HEY! this week in GA was filled with celebration because this is the end of MONTH ONE ON THE RACE! it was filled with laughter and fun but also change and vulnerability. and thats how our squad has grown so close not only this week, but over these past 4 weeks.
here’s a look into week 4!
team aurora leading squad church!
they set up an activity where we wrote down what quality we bring to this squad, and had a flower to represent it. we put all the flowers in a vase and it made a unique bouquet. all of our qualities make our squad unique in that way as well.
waffle maker cinnamon rolls and fruit from instacart. a classic.
bree always with her guitar. my favorite thing.
the hugs i get to witness and be apart of makes my heart so happy. physical touch is my love language and everyone honors me very well in that way. lots of hugs all the time.
grace being cute on the porch
grace being cute again, but at the park.
we were supposed to go to mount yonah to hike and stay over for the night on thursday, but the rain had other plans 🙁 but! we were able to go to the park and hang out there, and it ended up being such a fun day! He always replaces loss here with something better. its sweet to see that.
bree showing off the mud on her pants 🙂 she slipped down the hill trying to get to the water and just laughed it off. love her heart and joy in every circumstance.
dancing on the field
sweet encouragement and reminders are everywhere. pretty sure i’ve talked about this in every blog, but its so sweet and i love it a lot.
it rained every day this week, but on friday, it was sunny! it was the best. kinda ironic though, because the one day it was sunny, squad fun committee decided to do a slip & slide 🙂
sweet meadow always seeking me out in the crowd :’)
what fun looks like!!!
this week we got a lot of rain as i said earlier, and actually was a huge obstacle. we got lots of mold everywhere and were moved inside for most of the week. it taught me a lot about how this season is truly a season of abandonment. to fully rely on the Lord and what He truly has for us, because its always better.
and the week got even sweeter on sunday. we got to actually wash our clothes! in a washer and dryer! the best day. all of our clothes are super clean and a lot of us packed away a bunch to save for guatemala in 3 weeks! heading into week 5 with clean clothes is a sweet way God moved this week.
ihop and clean clothes on a sunday. what more could we ask for?
sunday night one month celebration! so sweet to know that our relationships with each other and ultimately our relationships with the Father have grown so much in one month is so encouraging and plants so much hope in us for the future.
pizza and ice cream party! wrote and read all of our favorite memories from this past month and looked back at all the good that happened. so many memories with this family already.
we ended the week with some karaoke 🙂 such a sweet sunday to finish off this first month of the race. won’t ever stop talking about how much i love these people. the Lord is so good and blessed me more than i could ever imagine. i’m just so thankful.
and thats month one of the world race gap year with my squad!!!!!
so thankful for this month and this squad that truly feels like home already. i actually ordered a prophetic key necklace through Keys for the Journey that the staff prays over. they engrave a word that God was giving them for that specific order. when i got mine, it said “home”. and since then, He’s really been teaching me that home isn’t a place, it’s a person, and it’s Him. when i’m at home in him, my home is everywhere; and i think thats why i’ve been so content with being here. He’s my home, and i’m thankful to be home.
to see how much joy & laughter & growth & change that has come from this month makes me so excited & expectant to see how the Lord will move these next 8 months. because He already has, and i know He won’t stop.
SO MUCH MORE TO COME!
love always,
ava 🙂
Week 4 seems to have been a culmination of the sweet moments captured so far not just on camera, but in your heart! Sweetness is the theme of your 1st month & while you have less than a month until you depart for Guatemala, keep enjoying every single precious moment!
Love Dad!
Ava, I so appreciate the subtle reminder that God always replaces loss with something better. After reading your blog, God gave me an open door opportunity to share that truth with someone who really needed to hear it. I was SO grateful I’d just read your words and been reminded myself. Thanks for sharing! Praying you all as you settle into Louisiana.
(Katherine’s Mama)