“Oh, the Places We Have Gone and the Things We Have Done”
Leadership Update
This past year marked a new era for Team 144 as Jak Varando was officially named Director of Team 144. Under his leadership, our teams have continued to:
Expanded across continents
Empowered new instructors
Trained hundreds
Guarded and served teams on mission
Touched lives through service, mentorship, and ministry
2025 Mission & Training Highlights
April 2025 – Team 2 Level 1 Instructor Exam
4 Students Tested
Location: Mississippi
May 2025 – Cambodia Outreach
30 People Trained
Miles Traveled: 17,000
Highlight: Team 144 Cambodia received specialized training, strengthened international partnerships, and their Krav Maga Kids Class enjoyed a guest instructor for the week.
June 2025 – Guatemala Young Professionals Trip
14 People Guarded
Miles Traveled: 4,000
Highlight: Two Team 144 instructors led a Young Professionals group to Guatemala to support a missionary and host a week-long VBS for the youth of Rabinal, Guatemala.
August 2025 – Indianola Community Worker Seminar
40 People Trained
Miles Traveled: 400
Highlight: Focused on equipping local workers with confidence, self-defense skills, and safety awareness.
August 2025 – Krav Maga Stronghold Exam (Memphis)
1 Student Tested
Miles Traveled: 600
Highlight: A student from the public class took his Level 1 Student Exam in Memphis with our Head Instructor Sam Pike.
August 2025 – Pink Huddle Seminar
80 High School Girls Trained
Focus: Empowering young women through self-defense, confidence, and positive identity.
August 2025 – Team 3 Level 3 Student Exam
6 Students Tested
August 2025 – Kenya Mission
100 People Trained in Kitale, Kenya
20 CrossFit Members Trained in Limuru, Kenya
50 Fearless Conference Students Impacted
Miles Traveled: 15,000
Highlight: A strategic CrossFit partnership and the Fearless Youth Conference inspired future leaders in faith, courage, and service.
September 2025 – Team 1 Level 4 Instructor Exam
4 Instructors Tested
October 2025 – Guatemala Youth Mission
16 People Guarded
Miles Traveled: 4,000
Highlight: Three Team 144 members led a youth group to Guatemala to support a missionary and host a week-long VBS for the youth of Rabinal, Guatemala.
October 2025 – Director’s Planning Trip to Peru
Miles Traveled: 6,000
Purpose: Strategic groundwork for the 2026 South America Mission Initiative.
October 2025 – Cambodia Mission
175 People Trained
Miles Traveled: 17,000
Highlight: Advanced instructor development, expansion of community safety training, and deepened partnership with local ministries.
October 2025 – Team 144 Cambodia Level 2 Student Exam
7 Students Tested
October 2025 – Costa Rica College Mission
19 People Guarded
Miles Traveled: 6,000
Highlight: Two Team 144 instructors led a college group to Costa Rica to help a local church with construction and to support a week of ministry and outreach to local youth.
Totals for 2025
Category | Total |
Students Tested | 22 |
People Trained (Total) | 495 |
People Guarded (Mission Trips) | 49 |
Miles Traveled | 70,000+ |
Trips Led (Domestic & International) | 7 |
Lives Touched (Combined Impact) | 566+ |
Closing Reflections
From Mississippi to Cambodia, Kenya to Costa Rica, and across Central and South America, Team 144 has lived out its calling through faith, leadership, training, and service.
Every:
Mile traveled,
Student tested,
Person trained, and
Team guarded
…points back to the heart of our mission: to raise up men and women who are strong in skill and rooted in Scripture — protectors of the vulnerable, servants of the Church, and warriors for the Kingdom.
Our name, Team 144, is anchored in Psalm 144:1:
“Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.”
In 2025, we have seen that verse come alive — not as a call to violence, but as a holy charge:
To train hands for protection,
To prepare minds for wisdom,
To shape hearts for compassion, and
To stand in the gap where fear, danger, and darkness try to rule.
As we look ahead to 2026, Team 144 remains committed to that same Biblical foundation. With God as our Rock, we will continue to train, serve, guard, and lead wherever the mission calls — believing that every seminar, every mission trip, and every student is part of God’s larger story of redemption and protection in the earth.
Team 144 – “Blessed be the Lord, our Rock, who trains our hands and hearts for the battle.”
