Merhaba from Turkey!

Okay, so I know my last blog left yall on a cliff hanger of how we got to Greece. I started writing about how the process went/our time there, and came to the conclusion that it’s an in person conversation. Greece was amazing for my team and I. We heard the Lord speak, saw Him provide, watched Him heal and so much more!! It was a crazy time that I’m pumped to share more about it in personal conversations. 

Sooo let’s talk about where I am at now. After Greece my team and I traveled back to Albania to meet with the rest of the squad to travel to Turkey! We took an 8 hour car ride to Albania, and then turned around and got on a 21 hour bus ride to Turkey with everyone. It was a sweet time reconnecting with  friends who aren’t on my team and hearing about the past 6 weeks for them. It made the 21 hours fly by!

Once we got to Turkey we had a 9 day debrief. Our coaches and mentors flew in from the states, which is always a gift to get to spend time with them! (Joy and Perry in the first picture above are my coaches. Jenna and Kevin, the two on the outside of the bottom picture are my mentors!) We had team debriefs, and sessions. Team debriefs involved sitting down with our coaches and mentors to reflect on our performance, talk through future improvements, and discuss specific situations that we may need to grow in. It served as a space for open discussion before transitioning to the next country. Towards the end of debrief we found out we were getting a ……. 

T E A M C H A N G E !!!! 

I was bouncing off the walls when I found out. My need for variety had been building up during our final days in Greece. We were the only team to stay together the past 7 months and we learned ALOT  in doing so. How to love and press in when it’s hard. How to serve and out do one another in honor, even on the days you want to quite literally throat punch someone from snoring all night. How to over communicate in every area, even when it seemed small. How to listen to eachother, in order to understand one another. I grew and was challenged with these women and I’m so grateful for our time together. Again, they aren’t dying, I will see them again, we just won’t be doing daily life together. 

Sooooo let’s meet the new team!!!! Team Aperantos! We’ve got Emily, Riley, Sophie, Emma, and Kelsey! 

Riley Jane – She’s been with me since Guatemala but once she became a squad leader she switched teams back in Albania. But I’ve got her back!!! Riley is ROOTED in the Lord. Her life is an outpouring of who He is to her. In everything she does, it’s covered in love, wisdom, and joy. This woman changes atmospheres when she walks into the room! Being back with Riley has felt like reconnecting with a friend from home. 

Emily – She is our team leader! Emily and I instantly connected from day one at training camp. I for sure thought we’d never be put on a team with eachother because of how close we are. Having a close friend on my team has been a blessing. It feels like a bestie that I get to hangout with on the daily. This woman serves in all she does. She’s thoughtful with her words, attentive to others, and always the loudest laugh for all my jokes.

Sophie – Honestly, I haven’t had many opportunities to spend time with Sophie until this past week. Some things I’ve learned about her, she’s an early sleeper, like I. She is so laid back sometimes I think she’ll fall out of her chair lol. She is someone you can run to in tough times and she offers comfort, but quickly points you to Jesus. She’s also a CHEF in the kitchen and can make a mean chili.

Emma – Emma is someone I prayed fervently to be placed on a team with. She makes me BELLY laugh. We would hangout with eachother everytime we had a squad debrief but being on a team with someone adds a whole new dynamic. She’s funny, thoughtful, and has the voice of an Angel. 

Kelsey – OUR CANADIAN! Kelsey is another person I hadn’t spent much time with until being on her team. Kelsey is very in touch with her emotions, which in turn has taught me about who I am, and who the Lord created me to be. She asks the hard, intentional, questions and won’t settle for surface level. She sees people where they are at and meets them with grace. Here is footage of Kelsey barking at me. The past two weeks of us living together I’ve gotten onto her for how she loads the dishwasher. She took this opportunity to bark back. 

This team has been a BLAST, it feels like I’m living with close friends. They’re emotionally safe, care deeply about others, funny as heck, go with the flow, God fearing women!! Something fun we’ve been able to do since being here in Canakkale is go on runs! Riley, Emily, and I talked on the first night about how we were tired of feeling like whales lol. After 7 months of not getting to workout often, your body does a number on you. And that number is a double digit of weight gain, so we out here runnin. It’s been sweet to get to do together in the mornings before ministry! 

Our ministry here is to partner with the local church, and it involves a few different activities. From organizing youth nights and leading English clubs to participating in Sunday services and hosting worship/prayer nights, our days are filled with opportunities to engage with the community and share our faith! In our free time, we ask the Lord where He wants us, and who He wants us talking to and we follow suite! It has been two weeks since we arrived and I am loving Turkey and its people. We’ll be serving here until the end of April and then we’ll head to NEPAL!! 

I would love your continued support and prayer in: 

• Open hearts for the gospel 
• My team and I to be sensitive to what the Lords wanting us to do here 
• Supernatural unity in the team 
• Rest !!
• My heart and eyes to be focused on the present, and not whats to come after the race