I’ve been home for 24 hours and my dogs are so happy I am home. Well my family is happy I am home too, but seriously, my dogs have not left my side all day. It already weird not being surrounded with 55 family members today and not waking up with a view of creepy crawlers climbing on the outside of my tent. God stretched my heart severely over the past 10 days. Arriving to camp, I was nervous, anxious and almost in tears but really excited to be at training camp. Within 10 days, I fell in love with Our Father, learned how to have Jesus coffee dates and humbly know that I can walk with a new found confidence because God walks with me and I walk with Him. He sees the beauty in me and loves me.
To sum it up…
This one time at World Race Training Camp:
- Bucket showers make washing long, thick hair real simple.
- No matter how wet, cold and miserable you are there is always room to play the “I am thankful for…” game
- I had a Jesus moment in the port-a-potty
- I raised my hands during worship and praised the Lord with my entire soul, and it wasn’t weird it was freeing! Hallelujah for the Holy Spirit!
- I have 55 amazing brothers and sisters who will fight for love, laugh hard and live their lives for Christ. #WRWolfpack
- I became free from my baggage. My heart is now prepared for ministry and has the room to intimately love Jesus Christ.
- My pack became the closest thing to Mary Poppins’s bag. Need an extra toothbrush, hair rubber band, tent stakes, a mirror, or a bandaid- I got you covered.
- God’s love is radical. I am worthy. I am loved. I am enough. I am a daughter of The King.
- Letting go of your expectations is more liberating than having any sense of control.
- Crying and being vulnerable IS healthy, it doesn’t mean weakness. Jesus wept; we are allowed to cry too.
- I turned off my phone and it was the best decision I made. You’ll be okay without it.
- Sometimes, the Veggie Tales theme song can count as a worship song
- It is appropriate to sing 90’s songs while taking outdoor bucket showers.
- We ate with our hands and I loved every moment of it. (We’re talking lentils, collard greens and Ugali)
- Dance parties are a thing.
- We prayed all through the night, and I was shown grace when I accidentally slept through my shift.
- The fastest way to wake up 58 people at 3 AM sleeping in a very small space is by announcing “ Guys, I felt something fuzzy!” (Side note: Turns out it was just someone’s hair)
- We prayed World Race style
- I will be spending the next 11 months with 6 other amazing women. Our team is Ezer. Look up the meaning. Seriously Google search it. It is powerful.
- That my ceiling from Training Camp will now become my floor as I step into the World Race.
My advice to future racers that I wish someone told me: Stop reading training camp blogs! Seriously. Stop. You will be fine. Live in the moment. I read every single blog I could find about training camp for the past two years. Don’t ruin your own surprise party. just know everything asked at training camp is preparing for your race and believe in the process. When in doubt, take Miss Frizzle’s way of life to heart -take chances, make mistakes, get messy! I guarantee that if you approach training camp in that mind frame, you are guaranteed to make memories.
What now: In 27 days I will join the amazing sisterhood and together the 7 of us will glorify our Father’s Kingdom. However, in order to be able to get on the plane in July, I must have a total of $7,500 funded by June 15th. Right now I am $2,000 away from that goal. This is where I need your help. I am asking for you to partner with me to accomplish this goal. Click “Support Me!” on my fund thermometer at the top of this page.If it’s one dollar to a thousand dollars, every dollar will bring me closer to the goal. I am confident this is God’s doing and I need supporters like you.
Lastly, my support T-shirt fundraiser ends JUNE 7TH. They are seafoam Comfort Colors with a frocket print and Patagonia style on the back. Order one here before June 7th for $20 and I am including free shipping!
All my life I knew of The Creator, the Prince of Peace, and the Spirit, but over the past 10 days I found the deep love He has for me and I for Him.
