As promised, here is part 3 of 3 blogs dedicated to all of the craziness of training camp! In this blog I want to introduce my wonderful team. I know in past blogs I’ve mentioned teams and squads, but for those who don’t know how it all works, let me break it down for ya: I will be traveling with 26 other incredible people for the next year, AKA my squad, and within that squad of 27 (myself included), I will be living and doing ministry with 5 other amazing girls, my team! There is a possibility that my team could change throughout the race but at least for the first few months these are the girls that I will be living with and doing life with! I’ve only had the opportunity to spend a week or so getting to know them, but I want to share with you what I’ve learned about them so far. If you want to learn more about my team, I’ve included the links to their blogs so that you can check them out! So, without further adieu, meet my team!
(Not pictured: Caroline)
Charla
https://charlabenton.theworldrace.org/
Charla is steady. She is and has already been a presence of peace in my life. In one of my previous blogs, I shared a story about my time doing door-to-door evangelism with my team, Charla was a rock for me during that exercise. Charla builds people up and she is a force of encouragement, who is quick to point out the growth that she sees in other people. She has an infectious love for all of God’s children and I am so excited to have this opportunity to learn from her as we follow this crazy calling that the Lord has placed on our lives.
Brie
https://brierotelle.theworldrace.org/
Brie is bold. In the short time that I have known her, I have seen her walk confidently in the Lord, whether it be door-to-door evangelism (she was a superstar- like seriously, we encountered a family during our evangelism that didn’t speak English and this girl, without hesitation, breaks out and starts sharing the gospel in Spanish! Later she mentioned that she only took Spanish in school a few years back and hasn’t practiced much since… crazy), or stepping into leadership roles, Brie is fearless. She is sweet and inclusive and has spent so much of her life in pursuit of God and His will for her. Not to mention that she is an amazing singer and guitarist, who led our whole squad in worship one of the nights during camp. She is authentic and humble and I am so excited to dive into this crazy thing called the World Race under her leadership.
Megan
https://meganoliver.theworldrace.org/
Megan is strong. She perseveres and trusts in the Lord through trials and tribulations, she speaks her mind with grace and persistence. She knows her worth and stands up for herself and others. I can already see her passion for the lost and forgotten through her eagerness at camp. I know that she will be a force to be reckoned with on the race. This girl also has EMT training- AKA she’s going to help keep me alive on the race for those of you who were worried. Megan is a listener, she’s one of those people you can talk to and really felt understood afterwards. I am so excited to be in community with this girl, I know that there is so much that I can learn from her about how to love others well.
Emily
https://emilyorlich.theworldrace.org/
Emily is joyful. She is bubbly, funny, and she has an amazing love for life that is only eclipsed by her love for the Lord. She brings energy and passion to whatever tasks she puts her hands to and she never lets life’s hurry get in the way of cracking a good joke or loving on people. She is an amazing leader who really sees and is attentive to those she leads, she is inviting and makes those around her feel loved and cared for. She has a love in her heart that is unifying and has the ability to transcend language and cultural barriers. I am so excited to learn from her how to stop and take time to enjoy the things and people that are around me.
Caroline
https://carolinejenkins.theworldrace.org/
Caroline is a vessel. Time and time again at training camp I saw her step out of her comfort zone to be used by God. During our time evangelizing, Caroline was just as nervous as I was, but she didn’t let that stop her from her calling. She spoke life over both people and their homes, with a ‘yes’ in her spirit. When we would start to pray for each house, Caroline, without fail, spoke a word over the home that she had received from the Lord (the absolute coolest/funniest thing ever). She has a voice, and she is learning to use it. I see in her so much openness to what the Lord is doing in her life and its exciting to be around. Truth be told, Caroline and I kinda got off on the wrong foot, but we had the opportunity to pray together and to talk about the ways that we differ but also about how big our God is and His amazing, wonderful, and sometimes scary plans for us over the next 11 months. As we got to know each other more, I got to see that were she is at first quiet, she is also funny and goofy and adventurous. There is a level of vulnerability that we can have now that wasn’t possible at first and multiple people (including Caroline) have talked about visions that they have had of us on the race becoming best friends and joking about how we got off to a rough start at training camp. I know that the race will provide a place for growth and understanding for both of us and I cant wait to walk this journey with her as sisters in Christ. I am so excited to watch her grow in her openness to what the Lord is doing in her life but also to learn how to embody that same openness myself.
Together we are team Submerge. (Why Submerge you might ask…) Well, when we were first put on a team together, the image of a waterfall was spoken over us multiple times. Water imagery was something that followed our team for the first few days after being a team. We just kept coming back to a waterfall and how it overflows onto whats around it. We settled on the name of Submerge because we as a team want to step into that overflow. The overflow of love, of grace, of understanding and forgiveness, of boldness, and let it wash over us as we “Submerge” ourselves into God’s calling on our lives in this moment.
When I talk to people who have done the World Race, one thing that I hear most often is: your team will determine your race. That used to make me really nervous, it was the one thing I couldn’t control- what if my team was a bust? Luckily, God knows what He is doing. We all have different backgrounds and strengths, and while that might be hard at times, I have faith that God will use our differences to grow us and stretch us into the well-rounded Christ followers that we are meant to be.
Much love,
Morgan
As always, I invite you to make my journey, your journey. Here are three simple ways:
- The most important, PRAY.
- Subscribe. (If you want to subscribe to my blog and stay up to date on what God is doing in my life, click the orange “Subscribe for Updates” in the left-hand corner.)
- Share. (If my blog has touched you in any way tell a friend by clicking the “Share with” links to share this on social media.)
