Instructions on how to read this blog: 

1. Go find your favorite game show theme song and play it in the background

2. Read blog in that game show’s host’s voice

3. Grab a snack (It’s a long read, sorry.)

4. Find something to reward yourself if you finish reading the entirety of this blog.

5. Begin. And enjoy. 

Welcome back to Meet the Team! Today we have with us Team Zeal, consisting of eight beautiful women of N Squad! Meet Stephanie Trauch, Kayla Calkins, Elizabeth Skinner and Ericka Robinson, as well as our returning members, Alayna Wood, Khurry Bullard, Sarah Badgett and Emily Riggs. 

This group of women are on fire for the Lord. They walked into their new ministry, Master’s Workshop (located in the rainforests of Pinshurt, Costa Rica), and immediately gelled. This team yearns for more, seeking Christ through spiritual disciplines and growing in intercession. Zeal has been described by others at the ministry as “soldiers'' who face the Enemy head on while fully adorned in the Armor of God. They are fearless, bold, and yet gentle. You can always catch them in the same room enjoying each other's company. They usually do so by playing Bannanagrams daily, telling stories, sharing wisdom and laughter, or sitting in silence while everyone rests in their quiet time. 

Let’s introduce this month’s guests! We’ll start with the new faces. Steph, c’mon over! No, no, you can’t bring the baby on stage, sorry. Give her back to her mother, please. 

Stephanie Trausch is from the town of Paulding, Ohio from a family of eleven, finding herself to be the fourth oldest in line. With three brothers and five sisters, Steph’s heart for people is bigger than her body can hold. Everyone she comes across is her friend, and they know it. Her smile takes up her whole face, her laugh bounces off the walls and her joy is contagious. The rest of Zeal describes her as “nurturer, curious, caring, humble, pure, adventurous and vibrant.”

Stephanie, welcome! We’re gonna dive right in. What has been your favorite part of the Race thus far? 

“My favorite part? Hmm. Can I do a couple? Okay. First, Vacation Bible School in the mountains of Honduras... and I just had another one... Ask me a different question.”

VBS with mountain kiddos! Sounds like a wild time for sure! That is awesome, Steph. And what brought you to the Race in the first place? 

“God told me to come. That’s the short answer. I’ve always had a heart for missions and I was in a season of looking for what was next and I felt the Lord calling me on the Race.”

I love that. So Zeal. What are you most excited about for this team and this ministry? 

“Ooh. This year I'm just super excited to connect individually with each person, and I love our team prayer wall/war room and getting to, like, press in harder to prayer with the whole team. For this ministry... just being able to partner with Global Teen Challenge and see the difference they’re making.”

That’s amazing to hear. You sound like you’re having a blast. Is there anything you miss from home?

“People. My nanny families. And church community.”

Yes, yeah. Community is a beautiful thing, especially community you’ve gotten to invest in. So, for all of our communities tuning in today, how could they be praying for you?

“Ooh. That I would continue to go to the Secret Place with the Lord in my prayer time. Also for staying present.”

Beautiful. Take note of that, folks. But Stephanie, we have one last question for you: is there anything that you wouldn’t do? You’re known to be a person is down to do absolutely anything-- is there any limit to your “yes?”

“There is, but I gotta think what that limit is... I don’t know, I can’t put it into words. Hm. if someone or myself is being put in harm’s way then I wouldn’t do it. Something stupid that you can get hurt doing.” 

Well thank you so much for your time, Stephanie. You truly are a joy and we loved having you as a guest here. May the rest of your year be so full of glorious revelations from God and holding children who need it the most. 

Next we have Ericka Robinson. Ericka is from right outside Chicago, Illinois, and is one of six sisters. You can often find Ericka singing and clapping loudly, playing Bannanagrams and being completely done with Sarah and Liz’s smart alec comments. She holds loads of wisdom and strives for authenticity (even if it’s her being authentically annoyed). She is described as “joyful, charismatic, confident, ‘a big sister to Liz,’ infectious, honest, and one who loves with the depth of Christ’s Love.” A big round of applause from your home for Ericka, everybody!

... Will someone grab Ericka? She’s behind the camera dancing and I don’t think she knows it’s her turn.

Ericka, hey! Welcome to Meet the Team! 

Let’s get started. You’ve applied for the Race once beforehand, is that right? What was the story behind not going then, but now finding yourself in the middle of it all?

“It was 2017, and I wanted to go on the Race for the wrong reasons. One, to run away from my life at home and, um, two? Pride. I think in the midst of it, when I was supposed to be focused on fundraising and learning about community and all the things that the Race requires, I was focused on a relationship. And yeah. When my relationship fell through, nothing else mattered, and therefore the Race fell through.” 

