Today we celebrate our fifth Roadiversary!
Yes, it’s hard to believe it’s been five years since we first moved into the RV and drove to meet up with the Silver Team. Here are some stats we’ve compiled:
1 dog
4 kids
2 RV’s
75 church events
19 states (we also walked over to Canada when we were sightseeing)
6 teams
72 team members (some for 2-4 years)
48,000 miles!
If we had more time, we’d add up all the services we’ve participated in and the times we’ve spoken about family and relational health. But beyond that, it’d be impossible to tabulate the time we’ve spent pouring into discipline our team, connecting with church staff and spouses, and building lasting relationships with people around the country.
In that time, we’ve gone from our 30’s to our 40’s, and three of our kids have become teenagers. Yeah, a lot can happen in 5 years.
It has never been all roses, but here are some things that we’ve most thankful for:
Family
We’re so grateful that we get to be together so much, that our work is something we can do with our family alongside us. Some of you knew what our life was like when we lived in Northern Virginia. Honestly, life is still busy, but it’s so much more together than we used to be able to enjoy. We also love how we’ve gotten to deep dive into relational health and how much this has helped us be better spouses, parents, leaders, and friends.
Team
If you talk to us about what we love about this job, you will hear us talk about our team. Over the past five years, we’ve gotten to lead six different iterations of the Silver Team, with 72 young adults traveling with us for 1-4 years at a time.
We inherit these short-term missionaries mostly from families and churches who have been impacted by Life Action. They come to us at a point in life that is full of energy, change, potential, and adventure. We have the unique privilege of shepherding them while they are with our team, exploring healthy rhythms of work and rest, pursuing meaningful relationships, and pursuing spiritual practices in community together. They are an immense source of encouragement and joy to our family!
Church
There are a lot of ways to help fight against the harshness and evil in the world, but we’ve always been convinced that the Church being who she should be is one of the most important. It’s humbling to be able to come encourage and energize churches and ministers.
Flourishing
I knew very little of Life Action when God called us to join them. Since then, I’ve come to know the staff here, and the heart of the ministry, are about helping every person develop fully as a human being created in God’s image. This includes a vision for followers of Jesus whose experience of God includes revival, vitality, and mission.
Revival, because we all need intentional times to pull away from the routine, the helter-skelter, the riffraff, not only as individuals, but as communities. Spiritual entropy is real. Systems disintegrate. As Esau McCaulley says:
Over time we get comfortable in our sins. They become a part of who we are, a portion of a spiritual architecture of our lives. They are a limp we get used to walking with.
Esau McCaulley, Lent
The solution to this is not constantly seeking after a religious, emotional high. But it often involves pausing long enough to notice that limp, maybe even to get it looked at.
Vitality, because we cannot save up all our spiritual work for a week of special church services. That would be along the same lines as focusing all our religious efforts on Sundays while ignoring God the rest of the week. What I love about Life Action is our commitment to help individuals, families, leaders, and churches experience sustainable growth by finding deeper connection with God, with self, and with others.
Mission, because the answer is not so much how we “fill pews” as much is how we empty them. How are Christians going out of their churches, and how are they inhabiting their world, their neighborhoods, their homes, their workplaces?
I could keep going, and honestly, if you’re curious about how Life Action specifically invests in these areas, please shoot me a line at garrettlee@lifeaction.org. I’m happy to share more. We’re just immensely thankful for how the past five years have allowed us to grow healthier as a family, invest in the health of churches, and develop healthy leaders to launch into the world.
Thank you to all of you who partner with us through prayer and financial support. We are so grateful to be doing this with you alongside us!
The Lee Family 