I want to introduce to y'all the LOVELY ladies I'll be spending the next 9 months with! my team consists of 8 girls that will stick together this whole time. This is Toeima!

Toeima Origin

When we first needed to come up with a team name, we wanted to be intentional but also a little silly.  So we started praying about it. During worship one of the nights, The Lord reminded me of the word Poiema. It is a greek word for workmanship in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

It spoke to my heart for multiple reasons! I had just been in awe of the way The Lord crafted these girls' hearts. All so unique and gifted, bringing something different to our team dynamic. To describe them as God's workmanship -His Poiema- seemed so incredibly fitting. It also spoke to me that it says The Lord prepared good works before us, that we are actively walking in as we go about this trip! So, Poiema was our name for a good few hours!

A little bit later, our team was doing an exercise which involved stepping on different blocks of wood, if there was not a foot on each piece of wood, we would not be able to use it for the task. We came up with a system that we called "Toe confirmation". This, funnily enough, was us touching our toes together on the blocks of wood to confirm that it was safe to move. It was such a bonding moment and out of nowhere, someone said "Toeima!".... and Toeima was born. A little bit silly, but everything we had wanted in a team name :) so let me introduce these ladies

(photo for reference of "toe confirmation")

Starting with Megan!

Megan is our fearless leader. With all the chaos of the past few weeks, she has walked so serenely. She has such an evident heart for missions; this will be her fourth trip!  She is silly and carefree in the best ways. She tells THE BEST stories of all her adventures. I love having her lead us with such a big heart!

Bri!

Bri was my first friend in our squad! We bonded through shared struggles and chatted for months leading up to the Race. In my anxiety on the first few days, Bri was a steadfast source of comfort. She is so real and vulnerable and encourages me to be the same. It's been so compelling seeing all the work the Lord is already doing in her life and heart. I love that I get to walk alongside her and lean on eachother in this season. She is also the epitome of a good time and an absolute weapon at karaoke. Her smile is contagious.

Viviana!

Viv was the first one to sign up for the race and I was the second. I had  anticipated meeting her for sooo long! She exceeded all my great expectations. Viv is caring and nurturing. She has been such a comfort to me. One of my favorite things about her is how curious she is. She loves to learn and explore and has inspired me to do the same. She has so many cool hobbies that you would never expect of her. Hearing the story about how she ended up here is just so incredibly insane. I see The Lord's hand over her life so evidently and I'm so excited to see the way He molds and uses Viv over these next few months.

Anna!

Anna is my soul sister here on the Race! We have a lot of shared opinions and interests, and often find ourselves in shock of our similarities. She keeps me grounded here. I love tapping back into my ballet roots with her. Anna is passionate and put together. She is a natural born leader and always takes action. She seeks truth and stays true to her convictions. Such a blessing to have her here.

Emma!

From the moment I met Emma I thought, "this girl looks like a princess". And from the moment she started talking I thought, "this girl IS a princess". I meeeaaan, she's a daughter of The King after all! but genuinely, this girl's eyes SPARKLE and her smile is radiant. She looks as if she could speak to animals. She's truly just the sweetest soul. And it's so precious to walk hand in hand with her as we're all being stretched and tested. She handles it so incredibly well. I have been praying for Emma since the beginning that she would have a deep, insatiable desire for God's word. God's gonna do big things with Emma.

Triniti!

Triniti held back her firecracker of a personality for so long! Now that we've cracked her, she is so silly and brings so much life to the group! She is so passionate and tender hearted when it comes to Christ. She is a GIVER to the max (all of our communal tubs of ice cream have been sponsored by Trin). She's an extremely talented chef! She is stepping out boldly, doing what the Lord has called her to, even though she could be at one of the best culinary schools in the world! Thank you Jesus for Trin and all she brings to the table!

Rileigh!

Rileigh's heart for others is so so big. It's inspiring to see her love on others here, and also those she left at home. She is soft spoken but absolutely hysterical. She's responsible, wise, and obedient. She is a girl who knows the truth and clings to it. She makes deep connections and is never afraid to press in. I have so much to glean from knowing Rileigh!

Hailey!

Hailey Satterwhite is the coolest girl you'll ever meet. She has such a tender heart and her ability to talk about her struggles is so admirable. She's so content with where she's at and has such wisdom to bring to the group. She has such a heart for people of all kinds and has absolutely flourished since coming to training camp. I am so excited for the ways God is going to use Hailey on the mission field and to minister to all of us!

Now all of you will know the names and faces of those adventuring with me! Keep Toeima in your prayers!

With so much love,

greta🧡