Five different teams make up E squad. Meet my team: Ecclesia.
Ecclesia
Noun
ec-cle-sia
e’klazei
“The called-out (ones). The early church.”
These five woman live out the early church every day of their lives. They have taught me so much from simply being in their presence. In the last nine months they have grown to become even stronger women of the Lord, constantly pursuing a deeper and deeper relationship with Him. Each day they walk in step with His will and constantly call each other higher. They are my sisters. They are my race friends who have become my real life friends. They are the Ecclesia.
She has undoubtedly always been herself. And in the past nine months the Lord has revealed more and more of who he is, but also who she is in Him. Eli you have grown so much in your identity in Christ. You now truly understand what it means to be a child of God: a daughter of the one true King. You exude joy and teach me how living in the Kingdom and having a good ole time don’t have to be two different things. I’m excited for you to live this out at home. I know it won’t be easy, but that good ole Kingdom time is going to be both beautiful and worth it. Eli, I love you.
This woman of God is a literal vessel the Lord uses to speak to us. Ninety-nine percent of the time she opens her mouth, it is His words and not her own. Sierra, throughout the race I have had the honor to see you truly step into what it means to call one another higher. You lift up your teammates in such an organic and natural and natural way that we never doubt you didn’t meet with the Lord beforehand. Your words are filled with so much eloquence, grace, and humility that we cannot help but want the same for ourselves. You have truly grown in feedback and I cannot wait to see how you use it when you’re at home in the fall. Your words carry more weight than you probably even recognize. I love you.
1 Timothy 4:12 reads “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity”. Since the beginning of the race, Elina has truly been a living representation of this verse. She is wise beyond her years and walks in the upmost humility. Elina, each time you talk I am reminded that spiritual maturity does not come with age. Over the past nine months I have seen you start to discern the difference between being knowledgable about the Bible and pursuing a deeper relationship with Christ. You have come to discover these are two beautiful things, but neither is dependent on the other. And you have reminded me of the same. You have taught me asking questions is okay and being curious is encouraged. Continue to strive for a deeper relationship with the Father. What you have going on the race is beautiful, but it does not have to stop when the race does. Elina, I love you.
Nine months ago she would have told you she was smack dab in the middle of a lifelong identity crisis. She was trying to find who she was: her passions, her purpose, her personality. She still may not know her passions or plans for the future, but boy has the Lord reminded her of whose she is and whom she’s called. Katie, throughout these nine months I have seen you step into your identity Christ has given you. Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs— heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…” You now have a new-found confidence in who you are in the Lord. Katie you teach me how to walk in knowing that we aren’t only children of the Father’s, but we are also royal blood. You are a daughter of the one true King, and the way you love truly shows you understand this to be truth. I am so proud of you, your growth, and who you have become. Katie, I love you.
During the first week of training camp back in September, we had a squad-wide honey roast: each racer took their own turn in the hot seat while other squamates shouted out compliments about that person. She had said I was the strongest person she knew. But oh boy. Regan, you are the strongest person I know. It has been an absolute joy and honor to watch you step out in faith in the Father. On April 22nd, 2021, for what seemed like the first time in your life, you truly surrendered every ounce of your being to the Lord. With a microphone in hand and tears streaming down your face, you poured out everything in front of the whole squad: your testimony, your worries, your doubts. While you were at your most vulnerable point, you fell on your face at the Lord’s feet. You stepped into the authority the Lord has given you, praying over yourself, your family, and your earthly father, praying that His will be done. This is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life. “Perfect submission, all at rest”. Regan, I love you.
Ecclesia, you changed my life. I love you.