Hm. And yet here you are, right where God wants you. So now that you find yourself on the Race, what has been a moment this year where you’ve seen God work evidently?

“Just one? Ha, okay. well, it was a few days ago. We were walking the streets of San Jose, and the neighborhood-- the streets that we were walking down-- were progressively more and more dangerous. And yet, none of us were scared. And it felt like the Lord was just like hovering over us. And it’s like, you see the darkness but you would feel like you were light, like we were light walking down the street-- that’s what it was. Showed me God's power. That He really is our safe refuge. Yeah.”

That sounds like a story we need to hear about another time. But when you’re not doing ministry, what is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

“Eat. Can we call someone real quick so we can eat? Well, now, on the Race, it's Bananagrams. I love Bananagrams. But yeah playing games... Or sleep. That’s a good one. I like to sleep. Yep.” 

All good answers. If you could add one country to our route, what would it be?

“Columbia. Cause I want their coffee. I would love to do ministry there but while drinking their coffee also. That’s where Encato was filmed- well, not filmed. You know what I mean. It would be cool to be dancing down the streets like Mir-Mir...Mirable? Yeah, her.”

What do you think the Lord has in store for your team, Zeal?

“Um. I think that He’s definitely gonna make us uncomfortable. One of the big things that I like get so nervous about is evangelizing because it’s a new level of trust that we ask of the Lord. And without fail, He gives it every time. But also, it’s the faith that we profess when we’re worshiping or talking and it’s now like we have to put our money where our mouth is. And like, if we’re so stoked about this faith, singing “come in like a fire,” and then God goes, are you gonna say yes? Well, yes. I think He’s gonna push us in growth in saying yes. We’re just saying yes to Him all the time. But also, like us being so intentional with prayer life, and quiet time-- it goes hand it hand as we’re spending time with Him learning from His presence and all the characteristics that He holds... it puts more fire under our feet. Like I said, it goes hand in hand. As we learn more in Him, He’s discipling us. We go disciple others.”

Absolutely. Having that “yes spirit” as World Race likes to say. With the place you find yourself in, is there anything you miss from home? 

“No, girl. I miss my family, that’s it. Yeah.” 

Well if they’re tuned in, now they know that they’re being thought of. (Hi, Ericka’s family!) For your family and for others to know, what prayers are you asking for yourself during this year?

“To be present. Um... and focused and on what the Lord is doing in me and around the world. Yeah. Yeah.”

Well, Ericka, thank you so much for coming here today to talk to us abou--

Where is that whistling coming from? It’s beautiful but we need to find Li-- oh, oh that was Liz. Can someone tell her she can look for her violin later? We’re on air. 

While she’s looking, allow myself to introduce Emma Elizabeth “Liz” Skinner from Wilson, North Carolina. The oldest of four kids, Liz knows how to run a household (it’s an oldest daughter thing), and as part of our logistics team, she works hard for the squad and stays focused. When she’s not on duty, though, Liz is full of musical chat and intellectual conversations (sometimes in Spanish), lots of singing and speaking honestly. Zeal describes her as “a deep-thinker, well-read, ‘little sister of Ericka,’ inquisitive, gentle, pensive and loyal.”

Liz, !bienvenidos!

You have spent the last three months with Team Emissary, but now you find yourself on a new team. What is something about Team Zeal that you genuinely appreciate?

“I love how much fun we have together just like hanging out.”

I love that even in your down time you still enjoy each other. But let’s take it to the flip side: What has been the hardest part of the Race for you?

“I would say... adjusting to World Race culture, and, like, constant change. And trying to adjust but not really being able to.”

Change is hard, for sure. What is something that you’re praying into for the rest of this year?

“That the lessons that I learn in this year translate into normal life and that I carry them with me. Yeah”

You really value progress, that’s amazing. Speaking of, what is your highest value?

“Wow. I’m trying to think on how to word this. My highest value in this life is that life is a gift. The time we’ve been given is a gift from God and idk... and that it should not be wasted. I think that’s the best summary. Basically like, how am I going to use my timer? JRR Tolkien said all we have to decide is what to do with the time we’ve been given.” 

You have certainly strived to live life to its fullest. From what I hear, you’re quite the traveler. You’ve lived in Costa Rica for a year or two before this trip. Knowing that this year is full of new adventures, what is something on your World Race bucket list? 

“Machu Picchu in Peru, and pancakes in every country.”

Fun fun! Alright, one last question: Is there anything our viewers can be praying about for you?

“For perseverance. Yeah.”

Absolutely. Liz, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time.

Did we decide on giving Kayla a baby chick to hold during her interview, or did we think that would make her too emotional? We- we did? Okay, perfect, bring it over. Kayla! Welcome! 

