This Is Leadership

From the time we landed in Livingstone in the middle of May to the moment we got on a bus to head back to Livingstone at the beginning of June, our team was blessed to be led by what became known as the CORE four. The CORE team consists of Dave, Christine, and Ashlyn and our translator/driver/teammate Daddi. The idea behind CORE team leaders is that they stay in Zambia for the whole summer, leading the teams that come, doing more ministry in between teams, and continuing to form relationships with the people they meet and serve.

They were just as much a part of our team as any of the original 7 were and their names will appear in future stories as well. So, let me start by telling you a little bit about them!

Christine is the super sweet but also super crazy weird (in the best way possible) one. She went to Zambia in 2016 on Team One. She is comfortable around pretty much anyone and I don't think she ever gets embarrassed. Christine is just 20 days younger than me and is also in nursing school! She was constantly checking in on me and the others and doesn't take one word answers as good enough. She truly cares about everyone as if she's known them for years. As far as anyone is concerned, if you've known Christine for more than 2 minutes, you're her friend. She will sit around a fire and talk about Jesus and life with you and she will also sing at the top of her lungs to Taylor Swift in the van. She is an investor in what really matters in life and will take the time to really get to know the real you. Christine is such an amazing friend, she means so so much to me, she loves Jesus, and she's unstoppable.

Ashlyn is as southern as it gets. I'm not joking. She's from Arkansas and nobody really knows why her accent is as strong as it is but you learn to love it. She was quiet at first, but the more I got to know her, the more of her crazy I got to see. She went to Zambia in 2016 on Team One and ended up staying all summer because of God's call on her life. Ashlyn is my age as well and again, in nursing school (I guess you find fellow nursing students everywhere). She's a thinker and she's bold. She has what I call chronic positivity. For 15 days, I never heard a single negative or bad thing come out of Ashlyn's mouth...that's something that you don't come across often. She has a smile and a joy from the Lord that is so contagious. Ash sees the good side to everything and never failed to remind us that "a little dirt never hurt nobody" or "y'all, we're just trying to share Jesus" or "we are living the dream, ya we are!" If you ever meet her, prepare yourself for random quotes followed by "so what does that mean to you?" Ashlyn is an encourager, a light, and a sweet, sweet friend of mine. 

Dave is basically Zambian. Well, not really, but he has spent the last 3 summers on CORE team in Zambia. He kind of knows what he's doing. He is a man of very, very few words but when he does speak, it is intentional, deep, and thoughtful. Dave had a heart to see all of us grow into who God desires for us to be. He has a heart for living a life seeking God's voice alone, even when it doesn't make sense. Dave trusts the workings of the Holy Spirit and will sacrifice anything for the chance that someone can encounter Jesus. There is a depth to everything he does that can't really be explained other than that it's straight passion from God. He's also not afraid to fight baboons with his bare hands (true story).

Daddi is all around a man that I think everyone should meet. He translated for us a good majority of the time and drove our van on various occasions. More importantly, he was a part of our team and has a heart for his fellow people of Zambia to come to know Christ. Daddi has an understanding of who God is that most people don't. He's a storyteller and a musician. He has seen some crazy things, he knows the culture, he knows the reality of life in Zambia and still he is not afraid to share Jesus with others. He is not afraid to ask hard questions or call people out on things that don't make sense. Daddi was a huge encouragement and support to our team and we couldn't have done it without him. Also, don't play games with him because "Daddi always has the best cards."

Throughout our time in Zambia, these 4 showed me what leadership really is. They showed me that the way I viewed leadership has been wrong all along. They taught me that leaders don't have to be perfect or have it all together or even know what they're doing in life. Because they didn't, but they still led well. They taught me that admitting to brokenness, dry seasons, and starting over with God are all a part of life. It doesn't make you any less of a leader.

Leadership is following Jesus. Leadership is having a heart to see others step into what God has for them. Leadership is being imperfect, and continuing anyways. Leadership is keeping cool when surrounded by chaos. It's doing so well at that that nobody else even knows that chaos is happening. And when the chaos is felt or seen, leadership is saying, "hey, this is happening, we're gonna deal with it, we're going to be flexible, God already knew all of this so let's keep on." Leadership is just doing life with people. Leadership is knowing your limits and resting when needed. Leadership is messy sometimes.

These 4 showed me a new view on leadership. For 15 days in Zambia, leadership looked like 4 imperfect people simply walking with Jesus...when it didn't make sense, when it did make sense, when the path was straight, when they were on fire for God, when they weren't. For 15 days, leadership looked like 4 imperfect people choosing to walk with us through the journey, through the mess, through the unknown. Leadership looked like 4 imperfect people who could have acted like they were in charge or knew more than us, but instead who choose to become our friend, a part of our team, and to do this life together. It looked like (and still does look like) 4 imperfect people showing 7 other imperfect people what it's like to be a true leader, whether they knew it or not. This is leadership.