Note: I am so blessed to be able to stay with my entire squad for the first three months! Although I love each and every one of them very much, it would take me forever to write about each of them individually. (Which I might end up doing in airports and on buses to kill time…) But for now, here are the five people that I will be with for nine months.
First, the name. It came to us in a rather roundabout way, but, long story short, we have decided to name our team after the remnant of Isreal (many of the old testament prophets are included in this group). The remnant was a small group of believers left in their generation and they did incredible things for God and His Kingdom. We want to be the remnant of our generation, the people who still believe in the God of the Bible who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and who performs miracles and is active in the lives of His children. We want to be used by Him to do great things for the Kingdom in the name of Jesus.
And so, without further ado, Team Remnant:
Jayda (in the blue)
This girl is a ball of energy. She's a talker and almost never fails to make someone laugh. She is willing to try anything and she'll do it with a positive attitude. She even dragged herself up a mountain with her arms for a team building excercise and then restrained herself when she was told there was a rather large spider on her shoulder. Although she could probably talk for days, she is also an excellent listener. I love her compassionate heart and her genuine intrest in the well being of others. As we venture into some tough emotional territory I know that Jayda will be a relief and a light in our team. We are so blessed to have her.
Abby
This girl makes me smile. She can be queit but once you get her talking she makes an awesome airport buddy. She has wonderful ideas and is observant of others and thier feelings. She has never traveled out of the country before so I am excited to be with her as she experiences other cultures for the first time. She is such a light and a natural encourager and people feel safe and accepted around her. Abby is going to make a huge impact for Jesus on this trip and I am beyond blessed to be with her while she does.
Andrea
Brian (also, in the blue)
Brian is one of the most genuinly compassionate people I have ever met. I love his vulnerabilty and willingness to share his emotions. He has a huge heart for those living in poverty and I am beyond excited to go to the nations with him. I also hear that he can give some pretty legit back massages. Which, depending on how much heavy labor we end up doing, could come in handy. I so admire Brian's character, his willingness to admit his faults and his desire to improve them. He is going to have a massive impact on this world.
Elliot
I could not have asked for a better team leader. Elliot is so filled with joy and is very much a servant leader. He is constantly checking in with other for their ideas and feedback and is more than willing to hear out everyone's opinion. He genuinly cares for others and loves to give hugs. Oh, and he loves to dance! (Which is really good, because I wasn't sure if I could survive nine months without at least some swing dancing). I cannot wait to see how he leads our team in these next nine months and how God uses him to build up the Kingdom.
nikki! love this. so excited to see how the lord is going to use team remnant in the next 9 months. see you so soon!
Thanks guys! I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks! Miss you bunches!
Nikki this post is incredible. I don’t even know how to tell you how much joy it brought me reading it. As I read through your descriptions of each person on our team and laughing and smiling at the Truth you wrote I was really just overwhelmed. I am so filled with joy to share this with you sister and your encouragement to me really is received. I means so so much to me. Reading this post seriously lifted me up so much. Love you sister 🙂
Thanks Nikki, I’m Elliot’s mom and it is so nice to learn more about the incredible young people El will be hanging with for the next 9 months. Of course he has told a ton of stories but I learned even more from reading your post…..blessings and prayers to each of you (and collectively to the whole team) none of you will be far from our thoughts and prayers
erin huemann
yay!! i’ve been wanting to do this too! love it! can’t wait to reunite with my family! see you all sooner than we realize! 🙂