater, representing the blood of Jesus. Then came the last instruction, “End Well.” So we place a green folder a little past the cross, with green symbolizing new life in Christ. We then had a blue jacket (Rivers of Living Water) leading from the green folder, past the pile of backpacks, with a notebook saying “God bless you” on it, symbolizing how we are called to bring this new life in Christ to the nations. Yay! So good! we were very proud of the meaningful creativity.
The last activity teamed me up with 5 people from the third challenge, 1 girl from the first, and one new person I hadn’t been teamed with yet. We were given a scenario of being stranded in Canada, in -20 deg weather, with 12 items. We had to unanimously decide how to list them in order of importance and how we would use them. It might have been the least cohesive group I had been with in comparison to the other activities, because we have such differing personalities. But we did finish the assignment, though not necessarily with unanimous decision-making.
After each activity they asked us some questions: 1) How did the activity go? 2) How well do you think the team worked to accomplish the vision? 3) Did everyone feel heard? Then they pulled each of us aside and asked a few more questions: 1) Which people did I think I worked well with that I might like to be on my team? 2) Which people did I think might be a challenge to be on a team with? 3) Which person did I think I could as a team leader? This helped them decide how to make the teams.
And so now let me introduce you to my team. It’s all the people from that 4th group assignment.
From Right to Left: Matt, Me, Brooklynn, Alyssha, Jonny (team leader), Zachary, and Elaine
Our team name is Crisco Unico. Crisco – like the tub of lard, because we learned during Canada scenario that a can of Crisco has so many, many ways it can be used (you’d be surprised). And Unico – because we are a unique mix of personalities. I like this team, and I see lots of potential for great things with them!
