Nehemiah/Timothy Team Update

Our very first update is brought to you by a member of our Timothy Team, our second-year Nehemiah students who function in an intern-type capacity. Enjoy!

Arriving at Training Camp, you wouldn’t expect to find community on a small field in Wisconsin, yet as I look around at this team of once called strangers now called family, I see joy filled faces, conversations uplifting one another, and tons of laughter. Being on Nehemiah is much more unique than your first summer with Royal Servants. Emma, one student on the team, explained, “I think I’ve seen that we are all very unique. We all fit together perfectly because we strengthen each other.”

The community aspect is something that really makes a trip so unique. It can be hard when you are nervous about meeting new people, worried about sleeping next to strangers in tents on the first night, perhaps even worried about leaving the comforts of home to leave it all on the field for Jesus. When asked about what stood out to him about our team specifically, Gabe answered, “It can be hard to meet so many new people at once, but I’ve realized that discomfort creates the strongest bonds. It can be uncomfortable to die to ourselves but I’ve found that it’s so worth it in the end.” One of the biggest team bonding experiences we had at camp was setting up the family areas. These family areas serve as a tent-like covering for teams to eat meals under, or hide under in case of the frequent storms. This really brought our team together because we were forced to work together by setting up poles, tying knots, and ultimately getting to know each other as we worked side by side. Through it all, I’ve realized that this summer was never about the work I can do, but the work God can do through us as a team.

Finally, after a week of preparations, and anticipation, the students (of all the other Royal Servants teams) arrived. I’m always amazed at how quickly the atmosphere of the field changes. One thing that the Nehemiah team is responsible for is being an example on the field. This includes leading skill groups. Skill groups include dance, drama, and puppets. The Nehemiah team is responsible for teaching these skills so that other teams can go out and do ministry to share the love of Jesus with complete strangers. One student remarked, “Everyone on our team is a good leader because they are not overbearing in being a leader. When we were teaching drama our team would include other students opinions instead of just leading on our own.”

The Nehemiah team is unique not because God brought a bunch of top-notch and stellar leaders to serve Him, but because He brought together a team of broken people passionate about His love to attempt at serving others in the same way He did for us. One student put it this way, “It amazes me the amount of junk God has brought us through to get us to where we are now.” Throughout Training Camp, our team has truly realized that when we die to ourselves and surrender our lives, giving up our individual rights, we find true fulfillment in contentment. All in all, I’m beyond excited to see how our family is going to grow this summer overseas as we press on towards the goal that is Christ.

For the Nehemiah and Timothy Team,

Joanna Schaus (Timothy Team)

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