How to try and explain Training Camp in a simple blog post will be challenging but I am willing to accept the challenge. So, here it goes.
Pre-Training Camp:
Anxiety, sadness, excitement and more anxiety were taking over when heading to Gainesville, GA. I was nervous about meeting the 50+ people that I have slowly been stalking for the past few months. Not only was I anxious about the people, but I was anxious that the staff and that they would see that I am not ready for this and be sent home at some point during the week. I was also getting sorrowful about how this crazy chapter is actually here and the next step is the actual departure in 6 weeks. Then, I would get very excited about this new chapter coming up in my life and forget about all of the other feelings that were slowly taking over me. Let me tell you, I was a constant emotional rollercoaster.
Training Camp:
Here are 5 things (to keep it short) that I learned while being at training camp:
1. These people are not so bad. My squad is full of servant hearted, Jesus hungry men and women of the Lord. They showed me how to love each other more deeply and see each other as a person of Christ that messes up all the time but still a son and daughter of God. Just look at them. They are beautiful, fun-loving people! I could not be more excited to live these next 11 months with each of these people!
2. It is not my trip. This is a trip that will bring the Kingdom of God to new heights. The Lord has shown up in more ways in these past few days, then in the past few months. This trip is to bring the Gospel to ones who need to know what true Love is. Throughout this trip the Lord is going to work WONDERS in all of our lives and I cannot be more thrilled. Knowing that I have the Lord on my side, I am willing to do whatever He calls me to do.
3. The Holy Spirit is fully alive. The Holy Spirit has shown me how to seek the Lord in more ways then I thought I knew how to. One quick example of the Holy Spirit showing up this week was on the day we had to commit to the Race. (I want you to know, I have always had a hard time deciding what the Lord sounded like and really hearing Him or not. I do not have to decipher anymore between the Lord’s voice and anyone else’s voice) We had to sign a paper saying that we are saying “Yes” to the the squad, the hard days with my team and the days when I want to quit. While praying before I signed the paper, I kept seeing someone grabbing my shoulders and staring in my face and gently saying, “You are ready, Amy. Stop questioning it.” I was then filled with this peace and joy with signing the paper and physically saying yes to the squad leaders and each person on my team. It was something I have never experienced before, but it was incredible!
4. I am delighted in by the Lord. I finally, after 22 years, fully and deeply understand how beautiful and desired I am. I was made for a reason and and beautiful in every ounce of my body. I also learned how proud and delighted He is of me specifically. What a weight lifted of knowing how important I am in the Father and that is all that matters. I am wonderfully made in the image of God! Each and everyone one of us are. Comparison is a joy crusher and I am not letting the comparison game be played anymore because I am authentically beautiful to the only one who matters.
5. We all have our own gifts to bring to the table. There are 50 of us on a squad, but 6 or 7 on a team. Here is my team. We each bring something different to the table to make this team epic!! We each have our strengths and weaknesses the Lord has given us. Where one is weak another is strong. I don’t have to be strong in everything, someone else can be strong when I am weak. That is community and I am beyond thankful already for each and every one of these lovely people!
These past 10 days have really changed my mindset of the race, of my fellow squadmates and even of the Lord. I am a changed person and I could not be more thankful for what the Lord has done these past few days.
If you have any specific questions about Camp or the Race, feel free to contact me and I would love to come and hang with you!
Thank you for reading this and supporting me!
Love ya and hope you have a wonderful day!
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have known to you.” – John 15:12-15
