I love my team! I’d like to introduce you them today. We’ll be working, traveling, and serving together for the next eleven months. We are around one another almost 24/7, and because of this we have become family.
Our team name is Doulos (doo’-los). Doulos is a Greek word occurring 180 times in the New Testament. It literally means slave or bondservant, but the original apostles chose it to describe themselves – that they are slaves to Jesus and have surrendered everything to Him. The apostles considered servility to be a privilege, not an obligation – they are honored to serve the world in the likeness of Christ.
We chose the word to describe our team because we have surrendered everything to serve Christ, one another, and the world for these next eleven months. Although we have only been doing ministry together for a week so far, I have seen “doulos” truly characterize our team. Time and time again, each person has put aside our own desires to do whatever we are asked, serving others with pleasure and joy.
Without further adieu, here is TEAM DOULOS:
Emily
Emily is the youngest member of our team, but you wouldn’t know it because of her maturity. I really admire her willingness and desire to do anything for others. For example, when we had free time yesterday, she cleaned one of the closets in the house by choice. She’s quiet, but when she speaks, her words speak with wisdom and truth. She’s also passionate about working with kids. I can’t wait to see her shine in the months when this will be our main ministry work.
Joshua
Josh’s story is one of redemption. I’m always fascinated by how Christ brings someone out of rough times, and this is true of Josh’s story. When he was young, someone told him to be the man of God that he was created to be, and those words stayed with him as he was placed in difficult circumstances throughout his life. Through a lung injury, degenerative eye disease, and tough divorce, Christ has been Josh’s stronghold. The wisdom from his life experiences is a great asset to our team. To me, he is like a giant teddy bear with the gentlest heart. Besides this, Joshua is known for cooking up the most delicious meals for our squad…and because of all these reasons I feel blessed to be on Josh’s team.
Alyssa
I really appreciate Alyssa because she is details-oriented. She is our team treasurer, so she is in charge of keeping track of our finances and making sure we stick to the budget that we are given. When all of us kept forgetting, she remembered the name of the currency exchange yesterday when we were in Dublin. Not only this, her kindness is exemplary – she is willing to do anything and everything to help any one of us. She’s simply amazing!
Matt
Matt is our mighty and fearless team leader. I’ve been amazed to see how he has grown in this position thusfar, even through tough and stressful situations. What I most appreciate about the way Matt leads is how he is genuinely concerned with how we are doing – multiple times per day he asks each one of us how we are doing. Matt also is a talented photographer – I’m looking forward to seeing how he will document our journey in the coming months.
Katy
Katy has become one of my closest friends on the Race. We have shared many laughs together and there’s hardly a time when I don’t see a smile on her face. Her bubbly personality exudes Christ’s love on the world around her. She’s also a very gifted singer and can sing harmony like nobody’s business. Katy and I share an adventuresome spirit and she’s one of the people who is willing to join me on any spontaneous adventure that comes our way.
Charlie
Charlie makes me laugh multiple times every day. He says the funniest things, even when he’s not trying to, which is what makes it hilarious. You’d better watch out, though, because he studied judo and carries around a knife (one in his pocket and two in his luggage) which I find ironic because I don’t think he would hurt a fly. Charlie is super humble and incredibly patient.
Our team is characterized by its diversity. When we walked in the room the last night in the US, Rynette, our team mom, said that God gave her a picture that we were like a bouquet of flowers. We’re all very different, but that’s what makes our team beautiful – a bouquet made up with the same flower wouldn’t be a bouquet at all.
One of my prayers was that God would put me on a team that was athletic. To my surprise, when we met up in DC, both Katy and Josh separately asked me if we could work out together in the morning. We’ve woken up nearly each morning together here in Ireland to run along the Irish coast. I have treasured these early morning adventures that we have shared together – and I’m convinced that there is no better way to start the day than running outdoors with friends.
It’s hard for me to believe that it’s only been one week since we’ve gotten here…stay tuned as I share about our ministry work!
