Gainesville, Georgia January 15th, 2024. “& back home I would NEVER be friends with any of you.”
It’s been a full month on the field in Guatemala and so much has happened and changed in my life since I left the states. I have played tug of war with the Lord on so many things but one of my favorites has been community.
So what is it?
I have always been an observant person. I remember watching all my teammates at training camp get to know each other and love each other. From the sidelines I thought … “I would NEVER be friends with these people back home.” Harsh. I know. Everyone was so different and unique which gave me the ick. I was so comfortable and nostalgic of my friendships back home, I refused to let these people in. CRAZY RIGHT? Knowing I was about to do life with them for an entire year!
Friendships. I would say I have so many people that care for me in Texas, yet I have been hurt SO many times. Seen people come and go. Betrayal. Drama. Heartbreak. Closing my heart off to the world always felt easier and safer. Trust has never been easy for me. F Squad was no exception. January 16, 2024. The Lord told me I could trust this team & asked me to. Did I? Nope. LOL At least not right away.
Prayer Mountain, Guatemala. March 5, 2024.
I have been doing life with five amazing spirit filled racers for the past month that I now call family. We half cook foods together, sing random chants & worship, shovel up sand & trees x3, go to sleep at 6PM, ride in truck beds like cows, burn sticks & roast mellows, get kicked by horses, get sick vomit & poop, etc. #mountainlife.
“JESUS CARRIED HIS OWN CROSS YALL, LETS GO!” -Caroline Heaton
Tanner Jacobs cut down the tall pine trees and we all carried them up the hill. Yes. It took 6 people. As we carried them up Caroline said this and it motivated all of us to carry the twig right up that hill. She was right. Jesus carried his OWN cross while being whipped, mocked, & bled UP A HILL. Yet there we were, struggling. It hit me. We were never meant to do it alone. Not designed for solitude.
Panajachel, Guatemala. March 2, 2024.
ADVENTURE DAY. We decided to hit up Lake Atitlan for the weekend and WOW. The view was absolutely STUNNING. This is definitely honeymoon material, yall sleep on Pana. Some of us had decided to take a boat to a near city called San Marcos where we could cliff jump. Yes. I was one of those people. Here’s the thing. I do NOT know how to swim. YOLO was my only thought. I mentioned this to everyone and they all said they would catch me at the bottom. Bet. Done deal. I WAS cliff jumping. 4:18PM I’m standing on the edge of a cliff while Caroline, Alexa, & Payton all wait in the water to catch me. Hesitant. Scared. Adrenaline. Excited. I jump. When I bobbed up to the surface I fought for my life and put all my weight on Caroline & she started choking on water… still never letting go of me. She risked her own life to save mine.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer…
community, a display of God’s love through each of us
