The sounds of balloons popping echoed in every direction, feet scurried all throughout the room, and then the off tune lyrics of various songs began filling the air with nervous excitement.
What could possibly be going on here?
Team assignments!
That’s right. It had been approximately eight days since we met the 32 other squad mates who we would be traveling the world with next year (more on that to come), and today was the day we would find out who the 5-6 other people were that we would be living with for the first part of our journey!
Each balloon had a name written on it, and within the balloon was a small piece of paper with a song title written on it that would match up with the song of our new teammates.
As I eagerly began reciting the lyrics of “God Bless America,” I felt a tug on my arm, and a wave of relief crashed over me as I laid eyes on this new family of mine for the very first time.
No, it wasn’t the team my type A planning obsessed mind had put together, it was something so much more beautiful than that. It was the team hand picked, just for me, by the King of the Universe. And I knew it as soon as I saw them, because each of these people had either been a part of encounters earlier in the week that had hugely impacted my faith, or I could already see within them a walking, talking, loving version of lessons God had already began working on in my heart. These people were a personal, intimate gift to my heart, by my Father in Heaven who knows me and loves me so completely.
And just in case my heart didn’t pick up on any of this right away, He threw in a little cherry on top to make sure I knew this team was the one He built just. for. me. Because just shortly after we all gathered together, our squad leader, Megan, came over, and gave us the word God had highlighted to her upon praying for our team – Gentle. Chills washed over every inch of my body.
This word, a few months ago, felt alien. Life, up to this point, had been anything but. And the people in my life? They’re definitely resilient, bold, outgoing..but gentle? Not so much. What did being gentle really even mean? And how could you even be gentle in a world that is consistently so harsh?
Despite all these questions, I over and over again, kept seeing this word come up in every area of my life. I found myself gravitating towards those who embodied this mystery and seeking out moments that spoke this into my worldly hardened heart. I didn’t really know why, or what it meant, but what I did know is that suddenly I couldn’t get enough of it.
Gentle. What a concept to this independent, strong willed, dirt loving, adrenaline junkie, tomboy. Yet, when spoken, it almost sounds like a whispered secret that holds a key directly to my soul.
This, is where our team name comes in: Rak – the Hebrew word for tender, delicate, soft, which comes from an ancient Hebrew war cry, Rak Chazak Amats – to posess a steadfast, tender, growling resolve for the glory of God carried out with heavenly audacity and confidence in victory without fear of the impossibilities.
Wowowow.
So, you mean, you can be gentle AND fiercely on fire for God?! That’s right! And, you guys, I CANNOT wait to see how He plays out these words in my life, and the life of our team come January.
So without further ado, let me introduce you to the Rak Pak:
Jennifer (Jenn/Kiwi)
Alyssa (Peaches)
Kimberly (Kim/Kim Berry)
Jessica V. (Jess)
Jessica A. (Nickname TBD)
RAK CHAZAK AMATS
Deuteronomy 31:7-8 “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
