Saying Goodbye to the Squash Sisters

On the World Race, squads are broken up into teams. This allows for smaller groups of people to partner with different ministries in the same country and makes it more manageable to organize everything. L Squad is broken up into 3 different teams. Every 3-4 months, teams are shuffled around, and new roles are given to all of us. At the beginning of our month in South Africa, we received our new roles and teams. This was such a bittersweet moment for me. I’m excited to embrace, invest in, and get to know my new team, the Golden Girls (stay tuned to learn more about us in the next blog). However, this means saying goodbye to the Squash Sisters.

Claudia

Before we even got to Costa Rica for our first month, it became beyond clear that Claudia and I would be World Race best friends. We clicked pretty quickly at Training Camp when we bonded about musicals and Disney on our 4-hour hike, but our friendship really solidified itself when we laugh-cried over our ridiculous selfies at Launch. Once we got on the field, it only got better. Claudia immediately became my person who I could trust with all my feelings and thoughts. I’ve never once been afraid that she would judge me or react harshly to anything I shared. When I struggled with Team Lead things, she came alongside me and supported me in anyway she could. When our team went through some rough patches during our first month, I knew that I would always be able to count on her. Claudia is so strong in her Catholic faith, and I’ve learned an unbelievable amount from her. There’s so much healing that needs to happen between the Catholic church and the rest of Christianity and it’s friendships like these that help break down stereotypes, push against biases, and clear up the miscommunication that has been happening for decades. I’m so thankful to have a friend who will hold me accountable and call me to be more like Jesus every day with gentle correction and loving conversations. Love you so much, Claudzilla!

Anna Stewart

Anna Stewart and I got off to a bit of a rough start in Costa Rica. We both just assumed that we disliked each other and never talked about it until the team had a huge blow out fight at our first debrief. In reality, I actually thought she was so cool, and I really wanted to be friends, but there was just so much miscommunication. During our big team argument, it was A-Stew who finally called us all out on our petty, middle school attitudes and asked everyone to just step up and be mature. That was definitely the wake-up call that we all needed. It’s this maturity and unwillingness to just sit in conflict that I admire so much about her. She’s not here for passive aggressive comments or avoiding things until they blow up. She also has such a kind, gentle heart. She is one of the easiest people to talk to and is always down for a game of cards. I’ve gotten such great advice from her, and she has been a true comfort when things got wild. She’s steadfast and constant, someone you can always rely on for an honest, helpful opinion. I’m so thankful that we got over ourselves and our pride and are finally really good friends! I miss you bunches and bunches, A-Stew!

Bre

Bre is one of the quietest people you’ll ever meet. You truly haven’t met an introvert until you’ve met her, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have anything to say. When you take the time to truly listen and leave space for her to talk, Bre is so unbelievably kind and sweet. I’ve learned a lot from her quiet, gentle demeanor and I’ve really come to appreciate the gift of being able to be quiet with someone. She’s such a great role model when it comes to taking her time with the Lord seriously and removing any distractions. We’ve had some beautiful conversations and she gives amazing hugs! I’m so grateful that Bre added to the diversity of our team and reflected Jesus in ways I’ve never seen before. We struggled with similar things in Nicaragua and South Africa when quiet was hard to come by, so it was such a blessing to have someone around who completely understood. Miss you, Bre! I’m praying for you and your new team!

Claire

Claire and I got along pretty well during Training Camp and then despised each other throughout Costa Rica. We immediately butt heads and managed to get under each other’s skin and push all the wrong buttons. We were definitely the main problem and it rubbed off on the rest of the team. After our big fight in Jaco (which was mostly Claire and I going at it), there was a brief period of silent confusion. Then, I suddenly felt my heart grow three sizes for her (it was lowkey like the Grinch). It was as if someone flipped a switch in my brain; every day I saw something new and amazing in her. We began to have more conversations and realized how similar our stories were. Each day I found something new to love and appreciate and a new way that she reflected Christ. Over the next few months, we continued to grow closer and closer and now I can honestly say that she’s one of my best friends. My life would not be the same without her. I’ve learned so much from our friendship and she challenges me in ways no one else ever really has. She’s one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met. If you’re doing something shady, she will call you out right away. She takes absolutely no crap from anyone and has such a great understanding of her identity and worth that no one would dare walk all over her. I’ve grown so much because of her and I’ll be forever grateful. Thankfully, we’re on the same team again, which I’m beyond excited about! Claire Berry, you’re one of my favorite humans ever and I’m so thankful so have you in my life!

Shelby

Like Claire, Shelby is also on Team Golden Girls, so we don’t have to say goodbye to her just yet. Shelby loves to learn and has a lot of knowledge about the Bible stored up in her head. If you ever want to hear a fun fact, she’s full of them! We spent a lot of our quarantine in Costa Rica having discussions about specific Bible passages and asking each other plenty of theoretical questions. We talked a lot about Paul (mainly because Claudia loves him more than anyone), random conspiracy theories, and what it truly means to live as a disciple of Jesus. There’s such beauty to be found when a bunch of people just sit down and talk, letting the conversation go where it will. I’m excited to see how you grow with this next team, Shelbs!

I loved my first team so dearly and I’m beyond thankful that I’m not on a team with all new people. I’m also super grateful that we’re set to have a lot more all-squad months, meaning that all the teams will be serving at the same ministry together. In both South Africa and Lesotho, I was able to still spend almost every day with Claudia and Anna Stewart. I’m so very thankful for this amazing first team and I can’t wait to see how these friendships will continue to blossom and grow! Please take some time to pray for each of the Squashes as we continue loving each other while also pouring into our new teams. Also, please pray for the Golden Girls, who you’ll meet in the next blog!