it’s dangerous to go alone,

in the original NES zelda, as you start
your quest, an old man says

it’s dangerous to go alone,
take this!

and you get the master sword.
because every hero needs a good companion.

this is my final team change, leaving world race teams
and going out to find my own new community –
but i can’t think of a better way to have ended the race than
with these lovely ladies.

at training camp, i told my first team i was afraid
i would bring darkness, my darkness, to the team,
and here at the very end, i found myself bringing a
little s u n s h i n e with girls who embody l i g h t.

 and so i want to take a minute to share with you
about the girls i had the privilege of finishing with

S O N S H I N E [team]

[that’s right, she’s an individual and did not take a picture with

her pokemon, so here she is with a child, close enough]

tori.

oddish, sun d r o p

unstoppable. searching. creative. perceptive.

that’s right, together for 11 months with this girl

& i know it was meant to be

didn’t know she could make POPCORN but she can and it’s

incredible (seriously, holding out on us here – )

thrives in the middle of market mayhem and can haggle you d o w n

often seen sketching in her twenty pound oscar wilde anthology

(&/or letting children doodle with her)

sleeps in a bedskirt. i.e. that purple skirt, she wears to bed… in her tent.

has made a real friend in every country, she doesn’t just know their names

and their stories, they know h e r s (and love her) –

holds nothing back, gives what she has, whether it’s a

watermelon, smile, &/or wave.

sees every encounter with people as an encounter with God

that LAUGH though

sometimes she’ll try and push you away but that’s when you have to hold

on a little tighter, because she’s worth it, needs to be reminded you love her.

needs: a little space to breathe and a bag of carrots

favorite memories: our RP team time and her writing “saucy sandra,” our sink

conversation in ethiopia, seeing her sitting on the hill surrounded by kids reading them a book

“i’m an individual.”

word: l e v e l

britt.

parasect, sun f l o w e r

empath. understanding. “nerd.” artist.

look there she goes, that girl, with her nose stuck in a book

(or rather, kindle, because books are heavy and her backpack isn’t – how?)

of the gluten free variety but you know, sometimes she just has

to eat that pancake

never met anyone who can vomit all night with more grace

will listen to you with empathy and without judgment

a lesson in spinning straw troubles into golden laments

comes alive when there’s paint tracing her fingerprints

(and maybe a little on her face, just there)

but if you want to see her light up just talk about anything medical

don’t underestimate this girl, she’s stronger than she knows

sometimes found standing on the sidelines but

she’s meant to be center field so help her out sometimes,

she doesn’t want to be left out & she just needs a reminder

she’s all ready i  n v i t e d

she loves avatar the last airbender which makes her the COOLEST OBV

needs: something sweet after dinner & gluten free waffles

favorite memory: watching HP together i.e. hiding from people and

that time i had to start an IV on her under

a little pressure and there was blood everywhere and dripping on her chaco

but she’s like, yeah, it’s cool, just you know, tape it down now…

“MIR”

word: d e s i g n a t e

katie.

raichu, sun r a y

wild. joyful. hilarious. energetic.

absolutely was not my friendcrush at training camp, what?

cheers to this girl who had the misfortune to fall next to me alphabetically but

before even really knowing me helped me get that aisle s e a t –

sit next to her because if you do you will laugh the hardest you

have in a long, long time – girlfriend is crazy in the best kind of way(s)

(i mean maybe she rolled around in the airplane aisle and maybe

she didn’t, who knows?)

this girl can PRAY; let the Holy Spirit fall because she’s got His number

has a thirst for God and His word, a desire for t r u t h

that knows no bounds & is absolutely contagious

and she’ll speak it, she’ll have the hard conversations because

she loves you too much not to and she is true to her h e a r t

knows herself & wants to know you just as well

be careful in her proximity because she frequently has her mind b l o w n

and you may be caught in the explosion

servant hearted & willing to volunteer [as tribute]

so remind her it’s okay to take a step back sometimes

will braid your hair for free

needs: plant based diets and COFFEE

favorite memories: mosquito net bed buddy – that corner of the bed though, falling

down in the middle of the night and we just… left it. night time prayers and all those

airplane LAUGHS

“OH NO NOT THE VISTA.”

