I am so excited to introduce my team to you! On the World Race, my squad is the group of 48 people (plus our two squad leaders) that I will be traveling with. We will be going to the same countries at the same time. Within my squad, there are seven teams, made up of 6-8 people. The teams do ministry from month to month together, and may or may not be with other teams from our squad.
My squad, U Squad! These people are my family, and I love each and every one of them!
So, everyone, meet my team, Fearless Unity!
We came up with our name during our team building time at Training Camp. We definitely liked the word unity, because all week our whole squad had been focusing on becoming unified with each other in Christ. Especially after "that night." All the leaders and trainers specifically prayed for us to have unity. So unity was very important to us. We started making a list of words that meant a lot to us or sounded good. Most of them started with the letter U, because that's our squad letter. Then Ryan said he had been praying and had heard the word "fearless." That reminded one of my teammates about a verse in Ephesians, which is our team verse.
Ephesians 4:1-6:
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
We chose Fearless Unity because we want to be unified as a team in Christ. We want to be fearless in drawing together as one. We want to be fearless in sharing the gospel of Christ with the world. So, here's my awesome team!
Trent is our team leader. This man is so amazing! He's a good ol' Southern boy from Georgia, and is very laid back. He will be a very calm and wise presence on our team, and I can't wait to learn from him! He's also very random and funny. You know when he starts off positive feedback with "Vallory, you remind me of the porcupine from Open Season…" that things are going to stay interesting this year! I'm so blessed to have such a fantastic team leader!
Stephanie is, in a word, quirky. She's hilarious, sweet, and kind. I loved talking to her and hearing her perspective on things. She has a zeal for life that is inspiring, and I cannot wait to go deep with her this year! She will be a fantastic sister!
Linsey is very sweet, quiet, and wise. Her silence hides the amazing thoughts that go on in her head, and she often has really interesting things to bring to the table. She is our team treasurer, so she's in charge of all of our money and our budget. AIM definitely picked wisely! I'm excited to get to know her and learn from her this year!
Amanda is a ton of fun! She also tends to be on the quiet side…until she gets to know you! Then she is so funny! She also has a lot to offer, and I can't wait to bond with her this year. I have a feeling she'll also teach me a lot!
Ryan is weird, funny, and unique! He's also very talented on the guitar and has promised to teach me how to play this year. I'm excited to get to know him and get real with him. He's from Montana, so I'm also looking forward to hearing about a place in the States I haven't been to yet!
Rebecca (aka Neff) is AMAZING! I am psyched to live life with this woman! She is a beast (she carried me on her shoulder for half an hour during a teambuilding exercise), but she's also not afraid to be open and vulnerable. I know that God has great things planned for our friendship, and I can't wait to see what adventures we get into!
I'm so blessed and excited to be a part of Team Fearless Unity, and I cannot wait to share with all of you what God is going to do in our lives on the World Race!
