My last post was titled "TRAINING CAMP—NEXT WEEK!" and now to share the awesome things God did and is yet to do!
One of the biggest points of my previous post was the "i'm ready". That is at least what I thought before training camp. Now comparing my readiness before and after does not measure up. Last week was full of tears, surrender, pain from sharing a hammock on a bus (so "mish" as my hammock mate/teammate would say…meaning 'missionary-like'), new friendships, new found freedom and new hope for my squad and this world!
During the week we were exposed to new foods and experienced an almost ever present hunger because of the smaller portions of foods. We did not experience much showering, nor much sleep, nor any coffee (minus our night out with our team). We experienced different ways of rest each night that led to much team bounding and sharing like a community and a family. The evening on the bus had us woken every hour readjusting and the only thing heard were voices asking our new family if they were comfortable or if they needed to move. All these selfless concerns were full of delerious laughter because that is how joyful, love filled children of the Lord should respond to uncontrolled situations like this. My same "mish" teammate, Emily, shared how if we are to be stuck on a bus for 60 hours for people to know Jesus, it is so worth it and she is so right!
During the week our squad experienced pain of losing teammates which unified us. We shared tears, we shared areas of grieving, we shared unexpected vulnerabilty and we shared honesty that we were told usually does not happen until months on the field. But as my team leader, Jonathan, mentioned our squad is already there. This was seen again when other teammate, Josh, shared of his mission trip in Haiti and how the Lord shared a broken heart for the world with him.
Another factor which helped unify our squad is the fact that we are a group who are willing to surrender anything and everything in order for the Lord to be glorified and for our brothers and sisters to be apart of this wonderful plan. The other Emily on my team in our first conversation spoke about her desire for God's will to reign in her life no matter what that meant she loses. It is a beautiful thing to be surrounded by such honest, God seeking people. My last, but not least teammate, Jordynn, also shared very personal and honest truth of her life in our first conversation. I love how when believers come together they talk about what is real and worth conversation. However at the same time we can have so much fun together, as children, because that is what we are! We are children saved by grace full of sanctification which leads to eternal life (Romans 6:22). Hallelujah!!!
This is my team, ROAR (Rivers of Abundant Reconciliation)
Teammate Emily P. typed up a meaning of our name and I will include it.
"The meaning of our team name derives from 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, which says:
“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” (NLT)
Our team vision is that we would claim this identity and calling as ambassadors of Christ who will participate in aministry of reconciliation. Like rivers, we will flood into the nations and bring life back into dry, desolate places. We will overflow with Christ’s love and grace, and Christ will flow into us to restore the dehydrated and thirsty places of our own souls."
This morning at church we sang Poor and Powerless and I began to weep with brokenness for those who feel unworthy and are lost and without the knowledge of our God. Yet in those tears were tears of joy, hope and excitement because we are going to shout from the mountains and tell the masses that HE IS GOD!!!! I cannot wait to see how God is going to use us in our diverse unity to show them the King in His Glory!
Thank you for reading about some happenings at training camp and meeting my beautiful team whom I will be living a life of ministry with next year! Please check out their blogs, get to know them, pray for them, financially support them, because they are family and we are united together by our God!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!!!!!