Meet Kayla Calkins, everybody. Resident of Lakin, Kansas, the president of Bunion Baby Extermination Services and co-founder of Dirt In the Shirt, Kayla is the definition of a girl boss. Able to rope cattle, carry dirt, wield a pickaxe and stand in for a bouncer, Kayla is a force to be reckoned with. But know that when you truly get to know her, she’s a Ferdinand the Bull kinda gal: she may look tough, but all she wants is to smell the flowers. Kayla is known by her team as  “steady, calm, kind-hearted, precious, unwavering, genuine and intentional.”

So, everybody, please welcome Miss Kayla “Buddy” Calkins front and center.

Kayla! First question: What has been the cutest animal you have gotten to hold so far?

“What has been the cutest animal I have gotten to hold so far? Definitely the goat in Honduras.”

He was quite the cute goat, yes. What has been the best part of your Race so far? 

“The best part of my Race so far? Um, getting to meet p-people-- you guys.” :)

What is your favorite part of each person from the team? 

“Oh my gosh. I love that Ericka just laughs all the time. I love that Steph is just like, “Let’s do it. Lets do it.” I love how methodical Liz is. I still have such a hard time encompassing Sarah-- I just love her, man. How intentional she is. My favorite part about Emily? Her consistency. Her constant-ness of... being alive? Alayna is... she’s just like-- I don’t wanna use the word “mom.” She’s Nurturing. Khurry, I love how she comes across really peaceful and calm, which she is, but then she’s also super funny, and I love her little “weELL” comments. 

What a fun group of people. But back to you, Kayla-- how can we be praying for you?

“Um, whoa. That I would learn how to run to the Lord-- just like that-- um, when everything is hunky dory. And everything’s not crashing in. Does that make sense?” 

For sure. Dependence on Christ when you don’t think you need it is a dangerous spot to be in. It’s good that you are learning that. How do you think the Lord is using you at this ministry?

“Uhhhh monkeys are like my brain right now. I think as a prayer warrior for the people in the ministry”

What has been the most difficult part of your race so far?

“Nicaragua.”

Hmm. The Race certainly isn’t always easy. Thanks for sharing, Kayla. You can take the chick with you.

Emily! Punctual per usual. We already have some black coffee ready for you, no need to bring your own mug. Welcome back to Meet the Team!

Everybody, please welcome back Emily Riggs! A resident of Loveland, Colorado, and only sister with three brothers, Emily knows how to hold the reins of some rowdy friends. A disciplined and knowledgeable woman, Emily has spent her time on the Race searching for exactly what the Race encourages: Truth. Yet don’t believe for a second that she’s all logic and no feelings. Em spends lots of her time on Zeal laughing, sassing, and winning in Bananagrams. She is “disciplined, inquisitive, wise, intelligent, genuine, succinct, and discerning” in all that she does. 

So welcome back, Em. Let’s answer the burning question of all of our coffee connoisseurs: What has been the best coffee you’ve had so far?

“Probably the pour overs that we got yesterday. It was at a tiny restaurant on the side of the road on a mountain in Costa Rica.”

Sounds quality. What is your biggest pet peeve?

“Being interrupted.”

Understandable. We could’ve told the viewers ourselves: don’t interrupt Emily Riggs. But let’s continue. Last time, you answered what your favorite day of ministry was, but today we’re gonna ask you what your overall favorite memory has been? So tell us:

“Probably street witnessing in San Jose.”

A recent memory, how neat. And how are you feeling about your new team? 

“I love them.”

...Solid answer. Uh, next question. What is something you’ve learned about your ministry for this month?

“That they don’t get a lot of final support from the USA Teen Challenge or churches, and they need it.”

Hm. Interesting. Sounds like a cause worthy of supporting. Thanks for sharing, but we have our final question: how can we be praying for you?

“Um... for clear answers and solutions as we plan debrief.”

Of course! N-Squad’s logistical team is always hard at work. It’s a non-stop job. But from what I hear, the three Logistic members are killin’ the game, so keep it up. 

Thanks for coming back, Em! Hope to see you again soon.

That was fast, can we grab our next member? Khurry? Oh, okay, perfect!

Ahem, uh, pst--Khurry, please wash the garden dirt from your hands before you make your way up here. Many thanks. 

Here we are once more with Miss Khurry Bullard! Khurry is a Squad Leader for N-Squad, hopping around each month from team to team to bring her own flavor to each group. She is always full of wisdom, smart quips, and lots of song. She will be leaving the field at the end of May to return home, seeing as her position as SQL only lasts a few months. She will be missed, gardener, mother, jokester, leader and all. She is “savage, motherly, gentle, genuine, comforting, caring, and amiable to everyone.”

Khurry! You’ve had the opportunity to be with N-Squad for the past four months, so let’s take some time to discuss. How have you enjoyed your time here on N-Squad??

“Wellll, I have enjoyed