Meet My Team: Surrendered Seven (& Our First Ministry Placement)

Hello friends!! I am SO excited to make this post & introduce you to my team! 

H Squad is the large group of us (about 50 people) that will be traveling together to each country & coming together at the end of each month for debrief. Within our large squad, we are split into seven teams of 6-7 people. Once we’ve made it each country, we will split into our teams & travel to our ministry location. This could look different each month. It could be that all teams are together (all squad month), each team is in a different location within the country, or some teams are together and others are together. 

This month, we will have five teams in Jaco, Costa Rice (including mine!) & the other two teams will be up north in Los Chiles. I am SO excited to be traveling to Jaco!! Out of respect for our host, I can not share the name of our ministry host yet, BUT I can tell you that Jaco is a little surf town right on the beach! We will be doing a bi-weekly surfing club outreach program, working in the kids ministry, doing light construction/painting, helping out at the pregnancy center, & possibly working their new business center!! Only 28 days till we’re there and I could not be more excited!

Now onto my TEAM!!

During training camp, we did group activities with different people each night to help our leaders see how we worked together. With that & lots of prayer, they were able to place us exactly where God wants us. The night before we found out our teams, we were all together & a leader asked, “Whats one word you would use to describe this group?” My immediate answer was powerful & let me just say it is 100% true already. 

Heres a pic of my team, Surrendered Seven…

(Starting on the top row & going left to right)

First is me! I’m the team’s treasurer, so I’ll be in charge of our budget & finances!! If you want to know more about me, please reach out or check out my other blog posts!

Beside me is Laina! Laina is from Washington State & is an absolute prayer warrior. She went to three years of ministry school & is looking forward to apply what she’s learned in Costa Rica and the countries to follow! Laina is also our team’s Beauty for Ashes coordinator. She will be in charge of leading our team in hosting & directing events 

Next up is Teresa! She is from Georgia & leading up to the race, she has been working as a swim coach. Teresa is our squad’s Health & Safety Coordinator! She will be in charge of making sure everyone knows the important safety details of each country. After the crazy year we’ve had, she is excited the community God has put us in & stepping out into the mission field to see what’s waiting for us!

On the far right is Catherine! This Catherine’s second time going on the World Race! She previously spent 5 months in South America & West Africa before being pulled from the field in March due to Covid. She is so excited to be back on the field with us in January! Also… Catherine was her previous team’s treasurer, so I am excited to get to learn from her & her previous experience!

Now onto the guys, starting on the left is Andrew! Andrew is so knowledgeable in Christian theology and a fantastic teacher (definitely check out his blogs). He has lead a homeless ministry & continually seeks opportunities to share the Gospel. 

In the middle is Paul! Similar to Catherine, this will be Paul’s second time on the Race. He and Catherine were actually on a team together before! Latin America has always had a special place in his heart, so he is thrilled to be able to start our race there! Another note about Paul… he was the one to lead us in worship around the camp fire at training camp! 

Last but not least, is Micah! Micah has worked as a CPA the last few years at a public accounting firm, but is so excited to switch over into full time missions. Micah is our team leader & is already doing an awesome job at it! In his free time, he enjoys photography & videography (check out his youtube)! And he (along with myself & some other racers) are hoping to learn to surf in Costa Rica!!

So that’s the Surrendered Seven! I can not wait till we are reunited & serving the Lord in Jaco, Costa Rica!! So far, Micah & I are fully funded, but our 4 other teammates are not. All I ask is that you would be in prayer over the unity of our team, and if prompted by the Lord, give financially to them. Their blogs can be found on the menu on the left side of the screen under ‘meet my team’. 

Thanks for tagging along through my longest post yet! Please reach out with any questions or comments, I’d love to talk more and possibly meet up before I leave for launch!!

Pura Vida!