Em –
I think the biggest thing I learned from you is what it looks like to serve selflessly. You never stop thinking of others. When we went to the store, you bought seven things: carrots for yourself and six candy bars for others, which you then hid in backpacks and underneath pillows as a surprise for us to find later. Your old teammates told me that there were many times they were searching for their electronics, only to find that you had already discovered that they needed charging and plugged them in.
Because of you, I also learned what it means to be pursued. You were the first person from our squad who reached out to me; I got a Facebook message from you months before training camp. You sent us “You are enough” bracelets in the mail; you also brought us each matchbox cars at launch. You always took time to make every single person on our squad feel loved and appreciated.
Because of you, I’m not the same…and neither is anyone else who meets you.
When I heard that you had to go home, I felt in my spirit that there was something I had to do to symbolize the freedom that God has in store for you. Whenever I cut my hair, I feel so free, so I decided to shave my head…Never would I believe that dozens more of our squadmates would choose to donate small locks of their hair as well. As we placed them in a bag, they became folicles of freedom…May they remind you of the many people that believe in you and God’s mighty plan for your life!
Something that God spoke to me during this time is that freed people free people… As you are freed from this, you are going to be a powerful influence for the kingdom to set other girls free. God always uses our deepest struggles as our greatest ministries, and I see a mighty ministry in America ahead for you, where you can speak with thousands of young girls and bring them to a place of freedom in Christ – Praise God!
Em, never forget how much you are loved by me, our entire squad, and most importantly our Father. Whenever I look in the mirror, know that I say a prayer for you and your freedom.
I love you,
Kelly
John 8:36 “He who the Son sets free is free indeed!”
