As I sit here in the Atlanta airport, alone for the first time in a week, I am overwhelmed with emotion. My heart is bursting. Bursting with love for my new family. Bursting with a desire for greater intimacy with Jesus. Bursting with excitement for this next year and the work the Lord is going to do and the way He is going to move in my life. I want to hold on to this feeling; this feeling of truly living. Diving in hard. Loving fiercely. Embracing true community. If Training Camp is a glimpse of what this next year holds, it is going to be one amazing ride.
When people ask me how Training Camp was, it is hard to summarize what the week meant to me. It was one of the hardest and most emotional weeks I’ve yet to experience. Whispers of inadequacy surfaced. Old insecurities were revisited. But God met me in the brokenness. He so gently reminded me that He called me to this. That He can use the brokenness. He reminded me that He redeems. And He restores. This week brought so much healing, because Christ brings freedom. Freedom from perfection, performance, and control. So while this week was hard, it was so incredibly good. Put simply, it was life-changing. I never thought I could love a group of people I met seven days ago as much as I do. D Squad, you are incredible. God has so perfectly woven us all together, bringing us together for His glory. This squad is going to do great things for the kingdom and I truly could not feel more blessed to be a part of something so special. Here is a picture of our squad on the last day of camp. There is a pretty great story behind this picture, that I think just illustrates what our squad is about, so here it goes.
On the last night of camp, we jumped into the lake after a pretty epic dance party. Before jumping in, one of the girls in the squad, Kayla, had just gone to her car, and had her car key with her; she slipped the key in her sports bra and jumped in, thinking it would be safe. Not the case. The key fell out and sunk to the bottom of the lake. As a side note, Kayla is from Canada and had a long drive ahead of her. She needed that key. So, the next morning, our squad gathered together. We prayed wholeheartedly. And then, some incredibly selfless people jumped in the lake and searched for the key. One after another, people jumped in, sacrificing their comfort for the sake of their sister. One girl even put her phone in a ziploc bag to use as a light for those searching. After countless trips down to the bottom, sifting through the rocks and sediment, guess what? They found the key! How incredible is that? God is so good. This is what truly loving people looks like, and I can’t wait to share life with these people.
In addition to meeting my squad, I was also placed on a team of six beautiful women that I will do ministry with day in and day out. I want to devote another blog post just for them, so I will save introductions until next time. But to team Steadfast Pursuit, you already have my heart.
The launch date is set; we will be leaving from Atlanta on July 3rd. The countdown is on. 38 days and we’re off!
*Fundraising update: I am so humbled by the generosity and support I have received thus far. I have surpassed the amount needed to launch in July, but am still not fully funded. I still have to raise approximately $4,000! If you would like to support me, you can click on the Support Me tab on the left hand side of the blog and follow the instructions to make a donation! Know that my heart is so full from the prayers, words of encouragement, and sacrifices you have made to get me to this point–it truly means the world!
