Going in to training camp, the biggest thing on my mind (and I am pretty certain everybody else’s as well) was “Who will be on my team? When do I get to find out? How are they going to divide us up?” It was my most anticipated moment of training camp; until it was time to find out our teams. Once that moment came, I was suddenly unprepared, and I wanted more time to get to know people who I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk with yet.
It started with the beginnings of team formation, team building, team swapping, and then more beginning stages of team development. When all is said and done, I can honestly say that I feel incredibly blessed to have the team that I do. God works in such big and amazing ways. Before being put on this team, I hadn’t really gotten the opportunity to get to know any of my teammates, besides one. Needless to say, I was doubtful going in to our first “team building” exercise. (Side Note: Thank you, Jesus, for knowing better than I do, and not listening to me when I try to tell you differently J . )
Our team consists of 7 unique, awesome, extremely different, and perfect for each other, individuals. We came up with the team name, “The Justice League” for our squad. Our basis for this was off of Isaiah 42, which is: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. . . In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged, until he establishes justice on earth.”
I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to the wonderful members of “The Justice League”:
Stephanie is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever been fortunate enough to meet; both inside and out. She has a silent knowledge about her that I am drawn to. Her spirit and heart are so open and willing to be used, which is an incredible blessing not only to her, but to our team. She has one of the most selfless and giving spirits that one could dream up- God definitely has His hand on her life. I cannot wait to soak up knowledge from this beautiful woman of God over the next 11 months.
Check out her blog at:
http://stephaniebernotas.theworldrace.org
Beau Cheek
Beau is the quiet yet loving one on the team. He has a generous heart, and a love for the broken that is so evident. He wants to reach people with the love of Jesus; and those ‘people’ aren’t just the people who by society’s definition “need Jesus”, Beau wants to reach EVERYBODY with Jesus’ love. His gentle spirit will be desperately needed on our team over the next 11 months. Beau is very musically gifted, and a man of great patience (guess what this means? Guitar lessons, coming my way!)
J
Check out his blog at :
http://jamesandsarahcheek.theworldrace.org/
If the last names didn’t give it away, YES, we have a married couple traveling with us! I am SO thankful to have Beau and Sarah Cheek on our team. They are full of life and love, and I CANNOT wait to learn from them as a couple.
Sarah is a total ball of energy. She will bring a sense of “fun” to our team that would be hard to originate without her there. Aside from her outgoing personality, Sarah has a love for the countries of this world that is also extremely evident. (No wonder she and Beau are going on a mission trip, huh? They were made for this!) Sarah is deeply rooted in Christ, and such an excellent portrayal of the way that Jesus loves. I also call her the “prayer warrior” because this woman can PRAY like nobody’s business!
Check out her blog at: http://jamesandsarahcheek.theworldrace.org/
Kyle is the fearless leader of “The Justice League”. For those of you who know me pretty well, you know that I need to be pushed, and I need to be challenged. I can firmly say that I believe Kyle will challenge me in the best way possible, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. Although Kyle will challenge us as a team, he is extremely kind and gentle- which makes him such a unique and gifted leader. He is knowledgeable with his faith, and he lives it out incredibly well. He is truly a man after God’s own heart, and I consider myself extremely blessed to be serving under Kyle.
Check out his blog at:
http://kyledennard.theworldrace.org/
Alysa Halteman
This girl is going to keep me movin’ on a day to day basis. She has so much adventure and LIFE in her, that it is contagious! I can’t wait to do absolutely crazy fun things with this crazy, fun loving girl. Alysa is such a BEAUTIFUL daughter of Christ, and her heart for people just pours out onto all of those she meets. She is rooted in the Word, and has a heart bigger than I have ever seen before. Not only does Alysa have a huge, beautiful heart, she is extremely obedient. She is very in tune with the Lord, and I can’t wait to see how He moves in her, and uses Her to move our team.
Kelly Mulderig
If I could dream up the perfect word for Kelly it would be sweetheart. This girl is the most genuine girl EVER. She reminds me of a little Southern Belle that you would see in the movies- with a heart of gold. (Can you tell I’m not from the South? Ha!) But seriously- this girl is beautiful. She has encouragement written all over her; once you get to know her she is an encouragement in herself, and she has a natural gift of encouraging others as well. To possess both of those qualities, of having your own persona be encouraging, as well as having the ability to be verbally encouraging to others, is clearly a gift from the Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for putting such a wonderful woman on our team!
Check out her blog at:
http://kellymulderig.theworldrace.org/
