New Team – Roaring Concords

So, at the last debrief our squad leaders announced that we
would be getting new teams before heading out to ministry in Nigeria. There are new leaders and almost no one
is on a team with an old team member. It was a shock for some people and yet something a lot of people felt
like was coming. The new teams
were announced and within the two days later we said goodbye to our old teams
and headed out. 

I loved my old team and they were definitely the people I
was meant to be with the first seven months of this trip. I learned so much from them, made some
unforgettable memories, and walked through some of the hardest months of my
life with. But it is amazing how
God always knows what you need at certain seasons in your life. As right as my first team was for that
season, this new team is also just as right for the season of life that I am in
now. I absolutely love my new
team. There is a completely
different dynamic with us. They
challenge me in different ways and make me think in new and different ways. All the teams have been switched up
dramatically. And it is something
that I feel has brought unity to our squad as a whole. I have definitely realized that I see
the squad as my huge family and not just my small little team. This has been a huge breath of fresh
air and has brought new inspiration and motivation to my life.

At debrief, our coach Mike, spoke over our team that he saw
a banner of truth. And I would
have to say that is right on. We
are all people that truly seek out truth and have a lot of wisdom and light to
offer those around us. It has
truly been a joy. So excited to
spend the next four months alongside these amazing brothers and sisters. 

We all took several days to discuss what our new team name
would be. After lots of suggestions
and much thought we decided on …Team Roaring Concords.

Thought I would introduce you all to my new team members.

Melina Orengo

She is 29 years old. She is originally from Florida. She is our fearless leader. I am so excited about being under her leadership. She is a strong beautifully fierce
woman of God who is led by the Spirit! She is so nurturing and yet also firm. She is someone whom I highly respect and enjoy being
around. I love sitting down and
having conversations with her. She
is so passionately in love with the Lord and understands that she is his
Beloved. I love to hear her share
what God is teaching her…she always gets so excited about it and loves to share
with the team. She is an amazing
sister and leader and I am looking forward to supporting her in any way that I
can over the next few months! Random fact about Melina is that she is a huge animal lover. No matter where we go Melina will find
a dog to sit down and have a conversation with.

Alana Serna

Alana is 24 years old. She is from Arizona. I am
so thankful for Alana. She is a
deep thinker. She challenges you
to always go deeper. She has a
very intimate relationship with the Lord and I love hearing about what he is
speaking to her. She is someone
who just makes you feel comfortable by being around her.   She is also one of the worship
leaders on the squad and is crazy anointed in it.   She is a true sister…we have a love hate relationship
which are just the best kind. She
challenges me and is an absolute joy to be around. Random fact about Alana is that she has a notebook called
Deep Blue. Because she is such a
deep thinker and processer she was given this notebook. She processes in the notebook and then
the notebook is public access for our team to read what all is really going on
in that head of hers.

DJ Kelley

He is 21 years old. He is from Texas and is very proud of that. That is something that you will definitely find out about
upon meeting DJ. This is a guy
that has so much wisdom and truth in him. He has tons of knowledge about the word and loves to share it with
others. He is a great
teacher. He is someone who always
has a desire to get better and to improve. He also always brings laughter to the table. You can always count on DJ to have a
positive attitude and to lighten the mood by making a joke. He always surprises us and keeps us on
our toes. He is an amazing brother
who truly desires to be there for his sisters.   Random fact about DJ is that he can talk in a lot of
different accents and do a lot of different animal noises. It always makes for fun and free
entertainment.

Jessica Johnson

She is 25 years old. She is from Wisconsin. Jess
is a breath of fresh air. She has
a life giving personality full of joy, laughter, and so much truth. She is someone I can joke around with,
someone I can have great conversations with, and someone who will challenge me
to think deeper. She is not afraid
to ask hard questions. She has a
desire to seek out the truth and to truly be more intimate with God. She seeks after his face and longs to
always hear his voice more clearly. She is so refreshing to be around and I’m looking forward to getting to
know her more. Random fact about
Jessica is that she has two stuffed animals on this trip. She has a cow named Hippo and a hippo
named Moo. She is extremely
attached to both of them and they go everywhere with our team.

Michael Parise