Throughout my recent blogs, I may have mentioned a little bit about my teammates but I wanted to better introduce them to you as I have been able to get to know their hearts better these past few weeks.
First, I will share how we learned who our team was during training. All of my squad gathered under a pavilion where we were blindfolded and handed a note with a song and genre. Simultaneously, everyone sang their songs and began to search for one another. I began to sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider in screamo mode and quickly found my team of all ladies. There may be video evidence somewhere.
Soon after, we created a vision for our team that we now have posted above the sink at our house. I will share that here.
‘This team believes God created us as beautiful women for his glory. We desire to glorify Go by our reckless abandonment, shedding insecurities, learning our strengths, embodying grace, calling each other higher, establishing discipline, and strong community. This team will be a team that displays God’s glory.
Our team is slightly smaller than the other teams which has beared fruit in ways we did not expect.
Now, introducing my sweet team :)
The first photo is Amy. Amy is from North Carolina. Before The World Race, she was working at a paper company for many years. She desires to know God deeper, find her purpose, and see more to life than her 9-5 job. Amy is on the logistics team which means she does a lot of work to organize debriefs, training, and travel days for our entire squad. We also find her doing a lot of logistical work within our team including being the first to make sure our trash is outside on trash days, making shopping lists, and often tidying up the house. We have called her our backbone and it is such a gift.
Amy has a heart to build relationships with people in the villages here. She has stepped out in boldness many times by speaking in front of women and congregations. Amy is well spoken, intentional, young hearted and gentle. Amy has experienced more than many of my teammates so she is often able to provide wisdom and advice. I am confident that it was the Fathers hand that put her here. My favorite memory of Amy is watching her conquer our longest mountain hike. Her strength in the Lord was evident.
The photo I have chosen highlights the self discipline she has had to not pet all the stray dogs we see on the streets. She believes they are drawn to her so you can often find her praying for them from afar or holding back tears. She has even advocated for our host family to buy this dog she has named Hank. He is for sale for just 1000 Q’s.
The second photo is Joana. Joana is from Colorado. Before The World Race, she graduated college and was working at a bakery. Joana has had the call of missions on her life or a few years and is filled with gratitude to finally be overseas answering that call. What I admire most about Joana is her dependence on the Word of God and her desire to give up everything to share the gospel and love others. Joana spends a great amount of her mornings and also evenings in the word. Her bible is by her side and it is admirable. She also wants to give everything she can for the people here in Guatemala. That gift shined a few days ago when we bought pastries from the bakery, walked to the Central Park, gave bread, and prayed with people. It was not a part of our assigned ministry, but she has sought out ways to bless people daily.
Joana serves many roles for our team. First, she is our treasurer. She is in charge of our team budget for food, housing, ministry supplies, travel, etc. She does a lot of behind the scenes tasks that are vital to our team’s success. Second, she is our Beauty for Ashes coordinator. Beauty for Ashes is a women’s ministry that The World Race encourages to bring around the world. We are actually preparing for our Beauty for Ashes event that will take place in a nearby village this week. We will have nearly 50 women in attendance- praise God! Lastly, Joana speaks Spanish! She often bridges the gap for our team by translating, helping us, or even encouraging us to try to communicate! I always have confidence when I get to evangelize with Joana.
Beyond the roles Joana has, her natural gifts of service, listening, and empathy are a blessing to me. Lastly, Joana is always down for a competitive game of Uno.
Joana is also continuing her support raising. She is in need of $2,059 to stay on the mission field this year. If you feel led and are able, reach out to me. Thank you.
The third photo is Mikahla. Mikahla is actually from Wisconsin too so we often bond over Kwik Trip, the changing leaves during Wisconsin falls, and different slangs like ‘ope’. She feels a little bit like home. Mikahla just graduated from Liberty University in Virginia. Although her degree was in business, I often forget that because she has all these random and amazing facts that she pulls out often. If you ever need to know the science behind something while also being reminded that God did it, ask Mikahla. Before creating a career after graduation, Mikahla wanted to ensure that she does not get caught up in the things of this world but in the things of her heavenly father. You can often find Mikahla listening to a good podcast, making a playlist, dreaming of her favorite kinds of hummus or spending time journaling with the Lord.
Mikahla is our Team Leader. She blesses our team by communicating weekly to our leadership that is not physically present with us in Chicaman. She relays individual struggles and praises, as well as entire team updates. Mikahla has given an admirable sacrifice to be here. She is funny, bold, wise, and resilient. Her vulnerability has drawn our team closer together. I am so thankful for her presence and the important role she plays for our team.
Well, that is my team & I love them.
Be well. Love well.
Mags
