Ok faithful blog readers, I feel I have to start this blog off with an apology. I know I have dropped off the face of the internet world since training camp! I have had a lot to process in the past 10 days, and I confess that most of this processing has been done internally. But, my blog-hiatus has finally come to an end, and now I have TONS of exciting info to share!
- Who will your team be?
- What is your exact Race route?
- When are you leaving?
- Do you have enough support raised to Launch?
- How much support do you have left to raise?
- Who will your leaders/coaches be?
- Who will your team be?
Jordan Wheeler
Murfreesboro, TN
Jordan is our fearless team leader, and such a great man of the Lord. I have never met someone before who is so encouraging and so sensitive to the needs of others. Jordan never fails to draw me into team discussions, despite my tendencies to remain quiet. Thanks for that!
Jordan is an awesome guitarist…our tone-deaf team is very excited to have someone musical in the bunch :). We also had the pleasure of celebrating Jordan’s 21st birthday with him at camp, and we know that God has a lot in store for him in this upcoming year!
Jordan, thanks for being awesome at crane games, and for asking the best questions of Canadians… (“Umm, do you like Canadian bacon?”)
Love you brother!
April Payne
Taccoa, GA
April, otherwise known as “little bit,” is such a precious sister in the Lord to me. Her childlike faith and compassionate heart inspire me to draw closer to the heart of my Daddy. I have never met a woman before so filled with the Spirit! April bursts with joy that bubbles over to the rest of our team…plus her laugh is ridiculously contagious :). She is my running buddy as well…(actually racing on the Race? I think yes!)
No worries, April, one day we’ll pull together funds for that bladder enhancement surgery of yours 😉
Love you sister!
Adam Halliday
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Oh Canada! Adam is the only non-Southerner…not to mention the only Canadian…on our team, and we applaud him for putting up with our accents and enduring the frequent uses of “y’all.” Adam is an incredibly wise man of God, and has such a wealth of knowledge about spiritual things. He attended Bible college, so his knowledge of Scripture never ceases to amaze me! Adam recently just returned from Afghanistan after serving there in the Navy, and I know his overseas experience will be invaluable to our team.
Adam has such a giving heart, and is constantly taking care of our team’s physical and spiritual needs. Plus, he has the biggest Christian music library I have ever SEEN! You will be my go-to person for music this year :).
Love you brother!
Bonnie Coley
Abilene, TX
Yay for another Texas sister on the team! Bonnie and I drove from Texas to Georgia to camp together, but I never would have dreamed that I would be so blessed to have her on my team! Bonnie has been a teacher in Houston for the past few years, so we are able to entertain ourselves for hours with stories of our students :). She has such a seeking heart after the Lord, and her thirst for Him is evident and inspiring. Bonnie is my go-to person for hugs and affection; her mothering spirit is going to bring so much peace and love to our team in the year to come!
I had so much fun roadtripping with you Bon, including staying in sketch hotels, eating piles of junk food, and discovering that your dad is the football coach of my former high school’s State Championship rival! Who knew that we would both be at that game, and years later share such an incredible adventure together?! I love you sweet sister!
Ryan Hurd
Murfreesboro, TN
Ryan (otherwise known as “Uncle Ry”) has to be one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He never fails to make me laugh! But above that, his testimony of faith and thirst for the Lord blows me away. I have also never met anyone so passionate and on fire for God than Ryan. He is bold in his faith and not afraid to share with anyone and everyone what God has done in his life. Although he jokes, “I don’t think before I speak,” it is refreshing to hear such honesty and openness from someone.
I had a great time with you, Ryan, watching the stars and sharing our stories at camp. Those shooting stars were incredible! Plus, your declarations in the lake…who could forget those??
Thanks for always making me laugh, and more importantly, think. Love you brother!
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Before I wrap this blog up, let me give you a little background on our team name. At camp, after we were finally split up into our teams, we were given the task of choosing a name. The World Race staff asked us to carefully select a name for our team, something that would be meaningful to each team member and that would speak prophetic words over us for the next 11 months. Needless to say, we did not take this decision lightly! After several days of prayer (and let’s be honest, a few heated discussions ;p ), we finally stumbled upon a verse that has become the cornerstone of our team’s heart and vision for this year:
-Amos 5:21-24
Our vision this year for our team is that we would bring a river of justice to those who are oppressed and a stream of righteousness to those who have yet to experience right-standing with God. We are done with talking about our faith, we are ready to live it out!
As far as the “x” in X-stream goes, for us it represents the cross. Christ and His cross will always be at the forefront of every step our team takes. He will lead us always, and we will be willing to follow.
“X-stream,” when put together, represents our extreme heart for the Lord and His work in the nations. We are letting ourselves go in reckless abandon for our sweet Saviour. He asks for nothing less!
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Meet the rest of R Squad!
Check back later today for answers to the rest of the questions listed above! I can’t wait to share with you all 🙂
**P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe for email updates as well…super important!**
