You may wonder why I am writing about the men of my squad in this post, rather than a ministry contact or a service project. However, the World Race is more than a mission trip. It is also a discipleship program in which everyone is taught how to invest in the lives of those on our teams and squads with intentionality, love, and vulnerability. One of the ways we become more like Jesus is by learning to follow His voice and obey His commands. He commands us all to love, and sometimes that love looks different from what we expect. Here is how I learned to better love the men of my squad during “all-squad month” in Peru.
On February 14th, the 44 girls of P Squad, third generation, had quite the Valentine’s Day surprise. J The 10 men of our squad set up a foot washing and massaging stations, and also had a station for toenail painting. Almost all of the guys served in some way, and they had been planning this for some time. Later that night, they handed each girl a single red rose along with a personal letter detailing their appreciation for each of us. I was personally very grateful for this special evening.
The next day, I began to realize how this could be our last “all-squad month” and that I may not have this amount and quality of time with the men of our squad again this year. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my tendency to pursue conversations with only the women (and even then, with only some of them). He also convicted me of my tendency to be the “talker” and not the “listener” in many of my conversations. I decided, out of obedience to God and love for His sons, to intentionally pursue a conversation with each of the 11 men (our squad leader included) over the next 11 days. I will write now that I was not able to talk with all 11 guys (it’s okay-travel to India is going to take a while!). However, my heart was and still is in “intentionality mode” and I am always (by the grace of God) going to pursue God’s heart in this matter as well.
Over the next two weeks, I was able to have deep conversations with each guy. Each time, I asked him to share his story of coming to Christ and about how he became a World Racer. I was able to really devote time to listening to them share their life stories, the joys and the sorrows, with a heart to bear the other’s burdens and rejoice in their rejoicings. I also discovered much about myself in the process, considering many of them had stories to which I could personally relate. This was a huge growing process for me, because, as many of my close friends and family know, I am not the best at starting conversations with guys. J My reservations become more prominent, my insecurities flare, and I want to run and hide. However, God called me to this Race not just to endure physical discomfort for His sake, but to also learn how to obey Him in emotional discomfort, especially when it isn’t easy. He is a good Father, however, and He gave my squad 11 fantastic brothers in Christ. I see love, strength, integrity, perseverance, and humility in each of them. I am thankful that I stepped out of my “comfort zone” to invest in these guys who in turn have taught me, encouraged me, and prayed for me in humbling ways.
