Well, we did the thing.
And by the “thing” I mean the 5 months of squatty potties, feedback, and guacamole & fries for dinner (not for the full 5 months, but you get what I’m saying).
I am now back in the land of Portillo’s hot dogs and Target. I can wholeheartedly say leading W Squad was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life… and I chose to be a Patriots fan… so that’s saying something.
But in all seriousness, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have walked alongside over 30 men and women, alumni and new racer alike, as they discovered the truth of what it means to become a disciple and tell the nations about the good news.
I witnessed W Squad say NO to darkness, NO to anxiety, NO to fear, NO to oppression. I witnessed this incredibly fire filled group of men and women serve through teaching english (countless days of teaching english), through physically serving in coffee shops, and most beautifully through calling one another to a different level of holiness. They rallied around one another when tragedy occured at home, and they celebrated new levels of freedom and worship consistently. I witnessed this group say YES over and over to one another, to the Lord, and to serving those around them.
I had the opportunity to stand both in front of them and behind them and amidst them countless times to teach, to listen and to learn. And while I do genuinely miss being called “grandma Nico” almost daily, or hearing Emily’s sweet “good mornings!” from across the compound, I really do believe I learned more about discipleship through experiencing life within those last 5 months than I have my entire walk with Christ.
Being a Squad Leader is special. It will forever be a favorite piece of my life. It brought me friendships I never knew were possible, and a deeper relationship with God that I had desired for a while.
So even though that chapter has ended, and I’m slowly re-learning to throw my toilet paper in the toilet and not the trash once again, I’m grateful for the imprint that W Squad left on my heart.
I made the decision before Squad Leading to apply for an internship in Spain.
And Squad Leading solidified my reasoning for wanting to complete this internship.
So it is with COMPLETE ECSTATIC emotions that I can say I will be attending G42 Leadership Academy in Mijas, Spain this March!
I will be posting more about G42 in the days to come, but for now, I need YOUR help!
I have a fundraising deadline coming up of $4,500 and I am just barely over $700 currently fundraised. G42 is a 9 month leadership and discipleship school that focuses on teaching disciples how to create their own Missional Communities. A huge reason why I want to attend G42 is for the mentorship, and to learn more about becoming a better leader for more trips in the future. I feel called to being international for quite a while, and look forward to attending G42 to learn more about not only myself as a leader, but the Lord as well.
For those of you who have donated to my races before, I am grateful to no end for the investments that you made into both my life and the lives of those around the world that I was able to impact.
Would you consider donating to my internship?
If so, go to generation42.org/donations and scroll down until you see my face/name (Nico Murray).
Click “donate” and pledge either 1 time or monthly.
Thank you so much!
Nicole Amy
