Follow the Leader

3 months ago, I was asked to step up and become a team leader.

Before the world race, I never thought of myself as a leader. I was always a follower, and I claimed that position as if it was a personality trait that I'd just have to live with for the rest of my life.

BUT, my squad leader told me she saw an anointing on me in leadership,

and a calling to be a team leader.

So, I stepped up in faith that God would show me how to do this thing called leadership.

It was an interesting transition flipping from a follower's mindset to a leader's mindset within a few days. And really, it took a LOT longer than that for the transition to take place. In fact, it wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I really began walking it out.

It has been a process, but I've learned so much through it!

One my first questions as I began leading was:

what makes a great leader?

In an effort to answer this question, I began reading up on the great leaders of the Bible, to see if I could find a common thread, or gift, that made them so great.

What I discovered changed my perspective completely!

I will share these discoveries with you in the next blog, but for now,

I have a few questions for you to think about:

Do you believe you are a leader?

Do you think there are specific qualifications

one needs in order to be a good leader?

If so, what do you think those are?

until next time, be free, and Bwana sifiway (praise the Lord)!

Never had I ever...until Kenya

Never had I ever:

...been to Africa! (duh!)

...had Typhoid

...cooked in an African kitchen

...seen Pumba (from the Lion King) in real life.

...gone on a safari :) (pictures coming soon!)

...played with soooo many children inside a slum

...seen God's healing power at work in so many people!

...preached a sermon in front of a congragation

...worked at a medical camp

...had a weave...

...been in a legit music video!

...drank soooo much milk

...been part of a worship team (we got to sing in Kiswahili!)

...riden in a matatu (those things are crazy!)

...celebrated my birthday outside of the Americas

:UNTIL KENYA

;-)

Playing with kids in the slum (picture by Aimee Holladay)

The church we worked with (Picture by Aimee Holladay)

The weave...This pic was taken RIGHT after we were filmed in a music video =D

African Dancers

my crazy team! and our amazing contacts: Joseph and Mercy!

We Won't Settle For Less!

"The prayer of a righteous person has great power

and produces wonderful results."

James 5:16b

Over the past few weeks, the prayer of our team has been to see God's power at work within and around us; to experience His love, life, and joy at a greater level, and to really walk in the freedom and inheritance God has already given us. I know God has placed this desire on the hearts of others on this squad, because we are seeing the results of those prayers.

Not only are we seeing freedom within our squad, but also in the lives of those we encounter daily. This week alone over 20 people have come to know Jesus as their Lord, Friend, and Savior! As we've prayed over people, we've also seen God's power at work, healing them from sickness and lameness!

In a desire to go even deeper into the depths of God's power, love, joy, and life, to break the power of the enemy, and to claim the freedom we have in Christ, our whole squad will be doing a 48 prayer/fast. Beginning Monday morning at 12:00am two people will pray for one hour, every hour, until 11:59pm Tuesday night. Our coaches, squad leaders, as well as World Race staff, will be joining us in this time of prayer!

I invite you to join us as we cry out to God for more of Him!

I will be praying for one hour each day: at 3pm Monday afternoon, and 5am Tuesday morning. I would LOVE It if you would pray with me during those two hours! You can figure out the time difference on Google...I'm in Kenya btw =)

Specific prayer requests:

~health on our squad, and protection from harm, diseases, and the enemy's attacks against us.

~that we would really tune in to God's voice, and hear Him clearly. He's speaking to us all the time, so pray that our ears would be opened to hearing Him.

~pray for boldness! That we will step into all God has for us, and speak the truth and words He gives us without fear or hesitation.

Your prayers are powerful and effective, and I cannot wait to share with you all that God does through our prayers as we "come together" with one purpose across the globe!!

Spare Ribs

So, there are a crazy amount of UPDATES I want to let you all in on:

First of all, Team Habibi is no longer together.

I have a new team, with a new team name:

We are: TEAM SPARE RIBS!

Gina Cassie Tiffany

Nikki Aimee

How did we come up with this name?

"The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

"This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called 'woman,'

for she was taken out of man.""

Genesis 2:18-23

So, Eve was created from Adam's rib...what does this mean for us?

Well, for one, we're all women. Yup, and all-women team!

Also (this is the prophetic, spiritual side of the whole thing), God took a "spare rib" and made a glorious woman from it, just as He takes our lives and make glorious lives out of them! And so He will do with us,

as we follow Him around the world on this crazy thing we like to call The World Race.

So, yeah...these are the amazing women I served with in Cambodia,

and am now serving with in Africa! =)

Oh! Also ~ I'm the team leader of Spare Ribs! (prayers please!)

And the last update: We're in KENYA!!

More on this to come, but for now, know that Kenya is AMAZING!!! I love it here. =