Goodbye Golden Girls!

Well, the time has come: another month, another team. The Golden Girls were together for our entire time in Africa… and what a time it was. We had some amazing adventures together – going on a safari, starting a snail sanctuary, surfing and eating Greek food, dancing our hearts out in our Rwandan church, witnessing a healing, and having incredible Jesus moments every day. I’m so grateful for all the time we had, the way we were able to share our hearts with one another, and the fact that we got to explore a whole new continent as a team! I’m excited to introduce you all to the newest group of girls I’ll be doing life with, but first, we need to say “Goodbye Golden Girls!”

Sarah-Katherine

I first started getting close to Sarah-Katherine during Training Camp. One of our simulation exercises involved half the squad “losing” their luggage for a night. Since my bag was lost by an imaginary airline, I needed to share a tent with someone, and Sarah-Katherine volunteered. We stayed up late talking and sharing parts of our testimonies. She also generously let me use her towel as a blanket since it was real chilly night and I had nothing with me except what I had in my small daypack: a Bible, some pens, and my water bottle (really helpful). During our first months on the Race, Sarah-Katherine and I team led together, which helped our friendship grow as we checked in on one another and worked together to wrangle the rest of the squad. This time around, I was excited to be on a team with her and get more time to get to know her and she definitely didn’t disappoint. I loved getting the opportunity to pick her brain about her relationship with the Lord. I’ve learned so much from her story and example and it’s been such a privilege to watch her grow as a leader. She stepped into her role with an abundance of gentleness, strength, and love and it’s so beautiful to see how confident she’s become since her first team. I’ve also really appreciated being able to get some insight on the war in Ukraine from Sarah-Katherine. She studied social justice in college and is so incredibly knowledgeable. We had some long talks that mainly consisted of me asking a billion questions and her giving me all the super detailed context and information I could ever want. Sarah-Katherine Smith, you are a joy and a light! Thank you for five amazing months and the many more to come! (Well that kinda sounds like an anniversary Instagram caption… oops.)

Dana

I honestly didn’t know Dana super well before we were on a team together. We were in a group chat together before the Race, but since I only decided to go a few short months before Launch, we didn’t talk too much. During the first four months of the Race, we were busy with our teammates and other friends and didn’t ever really hang out. We never disliked each other or anything, we just weren’t close. I was surprised to find out that Dana would be on my second team, but I was also really excited. She has an incredible presence and such a beautiful view of God, so I was stoked to get to know her better and hopefully learn from her and be able to have some amazing discussions together. I was blown away by how deeply we actually ended up connecting. In South Africa, we spent hours together in the garden and found so many cool ways to tie it back to the Lord. In Lesotho, we shared a room and I got to see Dana in her element – she’s the outdoorsy queen who will hike any and all mountains. In eSwatini, we had some tender moments together as I sorted out all my issues related to accepting love. In Rwanda, we had incredible late-night talks about anything and everything. By now, we’ve reached the point in our friendship where we can just sit in the same room and enjoy one another’s presence without saying a word. I really miss this a lot now that we’re back with the whole squad and on different teams. It was such an unexpected treat to get to learn to love you better and deeper, D! You are amazing, inspiring, and so easy to love and root for.

Claire

The next time you think you’re the luckiest person alive, you better think again because I got to be on a team with Claire Elizabeth Berry TWICE! Berry’s not exactly a physical touch person, but the second we found out we were on a team together again, we flew into the biggest hug ever and screamed (yeah, we’re those girls). This time in Africa with her was beyond incredible. We got to do some freaking awesome adventures together, like the safari, trips into town, and exploring local markets. We would meet up in the pool in eSwatini and chat for hours about life and God and all the things. She’s just so easy to be around. Whether it’s reading our Bibles together, shopping, or eating croissants, I know that time with Berry is always going to be a blast and a half. I really love that she is always ready for a good time, but can also have honest, deep conversations whenever and wherever. She has some super cool insights about God and faith that I love talking about. Getting to share a room in Rwanda was such a blessing and so much fun. We would wind down with some fun conversations at bedtime and sometimes watched movies on her bed. It was a slice of home that I didn’t know I needed. Elder Berry, I’m so so so thankful for you. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times; I’m obsessed with you, Claire Berry!

Shelby

As I mentioned on my blog introducing the Golden Girls, this is also my second time on a team with Shelby. Our first team, Squash Sisters, had six people on it, but this second one only had five. It’s interesting to see how having one less person in a group can make a big difference. It truly makes a lot more room for one-on-one talks and reveals different and new things about people by giving them more space to share. This was definitely the case with Shelby. She has such a huge heart for her family: her parents, nephews, siblings, and brother and sister-in-law. I knew this well before our time on Golden Girls, but it become much more apparent and blatantly obvious over these past five months. Most conversations we had, whether it be just the two of us or in a group, would organically drift back to her family. She dearly loves her two nephews and spends a bunch of time praying for her brother and sister and their spouses. It’s so fun to get updates about how they’re all doing and to see Shelby’s overwhelming joy, heartbreak, or love depending on what the news is. I pray that your heart stays soft and open, Shelbs! Keep fighting those spiritual battles for your family – it makes a difference and it’s beautiful to see!

Wow, what a time it’s been. I’m so thankful for these girls and my time with them. I learned a bunch, cried a lot, laughed a ton, and made more memories than I could ever write about here. Please keep praying for these incredible women! And now, one last time, be sure to check out Dana’s video about our time together: