When A Team Becomes A Family

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”- 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 

After four months of living in Swaziland, Africa I am now back in America. The transition after a mission trip, especially after being gone for that long is always really hard. A lot of things have been going through my mind over the past week, but the main thing on my mind pretty much 24 hours a day is my team. We were involved in many different ministries while in Swazi, but my main time was spent with my team.

When I first came on this trip I already knew the members of my team because I met them last semester during the time I spent in Jefferys Bay. I got to know a couple of them pretty well, and I really liked the group as a whole. My affection for them was the main reason I decided to go back to Swaziland, but I had no idea how God was going to use them in my life. This team is nothing short of amazing. I have always heard soldiers say that once you have gone through war together, nothing can separate the bond they have together. Well, I’m here to tell you that this team has gone through war together. We have been through hurt, disappointments, robberies, illness, broken relationships, loss of teammates, deaths of loved ones and the list could go on. If I took the time to truly list out everything this team has gone though in the last 4 months, your jaw would drop and you wouldn’t even know what to say. But, I’m not going to list everything out because I don’t want to focus on the tuff things…I want to focus on what God did through them. This team didn’t just survive through these trials, they came out stronger. In my entire life, I have never seen God redeem like He has in the past 4 months. He has taken ashes and made them beautiful. He has taken people who didn’t know if they could make it through and made them weapons for Him. Satan threw punch after punch and this team didn’t stay down. This is a team of fighters. This is a team that didn’t just take every punch on the chin, but instead they went to the Lord and allowed Him to be their strength. I have honestly never seen a team go through this much and actually leave stronger and closer to the Lord. I have never been prouder of a group than I am of this one.

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by<sup value='[a]’>one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”- 1 Corinthians 12:11-13

It is clear that God hand-picked each person specifically to be on this team. We all are very different in yet got along in a way that only God could create. Davie makes me laugh. He hides behind his tough male exterior but inside he is someone who has learned how to love. Blair is the studier. He is one that digs in and spends as much time in the Word as he possibly can. Ryan is the calm one. He is the comforter and protector and has become a man in love with the Lord. Alyssa is strong. She loves people and is a servant in ministry. Gail is a voice of reason. She is the young one with wisdom beyond her years. Jillian is the tiny one in size. She is also the one with one of the biggest hearts for people that I have ever seen. She gives everything she has. Mary is the rock. No matter what happens she goes to the Lord for her strength. She is also the encourager and knows exactly what people need when they need it. Alene is the picture of kindness. She has a light about her that is evident and makes everyone around her smile. Layne is our resident movie expert. She knows how to relate to people. She may be hard-core on the outside, but her inside is kind and beautiful. Sarah Taylor is our trickster and the one we can always look to for a laugh. She is also a person full of compassion and love for those most people don’t even recognize. Sarah Keppinger is one of the sweetest girls you will meet. She has innocence about her but is never one to be underestimated. She is led by the Spirit more than she even knows. Jess is a fighter. She has found a new faith that she never knew she could have and isn’t willing to settle for less than that any longer in her life. Loretta is the mature one of the group. She is the sound mind that everyone listens to and she is obedient to the Lord no matter what. Tyler is the sarcastic one. He makes everyone think and dig deeper. Melissa is the goofy one. She is awkward and fun and always can make you smile. Issy is the servant. She is always willing to help without complaining and has an amazing joy about her. Matt is crazy in a good way. He is ok with being his own person and makes everyone around him enjoy life a little bit more. I could go on and on but there are really no words to describe each person on this team. I have seen each person grow into the man and woman of God they were meant to be and the best part is that they aren’t done growing yet. They aren’t satisfied with where they are at…they want more. They want more of God and they want more out of this life. They are not satisfied with mediocre Christianity. They are going home as new people and that is only by the grace of God.

I have always heard about community and at certain times in my life I thought I understood what that meant, but I have never known community like I have the last 4 months. We have fought for one another. We have prayed diligently for one another. We have cried with each other, laughed with each other and sometimes sat quietly together just “being.” We have been through hell and back and we love each other more than we could have ever expected to or asked for. Saying goodbye to them was one of the hardest things to do. I have a glimpse of what parents must feel like when they send their kids off to college or see them get married. I feel like I have given them everything I have to give and to see them all walk away with a piece of my heart was painful. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. If I have learned anything on this trip it is that life is short and we may not have tomorrow. I have learned to love wholly and lay it all out there because you may not have another chance. Live with no regrets. This team went from being a team to being my family. I love each of them intensely and would do anything for them. I hope that we will not be a team that just “talks the talk” but instead follows through. I hope we will be at each other’s weddings. I hope that we will have reunions and be there in the good and the bad…the way true community is supposed to be. I don’t believe that ends with distance, and I hope this team defies the penalty of time. If any team is going to last…it is this one.

For His Glory,

Caroline 🙂

Ps. 56:3