It’s the most anticipated day of the World Race since our launch in September ’08. Team changes… What does that mean? How does it work? Will I get to keep any of original teammates? How have racers done this in the past? Do we need to make up new team names too? Why does AIM hate us? LOL. Many questions like these were running through our heads these past 2 months as we came closer and closer to debrief after Uganda. We all just wanted to get it over with. After an amazing couple days of rafting and hanging out on the Nile River in Uganda, we headed back to Nairobi for our squad debrief. When we arrived to Kenya, we were told what day we were going to have the changes made, so now we had a “countdown” of time to spend with our original team before being split up. People who have come to be family as we all hoped. On the morning of the big day, the entire squad went to the meeting room to get the news. Alison, our squad leader, announced that our new squad leaders who would take her place when she was ready to go back home. It was Kyla, my former Transformer team leader, and Kelly from team Quake. Big shocker… Nobody was surprised in this news. Two amazing women of God. Then it was time. Alison read off the list. She got to the 3rd team before I heard anything about where I would be. “Team 3… The team leader will be Ben” I already knew there was no way Ben and I would be on the same team, so I listened to what poor soul from the rest of the guys would have to be with him. As Alison read the first name of who would be on the same team as Ben, I heard a slight hesitation in her voice. “Paaatrick” I felt like she thought to herself “OH GOD” as she read my name. I immediately look over across the room to Ben who was already looking at me in laughter, and i put my head down in disbelief at what I was hearing. I was so shocked and laughing too hard to hear the rest of the names on the team. Luckily, Alison read all the team names again for everyone to hear again so I was able to hear this time who was on my team. I was even in more disbelief and came to the impression that AIM was playing a sick joke on me. The Lord had once again placed Alex and Helen from Transformers on my team and added the amazing addition of Jill and Shiloh. All friends from the squad who I had spent a significant amount of time with and already knew well. We spend our first day together in much disbelief that this change was really happening. This team was made for great things and most definitely assembled to further God’s kingdom. Please pray for more boldness and unity for this family. We’ll be sure to entertain everyone with our stories and antics over the next 7 months…Thank you Lord for this amazing gift and thanks AIM for listening to HIS voice for where to put all the G Squad racers on teams. I wont make any promises, but the Holy Banditz will TRY and “behave”…
