After living with my team for about a month now, I want to take the time to introduce you to who they are!
Rachael is a born and raised Northern Wisconsin gal. Back home she spends her time fishing, hunting, playing sports and, lets be honest, basically anything outside. She is extremely down-to-earth, humble, kind, patient and hilarious. With a tender and compassionate heart she leads our team so, so well. Just think about leading a team of 20-35 year olds around the world when you have never even been out of the country…this girl is an outright ROCKSTAR. It’s astonishing how similar Rachael and I are. We have only known one another for a few weeks now but I feel like we have been friends for so much longer. From our personalities to our struggles there are many areas where we can help encourage and support one another. One funny quirk we have in common is our odd admiration of Smokey the Bear…
“Only you can prevent wildfires”
Fun fact: she is going to have a mini pig when she is older.
Courtney is from Southern Georgia. This girl is such a light to our team! Seriously, she has the most contagious laugh ever. AND she laughs at everything, which makes you feel like a million bucks. You will feel like the most hilarious person when you are around her and it is the best feeling ever! Courtney is exceptionally caring, loving, down-to earth and so merciful. She is always looking for ways to help out on our team and doesn’t mind stepping up where she is needed. She is a crazy strong gal. She has been through so much in her life, yet, she has such an optimistic outlook on life. This gal is a real winner and I cannot wait to grow in our friendship over the next year.
Fun fact: she packed 13 chap sticks for the race.
Sara is my home gal from my home state of North Carolina. We have basically been neighbors for our whole lives and didn’t know it. Sara is wise, kind, intelligent, creative, hilarious, and has an incredible heart. Her smile will brighten any cloudy day. It is crazy because when she smiles her whole being turns into a smile (I don’t even know how else to explain it). Sara is extremely talented and creative in so many ways. She loves crafting, sewing and quilt making. She also used to be an art teacher so she makes my stick figures look like sticks on a page. This gal is one of the most pure and genuine spirits I have ever met. She hates that sometimes her emotions get the best of her but it radiates her sincerity.
Fun fact: she has been skydiving twice.
Caleb was born and raised in South Dakota. Honestly, the “south” is very applicable in his case, as I seriously believe he is more southern than I am. Caleb enjoys a good ole southern cooked meal of meat and potatoes along with sweet tea. The only vegetables he actually enjoys eating are carrots and peas. Although Caleb is one of the youngest on our team, he is extremely full of knowledge and brings so many facts and ideas to our team. He loves to challenge us to any card game and enjoys encouraging us to think outside of the box. Caleb doesn’t miss a trick and we can always count on him to keep the team in line. Lastly, this guy keeps our team energetic and literally fills us up with his youthful spirit. IT IS SO CONTAGIOUS.
Fun fact: he can solve a Rubik’s cube in under a minute.
Will was born in Chicago but raised in Michigan, however, don’t let it fool you he loves the south more. Y’all, Will has an incredible servant heart and he does so with such humility. It continuously blows me away. He has so many hidden talents that only allow him to be a better servant for Jesus. He does so much behind the scenes that we don’t notice straight away, yet, expects no acknowledgement. Talk about the real MVP. He has such a pure, respectable heart, is patient, gentle, kind and extremely wise. He knows numbers and can add basically as quickly as blinking. This guy is fun! To see him truly express his excitement in things makes all of us super cheerful.
Fun fact: he has lived in eight different states.
This past month getting to know my teammates has been GOOD. I have THE BEST teammates I could have ever asked for. All six of us met for the first time in June and it is incredible to see how quickly your friendships can become so strong when you share a common denominator, that being Jesus. It is remarkable to see how God lead and spoke to our leadership team when choosing our team, The Ambassadors. By saying we are the best I don’t mean that literally. What I mean is that each of us have a key part that makes our team strong. We compliment each other so well. We are each gifted in different areas as well as some shared talents. As 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” We wouldn’t be as strong without the entire unit working together. And we would not be as powerful without Jesus.
While living in community, they see it all, the glamorous, the unpleasant and then all the things you have been hiding inside the walls of your bedroom.
BUT all the good and bad get mashed
up with a whole lot of Jesus and it
creates something beautiful.
The beauty of it is that they are able to encourage you, challenge you, and let’s be honest, tell you when you down right need a shower. Most importantly they are there to point you directly to Christ and call you out when you are facing or even walking in the opposite direction. This makes it all worth it.
