It turned out that I was right. My team leader informed us that there would be changes, but she didn’t know the extent of the change – we could be completely mixed up, or the changes could be minimal.
Finally, on the day we were to leave for Guatemala, the squad came together for team announcements. I sat there, waiting to hear my name, and then Mallory stepped forward. She read five names that I recognized as having been part of her team since Nepal, so not much had changed. Or so I thought.
“…and Sarah Michel.”
Huh. That was the one thing I hadn’t expected – for a full team to remain together with an extra person added. I sat there while the rest of the teams were announced, and as soon as we were told to go sit with our teams, I was approached by Mallory, Elizabeth, Lexi, Amber, Mary, and Sarah. (Yes, there are two of us on the same team. Let the confusion begin).
I was slightly intimidated; my six new teammates had all been together for four months now. How was I going to fit in with three months to go? What had their team culture looked like? How well would my personality and interests mesh with the group?
But within minutes it became clear I had nothing to worry about. As we all sat down together, I was presented with a letter. Apparently the team had been aware that someone would be joining them, and they had been praying for that mystery person for about a week and a half. (Which was around the time I had figured out that teams would change. Interesting coincidence). All of them expressed their excitement to get me as a teammate.
It felt like being drafted by a sports team – yes, I was new, but there was no question that I was one of them. We spent some time in prayer, and at the instruction of our squad leaders, took communion together. It was a powerful moment, with participating in this sacrament being our first act as a team.
Then there was one more thing to discuss: our name. To my delight, this decision didn’t take long, and within minutes we had settled on it: August, (pronounced “au-GUST,” not like the month) which means “dignified.”
There’s a funny reason why this consensus came so quickly. Back at the beginning of month five, where the original group of six was assembled, this was what they had intended to call their team. However, they overlooked the pronunciation and ended up saying it like the month of August. Having already announced it once the mistake was discovered, they left it alone.
So when I joined the team, someone suggested that we keep the spelling, but finally say the word correctly. We felt that it represented both how the team began and what would be added now that I was there. I have a love for big words and a habit of correcting others’ pronunciations, so I certainly found this fitting.
A few hours later, we were on our way to Guatemala (which is why we have no team photo yet) as a team of seven. We’ll spend the rest of the race together, and I’m excited to take on Central America with these six incredible women.
