I experienced life with these 6 women in a way that I had never experienced it with any other person in all of my 24 years. We lived in a constant state of real, intentional community. We spent 24 hours of every day together: living, sleeping, eating, working, laughing, crying, yelling, late-night-whispering, and everything in between. We saw the deepest, darkest parts of one another, and experienced the grace of God in that we were able to love each other through it all. We did not choose one another. Some days, we didn’t even understand why we were placed together at all. But looking back, I know that God purposed each of us for one another. I learned something uniquely beautiful from each of these women, and I pray that I was able to teach them something, as well.
So, as a new chapter of my life has begun with a new team of 5 incredible people, I want to take a few moments to introduce you to the people who formed and helped to write the last chapter. I know that these beautiful ladies will be interwoven throughout the coming chapters of my life, as well, and I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to help write their stories. I will do my best to effectively describe the uniquely wonderful hearts of each of these women, as well as the way that each of them impacted my life for the better.
Lindsay Burke
My brilliant team leader! I can’t say enough good things about this lady. She has the unique ability to show compassion and grace in every situation that comes her way. Lindsay always has a smile on her face and the ability to put a smile on yours. She is the ultimate cheerleader! She taught me the true importance of being an encouragement to people. She was always quick to take any of us aside to check on our hearts or tell us something beautiful that she saw in us. She led us to the Word to study women of the Bible and encouraged us to search our hearts for what God wanted us to learn from these important women. Lindsay is easy for everyone to love. She loves being silly, laughing, and talking about Harry Potter. This lady will always be one of my favorite people in the world and I am so blessed to be able to call her my friend.
Update: Lindsay has decided to leave the Race because of a terrible tragedy that occurred in her life a few weeks ago. I will forever be grateful for the time I got to spend with her, and look forward to visiting this sweet sister in St. Augustine after the Race is over. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she heals from a very broken heart.
Julia Waterman
(far right)
After Training Camp: Everyone: “Hey Lydia! Are you going to like your new team?”
Me: “Yeah! I think I’m going to get along great with everyone… Except for one.”
And that one person who I thought that I wasn’t going to get along well with was none other than my dear, sweet Julia. Boy, was I wrong. This girl is one of my favorite people in the world, and it is easy to see why she has a million best friends and had been a bridesmaid in nearly all of their weddings. She is the forever optimist. Julia has taught me to smile through any situation, and to look for the good in all people and things. She makes me laugh with her passion for DA BEARS and our mutual love of country music.
Julia is now a team leader and I could not be more excited to see her step into this role. She is a natural leader, and I know that she will comfortably step into this role as someone who looks to her teammates with respect and compassion.
Hannah Brents
Hannah was our token “thinker” on our team of “feelers”. She was the voice of reason, the voice of mind over matter, and my constant go-to girl for any Biblical conversations. Hannah was my first friend at Training Camp, but we quickly learned that we could not be two more different people. We both like to laugh and be silly, but the ways that we think, process, and handle situations are all very different. Hannah taught me what it meant to be an intentional friend. We both choose to be friends with each other, which meant pursuing our friendship no matter what. Because of the fact that we have worked hard for our friendship, I value Hannah’s presence in my life more than I could say. I know that we can come to one another with any issue and always be met with unconditional love.
Ashley Francis
Ashley was my first World Race friend. Back in December, right after I had been accepted for the Race, she saw on our squad site that I was from Kentucky. A few people living in that general area were planning to meet in Nashville, Tennessee, so she decided to write me a Facebook message and invite me along. Even though I had never spoken to any of these people, I agreed and drug my sweet friend Sterling along for the ride. I was nervous and shy, but it formed a bond between us that knitted my heart with hers from that point forward. Ashley has been a real life example of what it looks like to be passionate, and to truly live a life that is on fire for God. I will always love her for her willingness to quote ridiculous YouTube videos with me until everyone else on the team is sick of hearing them. God has given her the ability to make people feel special, valued, heard… and best of all: to make them laugh.
Mikala Wiegand
Mikala would probably be able to write this herself from my perspective. I can’t tell you how many times I praised her maternal heart. This girl is a natural mother! She has the most consoling, genuine heart and was always looking after the other 6 of us. Mikala has many talents and passions, but more than anything else, she taught me to be confident in the unique woman that God created me to be. Her constant state of confidence and grace inspired us all to find that assurance within our own selves.
Mary Burgess
My little Mare Bear! Mary may come off as innocent and shy, but don’t let this girl fool you! She has a fire and an intensity that surpasses any other. When Mary is passionate about something that she is saying, you will see it! She tucks her upper lip and insists that you make eye contact with her so that she can speak words that are typically straight from the Lord. And let me tell you, when it happens, she captivates the attention of every person in the room with her intensity. Mary also pays more attention to detail than anyone I have ever met. She remembers the little things that you tell her, which makes her a fantastic gift giver! She buys gifts with intentionality and they are always more about her showing a true love for the person receiving the gift than the act of giving itself. Through this, she taught me the importance of paying close attention to the words that people say. People desperately need to know that someone is really listening. We need to be a living example of God’s desire to hear His people’s cries. Side note: Mare is also a master mosquito-killer, so her new team will be lucky to have her in Africa and Asia.
So, that’s a small insight into the 6 incredible women who shaped my past 3 months. I encourage you to continue following their individual journeys as we begin traveling down separate paths. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for each of them throughout the remainder of the Race, and in the months, years, and decades that will follow. I was blessed by each and every day that we did life together. As an all-girls team, we were able to embrace opportunities to fight battles for the Kingdom in our uniquely feminine ways. Through every battle, we discovered more and more that we had been appointed to be an army of 7 daughters of the King. We played an irreplaceable role, one that a thousand men could not have fulfilled.
So, I guess what I’m trying to say is… Bring on the Huns!!!!
