*Before you read this post, read my most recent post before this one it if you haven’t already. Also, to update that post my teammate Carrie had a great time of support raising while we were training and is drawing nearer to her goal. She selflessly has said it might be better to direct any financial support to our teammate Stephanie. Prayers for both of them, and well to be honest our whole team, would still be awesome. Thanks.*
Ok so I’m going for a good balance of information without this blog being 10 pages, so we’ll see how this goes. It may end up being two parts because my 8 days of training felt like a month, and I wish it really had been a month because it was the greatest week of my life. So here’s my training camp update.
- The first night there we had a talk about expectations and what would happen if ours weren’t met. Well, we should have known something was up. The next morning they announced some route changes for our trip. We’re going to Ireland in August so we can take part in the Awakening, a yearly WR time of worship and reunion, so Romania/Ukraine are first. Not sure of the order. Route changes weren’t over yet though. Due to safety, cost and other factors we are no longer going to Israel and Egypt, but instead will go to Central America. Going in I would have been totally crushed to hear this, but now I’m perfectly content with it. I actually forgot about it after just a day or two. I’m just honestly so excited to serve our wonderful God anywhere with these wonderful people. So here’s our new tentative race route: Romania/Ukraine, Ireland, Kenya, Uganda, Ask the Lord Africa, Cambodia, Thailand, ATL Asia, Nicaragua and possibly Guatemala.
- God has a sense of humor. This is certain. Leading up to training I had this strong feeling God wanted to make me a group leader. This thought terrified me, so I joked with someone less than 30 minutes into camp that my plan was to lay low and do nothing leader like. Somehow this plan went horribly wrong and within 3 days the new joke had become that I had been chosen to be team leader since birth and would soon sky past the team leader position into the leader of all Adventures in Missions. This led to at least 2,452 laughs in our 8 days several of which left us crying on the ground. Oh and of course it actually led to me being a group leader. Yep, I’m leading 6 people around the world (with plenty of help above me, don’t worry). The thought would terrify me a lot more if it wasn’t for the fact that I know God Himself put me here and will equip me to do this job because without Him I’d feel in trouble. So I’ll do some fun leader training stuff starting the 13th in NYC before leading my faithful group off to Europe the 16th.
- Speaking of my group, they’re incredible. You wouldn’t believe how many trade offers I got from other group leaders, but I had to decline them all. They still won’t stop calling me. Seriously Garrett stop. My beautiful teammates are: Jonathan Beckman, Carrie Campbell, Michele Hop, Kirsten George, Mary Hollis, and Stephanie Webster. They’re wonderful and if you have some free time go read about them so you can start to feel the same way I do. As team leaders, we got to see our teams before everyone else and I told them when I saw the list I immediately fell in love with each and every one of them. I know some days will be better than others, but I can not wait to spend my next 11 months living in community with them.
Ok now for some quick hitters:
- Our team name is Koinonia which roughly means an intense fellowship of communion leading to action and was often used to describe the early Christian church. Hopefully we live up to our name.
- There was a magic power over that camp. In just a few days I made
friends that will last my entire life and I can barely handle two weeks
without them. It’s a little scary. Camp also gave us all a supernatural
sense of humor. I’ve never laughed so much or so hard in my entire
life. Awesome ab work out. - Each day of food was a different continent theme. I knew food would be difficult for me coming in so I made a point to eat everything they served us this week because in some countries you have to finish everything given to you so as not to be rude. I ate some really gross stuff: anchovie soup, ugali which is an African staple and basically grits with even less taste and eaten with your hands, a bowlful of ugali again (I became the table’s default ugali finisher), and worst of all a banana. I tell people I’m not a picky eater, I just don’t like a lot of foods so hopefully this week was a positive sign of things to come.
Ok that’s it for now. I could talk for a week about camp, but sadly I leave for New York before then so that won’t work. This will definitely be a two part blog because there’s a lot of stuff still to tell specifically about God worked in my life. I definitely come back a different person, but this blog is already too long and I also need a nap because I’m feeling kind of sick. It feels like a cold, but I’m pretty sure it’s from being away from my June squadmates for more than 2 days.
Coming soon on my next blog: I sang, I danced, I reportedly played air guitar, I talked to strangers and I even did some stand up.
