Life this time around on the Race looks a little different, now that I am squad leading. My ministry has shifted and the squad I am leading of 50 racers is my main focus, while still going to ministry with them each day.
Here is a quick glimpse into what an average day might look like.
6:00-Time to rise and shine. I wake up to six girls exercising on top of my bund bed and in between the rows of the bunk beds. I quickly pray and ask the Lord to help me respectfully tell them that is probably not the place to be exercising since their squad mates are sleeping.
Personal time with Jesus and I begins. I begin my day in prayer and thanking the Lord. I am going through Genesis currently and writing it out, I spend 30 minutes doing this. Then I proceed to go through scripture that I am memorizing and meditate on it. I read some more out of the New Testament and then spend time in prayer.
7:00- Begin to get ready for the day. I dig out of my big pack and pull out a long skirt and shirt to wear. I head to the bathroom which isn’t completed yet and pull the shower curtain that is used for a door back and brush my teeth, wash my face, and throw my hair up. I hope for the best and walk out not knowing truly what I look like since we don’t have mirrors.
7:30- Time for all squad devotions. We gather as an entire squad for quiet and seeking the Lord. One of the leaders shares what they do in the mornings to spend time with the Lord and the squad does that for the next thirty minutes. We do this each morning to teach our racers what it can look like to spend time with the Lord, since some of them actually don’t know.
8:00- Breakfast! We get one scoop of oatmeal, two boiled eggs, and a piece of fruit. We eat together in the common room which is a concrete room with a couple of tables and about twenty chairs.
8:30- I have a one on one with someone from my team (each week I check in with all of my racers from my teams). I check in with them to see how they are doing, what the Lord is teaching them, what they are processing, anything they are struggling with, and get to know them.
9:30- Time for ministry at the care points. This looks different for each team and I don’t go to the same place each day, I rotate with different teams. One day might look like staying at the house and doing construction work, since we live in an unfinished building. One day might look like going to the care point and holding babies, weeding the playground, building a garden, or singing the same song 15 times because the kids love it so much. One day might look like doing home visits and getting to know people from the community.
11:00 – I have another one on one with someone from my team.
1:00- Lunch time. We get two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. During this time I hang out with the team I am with, and get to know them.
4:00- Time to head back to the house. Depending on what team I am with, I either walk back or get picked up in a van.
4:30 – I have another one on one with someone from my team.
6:00- Dinner time. This is the time of day when the sun goes down and the head lamps come out since we don’t have power where we live.
6:30- Team time. Each team meets together for a time to check in and see how each other are doing along with that days discussion/activity. Every day is different, it could be blogging, going through scripture, worship, debriefing, fun, and feedback.
7:30- Teaching that happens twice a week led by the leadership team, based on what we believe the squad needs to hear and where the Lord is directing us.
9:00- Debrief as a leadership team over the day and check in with each other.
10:00- Quiet hours and lights out.
