I’m back! And I survived! I can’t believe it either folks. As someone who’s closest version of “camping” is sleeping in bunk beds in air conditioned cabins, I somehow managed to survive sleeping in a tent in the pouring rain, sleeping under the stars with scorpions and spiders, and even eating rice and curry with my hands. And it was awesome! Thank you all so much for your support in helping me reach this point in my journey, and I can’t wait to tell you all about Training Camp.
Being Afraid
My first three days of training camp can be described in one emotion: terrified. I saw scorpions under my sleeping pad. I ate unidentifiable food. I met 43 people of different ages and backgrounds and stories. My introverted self was petrified. I woke up Tuesday night scared stiff in the middle of the woods, asking God for courage and for warmth but mostly for my mommy.
Being Okay
After the initial terror of being alone and scared in the middle of the woods with 43 people I still felt like I didn’t know, God started providing the comfort and peace that I needed. Wednesday morning brought a lot more opportunities to get to know my squad in smaller groups, and I finally felt the freedom to be myself and reach out to others. They finally started playing songs in worship that I recognized. The weather got warmer. God turned my whole brain on its side, shaking out the fear and replacing it with words of encouragement and affirmation from my squad mates and leaders. It was crazy how fast God turned my whole week around!
Getting Excited
Thursday night, we got put into our separate teams! And to be honest, I’m totally stoked. I’ve always had trouble getting excited about the future, but I can truthfully say that I’m super excited for my new team, Team Boundless, and the news we received about launch! My team consists of
Even though we’re all pretty different, I can’t wait to get to know them and travel the world with them!
Also, I will be leaving America on July 3rd, departing from Atlanta for Nepal! While our countries stayed the same, the order they were in changed, and my team and squad will be spending our first four months in southeast Asia rather than in Africa! Our new order looks something like this:
Nepal
India
Thailand
Cambodia
South Africa
Swaziland
Botswana
Romania
Moldova
Guatemala
Nicaragua
Once again, I can’t wait to tell you all even more about my experience at training camp and my new team and to say thank you for all your prayers and support. I couldn’t have done this without you!
