So on our way back from El Salvador, we got stuck in the Dallas airport. We found out due to high winds all of our flights got canceled. While our Leaders went to find out how to fix tickets and get us onto a new flight. We all hung out together, after a little while, one of our team members pulled out a guitar and started singing. We all joined in, singing some Latin American songs and learning new songs for Africa. It turned into a joyful time, where we were unified as a team, even stuck in a basement of the airport.
After we finished singing and were about to go through security, I turned to Melanie and told her I was almost in tears. I was almost in tears because of how thankful I was to be with this group. To see the hearts of the people I was serving with and the impact we are able to make when we serve together, as one team, makes me want to cry.
Last year I went to Uganda alone, but this year I’m going to Uganda and Kenya with 45 other interns and leaders that are ready to work for the Lord. To see the needs of the people and put in the effort to empower the people there. God has brought me so far, he has given me a team, that have showed me time and time again that they are ready to serve the lord.
In our reflection booklets we were provided with we were prompted to reflect on the 5 dysfunctions of a team. Lack of trust is the first major dysfunction of a team and one that I have reflected on quite a bit. During our time in the airport we had a time with our team where we were able to bring up questions to our leaders and discuss them. During that time we ended up discussing team dynamic and bring to the surface some issues some of us were facing. Through this discussion, the Lord really revealed to me that I need to trust my team more – specifically some of my close friends that are in different roles than me.
Instead of thinking the reason we weren’t spending time together was because they didn’t want to, I was reminded that they are in different roles than me and this season is gonna look different. Serving the lord together is what’s gonna bring us closer together not just spending time together. Having this different perspective helped me to evaluate and understand that this mission isn’t gonna look the same as the school year. And although I don’t get much time to just hang out with my friends, the lord is bring us all closer together as a team by the way we are giving our all to serve his people. I felt encouraged to keep this perspective in mind as I go into serving in East Africa next. That conversation was even an answered prayer for me. As I was on the bus to the airport I asked the Lord for his preservative, and the Lord was faithful to reveal his perspective through many of my teams reflections and then personal reflection. Even from the moment after I challenged myself to not be selfish but to know that my friends and I are all ready to give our all and serve and to trust my team in that.