I cannot believe it has been over a year since my training camp for the World Race, and here I am now having completed two, the second with a slightly different role.
The past two weeks were spent in Gainesville, GA doing a little bit of squad leader training followed by the training camp for all the Racers launching in October. If I’m being honest, the day I was heading there, I was not super excited. All I wanted to do was hang out with my parents and watch the Olympics. I had only been home for two weeks from my Race, and this was quite the quick turn around. However, as I spoke in church the morning I was leaving to go to camp, the Lord spoke to me through my own words.
He always and forever has way better plans than I could for myself.
Training camp is not an easy thing. You are pushed physically, mentally, and spiritually, but always in the best way growing closer to God and the people around you. The past two weeks, I shared a hot and humid tent with one of my co-leaders, I slept in a hammock that was wet from rain, and had extremely long days because I was doing everything the Racers were doing as well as meeting with our training team early in the morning and late into the night working on teams, praying, and trying to find space to have my own alone time with God.
While these two weeks pushed me, they pushed me closer to God and closer to M Squad, who are the people I will be traveling and doing life with for the next 5 months. I loved my last squad and thought there was no way a new group of people could measure up to the friends and relationships I had made already. But just like God likes to do, he blew my expectations, and M Squad has already stolen my heart. Heck, it’s only been a few days, and I’m just ready to see them again!
God also stole my heart for himself. He taught me what it looks like to minister but to also continue growing this intimate relationship with Him that was cultivated on the Race. He whispered sweet truths to me all week when I felt inadequate or inferior. He told me He loved me and was proud of me even when I failed. When I felt like I was in over my head, He reminded me I was exactly where He wanted me and had called me a long time ago.
I will be leaving for Cambodia in about 5 weeks with my two co-leaders, Bethany and Emily, as well as 37 new members of my family, M Squad. God has already proven to be so faithful through my last World Race and now training camp. I have zero doubts in my mind the next 5 months will be better than the last year. Please partner with me as I continue in this amazing life with Jesus.
Every so often, I write down a list of impossible prayers in my journal, and as much as I don’t want to, I am going to write them down here publicly. Yay for vulnerability! God has been teaching me a lot through praying big, specific prayers because that is when He really gets to show up. Please come beside me and pray for these things as well!
1) I would be fully funded by October 2nd, the day of launch. That means about $4000.
2) I would have personal money to go on the Race with, so I can continue to experience more and more of the culture.
3) I would be able to make student loan payments while on the field, even though I don’t have an income.
4) I would grow more in the next 5 months, than I did in the last 11. That’s a lot of growing…
5) The Lord would place a huge desire and dream on my heart for what the rest of my life will look like.
6) Prayers will be answered that I have been praying for years now…sorry, you don’t get to know the specifics of these yet.
7) My squad and I would experience the Lord in new ways every day and grow so intimately close with Him.
Thank you so much for all the support you have shown me already! Thank you for the prayers and donations! I pray God is moving huge in your lives each and every day whether you are over seas or in the mission field called the United States of America.