word: c r e a t e

rashelle.

shellder, sun l i g h t

calm. subtle. devoted. sweet.

usually found curled up in a corner somewhere, or next to someone

you’ll know what days she’s doing ministry because she has a very specific

ministry outfit: blue pants, stripped shirt, you know the one

God provides her with children in all ministry settings because

she needs them & they need her

a girl true to her word and she needs you to say

what you mean & mean what you say

dedicated to prayer and loves bringing people together

a study in a desire for fellowship

she loves all g a m e s – card games, board games,

people games – just sit with her and play something please but just know

she’ll win. she always wins. it’s fine. totally fine.

slow to speak but give her a minute because she absolutely

hears from God and always has valuable insight

needs to understand: the who, what, when, where, WHY & HOW

loves her family more than herself.

needs: to know what you are ordering before she orders

(also her food still should not touch)

favorite memories: going to the doctor with her, playing NERTS, and praying

together in ethiopia

“…” [it’s more of a look, the i have something to say look]

 word: f i r e f l y

sam.

growlithe, sun s p o t ,

protector. feeler. willing. harmonious.

sees people in trouble and goes in after them, will advocate

for you when you can’t stand up for yourself

a study in assertiveness –

loves to encourage people, this girl will AFFIRM you, don’t you worry

will pursue you but she needs a person too, so make sure to go after her

and take time to get to know her because she’s bomb,

wears her emotions openly, says “i’m going to cry,” and then usually does

learning to form her boundaries so treat her with care and

watch your step

always has an eye on the atmosphere of things, God has given her

a lot of discernment and she’ll help you feel out the situation

she is after that next ADVENTURE – seeking that thrill of adrenaline and she’s spontaneous

but dang can that girl PLAN (praise the Lord because we may never have seen

that safari, get it girl) she can get things DONE

needs: all things gluten free and some BBQ

favorite memories: impromptu one/one about depression in rwanda,

hearing her preach in uganda, and that time we had to sing a lot and usually

i just pretended to mouth what i thought she was singing since she knew the words

and i never did

“guys, i’m so PUMPED!”

word: e n o u g h.

alli.

bellsprout (NO ITS NOT BEANSPROUT OKAY), sun b e a m,

goofy. authentic. natural. uncommon.

my team leader for LIFE – seriously such an honor to get to

follow this girl because she knows what it looks like to lead by example,

can make anyone feel comfortable, the kind of person you’re

with for all of five minutes but it feels like you’ve been best friends forever –

asks eight million questions, but genuinely wants to know (&will

remember) but your aunt’s dog’s middle name is.

makes people feel k n o w n

ask her a question, prepare yourself for the ten page essay, no cliff note version available.

ministry is never just 9 – 5 for her, it’s a LIFESTYLE

i’m not saying she didn’t wear underwear these last three months but also…

not saying she did.

also still not showering but it’s okay, she has “skin the color of dirt.”

spends at least 8 hours a day laying in the sun and therefore must drink

at least 8 liters a day, you know, 1L for 1 hour.

a hypochondriac who ironically has no sympathy for sick people

never found without her Bible on her, and usually in hand;

her soul is saturated in s c r i p t u r e

learning how to fight her battles, she understands how to pick them

wisely but needs reminding that she can stand up for herself (&she’s worth it).

needs: all natural peanut butter & hot milk

favorite memories: when she took me to the doctor (twice) despite

her lack of any&all sympathy for sick people i.e. me. that time she vented in rwanda

and maybe had to kick and hit a plant in the process, it’s okay, it survived. when she made

me wash her hair (twice).

“where are my sons?”

word: c r a v e

<3