Hiii friends! Sooo, I feel prompted to blog about my role as a treasurer for my team and squad that I've had now for 4 months- crazy! Oftentimes, I view my treasury job in a negative light and begrudgingly carry out my duties. To be completely honest, I didn't sign up for this job. You could say I was volunTOLD to be treasurer. My leadership team prayed about it and selected a treasurer for each team and I was the “lucky” one chosen for my team of 6. My teammates and squadmates will tell you that they're so glad they aren't the treasurer and that they're so grateful I'm doing it instead of them. Common responses are: “I'm not good with numbers.” “That's way too complicated for me.” And leadership will advise you to really take on your role for all its worth and dive into it because God chose you for a reason and it's an opportunity to serve your team and squad, practice obedience and develop a servant heart. So, with that introduction, here are my thoughts on being treasurer.

First of all, I'll give a prelim on what I do as treasurer. Basically, I am entrusted with an AIM (Adventures in Missions) debit card and I am given a monthly budget for each country and I have to withdraw money to pay for lodging, food, transportation, supplies, visas, team cell phone SIM cards and other miscellaneous costs for the team and stay within the budget. The budget is tight (usually $5/day/ person for food for example) but doable. I have to receipt everything we pay for and upload the receipts into an online program that logs all expenses. In a nutshell, I'm the sugar momma for the team :)

So, I actually enjoy doing number things and math and I'm very financially responsible but budgeting is not my forte. I was immensely financially blessed before the race with my chosen career and didn't have to really stick to an actual budget.
So, one positive about treasury is that I'm learning how to manage a tight budget for 6 people. I also dislike shopping but I've learned how to shop for groceries for the team on a budget. These skills will definitely come in handy in the future and I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice budgeting well.

However this role definitely increases my stress level pretty regularly.
Negative aspects include:
-being put on the spot and expected to pay for something unforeseen
-when I'm expected to hand out individual money for my teammates with small change I don't have
-attempting to pay for low-cost things (taxi ride, etc) and the driver not having proper change to give me and me having to scramble around to pay him somehow
-having to bargain with taxi drivers who view us as rich Americans they can rip off
- struggling with the finicky wifi-dependent online program we have to input receipts into
-sacrificing my own personal time to calculate finances or upload receipts while everyone else is having fun
-fielding questions from my teammates about how they can use the maximum amount of fundraised money allotted to us

A major bonus to this job is the opportunities it affords me to develop deeper bonds with hosts during times where I have to pay them. I've had 2 hour conversations with our host and translator in Africa that wouldn't have happened if I didn't have to hand over money. I've been in my host’s home only because I had to pay his wife for lodging and she graciously invited me in and shared about her daughters and personal life and we developed a friendship solely because I had to pay her for lodging. It's in these moments that I'm truly grateful to be the treasurer because I TREASURE deepening bonds with hosts and investing in relationships with them with the small amount of time I've been given.

Performing my tasks as treasurer also helps me to develop a servant heart as long as I'm doing it with the right attitude (which sadly I often am not). It's definitely a behind-the-scenes role and often what you do goes unnoticed. Sacrificing personal free time to catch up on receipts/ budget calculations and being prepared to pay for every team expense with on-the-spot curveballs thrown at you periodically can raise your stress level, for sure. But, as my leaders and teammates repeatedly say to me, it all hinges on your attitude towards your role; this is what really makes or breaks it. The Lord chose ME, not Jess or Lindsay or anyone else on my team to be treasurer. And He knew it would be hard, frustrating, and draining. But His plan is always better than mine and I’ve had definite personal growth through my time as treasurer.

So, as team and role changes loom in the near future (next couple weeks! Aah!!), I am trusting that the Lord’s plan for the rest of my time on the race is good FOR ME. I may be chosen to be the treasurer for the entire year, be switched to a different role, no longer have a role, or do it for the next few months. I prefer to not be the treasurer anymore. However, if the Lord selects me to carry on being treasurer, I will do it with honor and joy. Especially because the majority of my squadmates shudder at the thought of being treasurer and I can do the job well. I want to develop a servant heart and if this is one of God’s ways of fostering it in me, then I'm all for it.

Thank you all for being patient as you read this blog as it may not seem relevant to you and you'd probably rather read about my ministry. But, the Lord’s teaching me that being treasurer IS a ministry in itself to my team and squad. And it's a privilege to serve them :) If I become even a smidge more like Christ through this role, it'll have been worth all the frustration, stress, and difficulties. Because, really that's what we're striving for anyways. Am I right?!!

Love y'all!!