June 4, 2016- Little Emily Knox left Port McNeil headed for Gainesville Georgia. Training camp, she figured, would be a lovely time away, like summer camp. She assumed it would be a nice 10 days of vacation that left her feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Emily was wrong.
Day 1 introduced 300 young, energetic, Jesus loving Americans. This was only slightly uncomfortable for Emily.
Day 2 had Emily up at 6am to pack all of her belongings into her backpack, which she then got to put onto her back and go for a 7am hike. This made her hungry, which was unfortunate since the days rations consisted of a chicken broth breakfast, some rice for lunch, and only rice and beans for dinner. There was also a staunch lack of coffee… Enter scene hungry Emily with a cranky caffeine deprived headache.
Day 3 and 4 found Emily in tears. Lots of tears. Apparently mining the depths of a somewhat ignored and possibly repressed heart was a part of the program. Not Emily’s favorite project, but a good one none-the-less.
Day 5 and 6 witnessed mounting frustrations. As temperatures rose, physical demands increased and filth accumulated, Emily couldn’t help but notice the complete strangulation of her good old comforts, such as personal space and alone time.
Then, just in the nick of time, day 7 arrived! Oh the joys of sweet day 7! A dream team was formed. Smiles overtook weary faces, and Emily and her new friends hit the town hard for some frappucinos and a good dose of luxurious American cuisine.
Day 8 and 9 brought a wealth of learning and education. Minds expanded as the realities of future adventures set in. Preaching, teaching, evangelism, women’s ministry, children’s ministry… what a journey this shall be!
Day 10 presented a bittersweet end, and entry into an awkward in between chapter, in which Emily now resides.
All in all, training camp was amazing. It was easily the most spiritually impacting 10 days of my life. It also ranked pretty high on the mentally, emotionally and physically challenging scale. From bucket showers to forest campouts under the stars, to criminal infested mock markets, training camp far exceeded my expectations. It was impressively well structured, excellently staffed and managed, and every aspect proved constructive and intentional. Above all of these things, the most notable aspect of all was that every single person I met at camp felt like kin. The common love for Christ, the common mission to see a world changed, and the common hunger for adventure was instantly unifying. What a gift to meet such an amazing group of passionate young Christ followers.
There is so much going on right now as I am 2 weeks away from finishing work and leaving Port McNeill, and just 25 days away from leaving Canada, so here are a few updated details. I now know what countries are on my Itinerary. I was accepted into the route that I had originally requested, which means my countries are Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Haiti and The Dominican Republic. I now know who is on my squad and my team. We are a squad of 56 racers. I am the sole Canadian, there are 2 other internationals with the remaining 53 being American, and with a vast female majority, only 9 of my 55 squad mates are male. My team is made up of 7 lovely young ladies and we have named ourselves “Team Kintsu” (short for kintsukuroi… google it for a definition). I am beyond pleased at the fact that I will be living and travelling with these wonderful ladies. My fundraising is right on track as people have been generously partnering with me on the financial front. Thank you SO much to those of you who have donated!! There is still time to donate if you would like to do so on my blog page or through my local church. My local church has been a wonderful support with many prayers and much encouragement and for them I am oh so thankful! And other than that, my life has just become a chaotic rush of work, packing, planning, organizing, visiting, adventuring, and chipping away at the list of people to say farewell to.
I could go on for days about what God is doing in my heart and the obstacles that He is moving out of my way as I march into this journey… but I don’t like typing that much, and I’m sure you don’t actually like reading that much, so I’ll save us both the hassle and end it here. 😉
If you do desire more details and info, please feel welcome to ask anything you like! I’m stoked that you read all the way through this post and are experiencing little bits of this journey with me! Stay tuned for more blogs… the real good ones should start once I get off this continent, hopefully…
So yes! Cheers, God bless, and please keep my squad and I in your prayers!
Thank you my friends!
PS. That’s my team mates over on the left hand side of your screen 😀 what a majestic bunch!
