if you ask me about my team chances are I will ramble on forever talking about how wonderful they are. they bring so many different qualities to the table & show me more of the Lord’s character just by the way they live. my last blog was regarding community & I am so thankful that these are the people that make up my community. it’s also been quite some time that I have been on the race & have yet to introduce them so to do so in a simple way, I included a word they each embody so clearly. so without further adieu meet my best friends: team alithenos!!
katie thompson
when I think of katie I think of the word grace. grace is a huge concept & can be hard to understand in some instances but I can tell you with full confidence that this woman shows everyone around her grace. in Romans 11:6 it says “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” katie embodies this because you don’t have to come to her all made up or with your best attitude or do any kind of work for her to show you grace in return. she just does. we are so undeserving of God’s grace but we received it with His blood on the cross & I understand the concept of grace more because of katie. she creates a safe environment for all who are around her & will do literally whatever it takes to know & love you.
sophi lutz
when I think of sophi I think of the word courage. sophi has been following the Lord for less than a year but if you would ever come in contact with her that would blow your mind because of the courage that is so evident in her. when things are hard, sophi holds onto courage to persevere & is willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen her relationship with the Lord. she fights her battles head on & is has the urge to complete whatever God may ask of her. in 1 Chronicles 28 David is speaking to his son Solomon & says “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you.” another thing about sophi is that she is incredibly hard-working. so I can assume her prayer is not to make things easier, but that it is similar to when David says do the work. I believe that she is able to have this attitude because of the courage that the Lord gave her & it is encouraging for our whole team as well.
amanda casillas
when I think of amanda I think of the word depth. if you have a genuine conversation with this girl then I would be extremely surprised if she didn’t say “can I ask you a question?” on multiple occasions. in this day & age it is so hard to come across people who so clearly want to push past surface level, but not for amanda. she craves to know more about people & every detail they are willing to share. 1 Corinthians 2:10 “The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” the spirit seeks to know more about every one of us & is very similar to the way amanda pursues people. this trait makes her more like the Lord. she makes people feel seen & heard. not only does she crave to know others, but she is willing to reveal more about herself & her life struggles if that means she is seeking the Lord in a deeper level.
emily wilson
when I think of emily I think of the word lightheartedness. she carries this uplifting energy that makes it nearly impossible for people not to want to be around her. she claims to be an introvert but regardless, she attracts people with her knowledge, humor & love for the Lord. I mean seriously, she makes me laugh more than anyone so the scripture that I found to be fitting for her is Psalm 126:2. “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘the Lord has done great things for them.’” with emily’s presence it is made easy to believe that the Lord has done, & will continue to do, great things for His children. also a side note that ties into the scripture, it says songs of joy. emily is incredibly talented with a beautiful voice. the way she sings & the way she lives is a testament of the light believers bring to this world. being around her for these past two ish months has been easy & enjoyable.
presley graves
when I think of presley I think of the word boldness. you don’t need to interact with her more than once to pick up on this but I am very appreciative to see this quality in action everyday for 7 more months. she embodies this following scripture; Acts 28:31 “Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” praise the Lord that He gave Presley the ability to base her life on this scripture. (quite literally considering proclaiming the kingdom of God & teaching about the Lord is a huge part of our mission while on the race.) not only is it in the way that she follows Jesus, but Presley genuinely loves, walks, speaks & listens in boldness regardless of whatever obstacles might come her way. she is so confident in who the Lord is because of all the great things He has provided for her thus far & uses that as a drive to boldly proclaim His goodness. it also helps that Presley might be the most loud & obnoxious (in the best way) on the whole squad so boldness intersects with her other qualities very well.
morgan wadsworth
when I think of morgan I think of the word curiosity. morgan is an eager person. it could be her 7 score on the enneagram being displayed but either way, she is constantly in pursuit of seeking more of both creation & the Creator of it all. I mean we literally spent so much time the other day just looking at the world map & shared all the places we wanted to go & why. scripture says in Psalm 104:24 “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” emphasis on “full of”: those are the kind of words that propel her to go. I am confident the Lord will use morgan to reach more people & more nations that He created. she also told us that she wanted to grow in wisdom & I can personally say I have seen the Lord reveal more of His wisdom to her which is able to coexist with her curious side.
I am SO glad that God can so clearly show me things through these people. I don’t think I will ever get enough of it or of all 7 of them. (that’s an exaggeration, community living is super duper hard but real thankful it exists!!) I hope you all get just a glimpse of how wonderful they are. also they write amazing blogs as well & aren’t fully funded quite yet either so if you want to check out their pages, here are the links!!! thanks everyone for reading 🙂
katiemthompson.theworldrace.org
sophilutz.theworldrace.org
amandacasillas.theworldrace.org
emilywilson.theworldrace.org
presleygraves.theworldrace.org
morganwadsworth.theworldrace.org
