This blog, this letter, is written with the intention of gracing the eyes and hearts of my squad- mates with the hope of encouraging them. That being said, I decided to deliver this letter in blog form so that anyone who reads it might also be encouraged by H squad and by the Lord’s vision for all believers.
Dear H Squad,
In scripture, Jesus makes it clear over and over again that followers of God are to act as one body. Scripture has a huge focus on unit—on earth as in heaven.
As you all know, as a squad, we have facilitated a lot of conversations about what unity with each other and those in our space could look like. Thank the Lord for people who have the Father’s vision for my life. Thank the Lord for people who aren’t ok with complacency. I love each of you so freakin much. I love your hearts to live out scripture. I love your hearts to seek unity and counter-cultural ideals in a world that tends to lean toward self-serving.
What a picture of the Kingdom each of you are.
We have talked a lot about unity, but I just want to encourage each of you; I see it happening. We are on the way to becoming an Acts 2:42 type people. What a gift!
On this past Sunday morning, I looked around and saw our squad loving each other so well, so well that it inspired this blog. I saw people putting themselves second. I saw you all revealing Kingdom on earth. We are a picture of the body doing its job.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” -1 Corinthians 12: 4-6
I looked around and I saw the team, Lightly Salted, taking the lead of a bible study designed for the squad and for the Honduran women living with us. Through this study, I saw 40 women sitting around a table and pursuing the Lord; a place at the table for everyone. I saw Ashton stepping in with her spanish and teaching skills and making sure that the Honduran girls understood and were seen.
A little bit later in the morning, I looked around and was astounded by what I saw. I saw the Beauty for Ashes coordinators: Bri, Ashton, Vic, and Lydia sitting around a table and planning TWO events for women at the camp and women from the community to grow in deeper intimacy with the Father. I saw Juls and Laina planning alongside of the Beauty for Ashes coordinators because you don’t need a dang title to love people and have a vision for them.
At the same time as this meeting was being planned, I was sitting at a table learning Spanish worship songs for our church service with Teresa, Ash, and Jamey. I saw women that had a heart to sing worship in Spanish because even if we mispronounced every other word we were making a joyful noise and meeting people where they were at, even if it made us uncomfortable.
As we were learning music I look over and see Kel, a prayer warrior, praying over my sweet friend Rebekah who due to a minor cough had been quarantined in her tent for two days. In this interaction I saw Rebekah, who somehow even from afar was acting as a beautiful example of someone loving our hosts well, simply by abiding.
As I looked around, my heart was rejoicing in all of you pursing the Kingdom, all in ways that weren’t REQUIRED, they were pursued out of compassionate and devout hearts. You were all just delighting in pursuing the Father. I realized, while sitting on the mountain and looking around at my squad mates, that it was only the tip of the iceberg; in fact, I was only looking at half the squad.
To the men of H Squad: I knew that at the current moment you were in your first few days of being at a new ministry site. I have no doubt that at that moment you were loving your host and whatever people were placed in your presence so so well; you always do.
Kaci’s team: McKayla, Heather, and Kaitlyn were all staying at a hotel in Comayagua so that until Kaci was recovered she didn’t have to stay by herself. Talk about something that could have been used as a device for division but proved as an opportunity for team unity and depth. Hallelujah.
While all of these things were going on, back in Tegucigalpa, Annie, Breanne, Kailee, and Amanda were training to be raised-up squad leaders and learn how to lead this squad with the heart and the eyes of the Father. I’m grateful for friends who are willing to take a step back from what they thought their time on the race might look like and instead step out in boldness and grace to love us well.
Now here is the sweet part of this letter: these are only the things that were happening right in front of ME before 10am on a random Sunday morning. Multiply that by the THOUSANDS of unnoticed acts and prayers uttered by members of our squad, unseen by anyone else, spanning months and countries.
The Lord has given us authority, and we are using it. This is a powerful group of people and I am dang proud of us. We have talked so much about unity that I wanted to write a letter to our squad and make sure everyone knows that its happening, we’re doing it.
We are a people putting our feet outside of the boat; let’s keep taking steps.
Each one of us is a member of this body. Seen or unseen, known or unknown even to ourselves we each have a role in that body. What the Lord has gifted each of us with is unique and beautiful and is being used immeasurably.
I see you, and MUCH more importantly, the Lord sees you. Thank you.
The body, missing any part, is not the body. Each of you is needed. If I didn’t know each of you, there are characteristics of Jesus that I would be missing out on.
“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” -1 Corinthians 12:18-20
So H squad, thanks for being unified. Thanks for pushing me, for pointing me to Jesus before yourselves, and for pursuing the Father with your whole hearts. I can’t wait to see where the Lord takes each of us individually and together in the next 5 months.
Lord, thank you for people who embody your call of “come as you are.”
Lord, thank you for people who don’t put You in a box.
Lord, I pray that we would fight to see each other with Your eyes.
Lord, I pray that you would remind us always that unity is your invention, and is in fact not about us at all.
Love ya’ll, H Squad!
