Christmas in July
July 25th. Otherwise known as Christmas in July. Okay, not very many people know it as Christmas in July, but this is a July 25th that I will never forget.
One thing that we have found to be extremely important, at least for our team, is team meshing. Before this, we were a group of strangers (aside from Tyler, Amie, and I). No one knew each other, and this was something I worried about coming into this trip. I continuously prayed for unity among a team of girls that had never met. Once we officially met, smiles and laughter were endless. This team is amazing! Sure, we have our little tiffs, but honestly we get along practically seamlessly for a group of girls. Today, that was even more evident.
Normally, we have “team time” and go to bed. This time usually includes everyone sharing their “Picture of the day” and someone sharing their testimony. This time is used to get to know each other better, but tonight we did it differently. Tonight our fabulous leaders set up Christmas in July. I stepped into a circle of chairs, and the first thing I noticed was a ring of chocolate sitting in the middle. (of course I noticed the food first) Then I saw that we each had a piece of paper with “Merry Christmas, …..” and our name written at the top. Once we were all seated and had eaten our chocolate and candy, we had the opportunity to love on our team members. We passed around each piece of paper, and for each person we wrote a complement or loving statement for that person. At first, I thought it was a nifty idea, but really I was just happy to have chocolate. But once I got my paper back, I was so thankful for my team and my leaders that had this amazing idea. It’s just a little piece of paper, but it’s a piece of paper that I will treasure forever. This paper now has 17 comments from dear friends that I may never see again. I hope this isn’t the case, but the reality is we live in different parts of the country. Michaela lives in CANADA.
This is a group of girls that I have come to love. I won’t sit here and say that I’m not excited to get home and see my family, but tonight I was hit with a serious wave of sadness that I don’t get to wake up to 17 close friends covered in malaria nets. (Not mosquito nets) But I also found joy in knowing that I had this time with these girls. Girls I never would have met otherwise.
This trip will stick out in my memory always. But aside from the trip, this team of strangers will be in my heart forever.
