I recently returned from my 10 day World Race training camp (will now refer to as TC), which was held at the Adventures in Missions (AIM) HQ in Gainesville, GA. Roughly 250 people from all across the nation (and beyond) loaded up their backpacks and boarded planes, buses and automobiles to meet up with their squads/teams, mentors, leaders and coaches for the very first time. World Racers started popping up everywhere, especially at the airports….
The 250 people in attendance represented 5 different squads, each with a different route and all of whom will be leaving in September. I belong to X squad (aka green squad), which is the largest of the 5 squads with 48 people. One of the best parts of training camp was seeing how God brought all of us in as strangers and sent us home as family.
It truly was amazing to witness just how much God bonded and united all of us together in a matter of days. There definitely is something to be said for sharing a vision and calling, and being willing to be open and vulnerable with one another. It opened and healed hearts in a way that you don’t often see during the normal daily grind.
Below is a picture of my individual team of girls, which we named the Sculptor’s Seven. Each team was very prayerfully and thoughtfully put together by the staff at AIM as these are the individuals that we will be doing life and ministry with while overseas.
So much took place during training camp that I will likely still be processing it all in the weeks to come. As such, trying to summarize it into a few paragraphs seems nearly impossible. However, I do want to capture some of the main lessons and highlights of it while still fresh.
So, I have decided to focus on one of the bigger themes for me during my time in GA, which was just how much I take for granted. I was made more and more aware of this reality as each day passed and thought it would provide a good glimpse into what unfolded there.
These things range from the simplest and most trivial physical comforts to deeper emotional ones, but each taught me a little more about myself. So, here are the 4 top things that I learned I take for granted during my TC:
1. Shelter and Air Conditioning – two things that are so common to most of us were some of the biggest game changers during TC. 90% of our time was spent outdoors in the GA heat and humidity. We ate outside, slept outside, “showered” outside, cleaned dishes outside….pretty much did everything outside. Being someone that is often very cold natured and loves the outdoors, I really did not think this would be a big issue for me. Boy, was I wrong!
The sweat became a constant for us all and something that was not easily ignored. Finding a patch of shade to stand under or pouring your drinking water over your head became as normal as blinking and I had to fight off the urge to complain about the heat daily. At first, the tent seemed a pathetic replacement for a home, with its thin, mesh walls (which allowed you to hear everything) and lack of privacy, but I found myself becoming increasingly more grateful for the protection that my tent provided against the elements and bugs as the days went on.
Lesson: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Though the heat was by no means enjoyable, it did not stop me from having great conversations and experiences. There were so many shared moments of laughter and joy in the midst of the heat, further reminding me that these comforts don’t have to define my state of mind. They are desirable and appreciated, but not truly needed.
2. Cleanliness/Showers – This was by far one of the hardest physical challenges for me. When you take the aforementioned heat and sweat and combine it with the dirt and gravel we were exposed to daily (especially when setting up tents or packing up gear), things get nasty real fast. However, if you wanted to shower, you had to fill up a bucket with cold water from the spicket and then proceed to dump this on yourself (often with a scoop) while in makeshift wooden stalls outside. No matter how hot and sweaty I was, the coldness of the water took my breath away every time, and washing my hair and shaving became a whole new form of art.
After waiting behind rows of women in line for the “shower,” you would finally get your few minutes to clean off and feel refreshed…only to start sweating again just as soon as you were dry. In addition, I always seemed to have a guest join me….one time I had to keep my eye on a spider in the stall for fear he would jump on me at any minute and on another occasion, I shared my shower with a wasp nest above my head with 1-2 wasps crawling around.
Realizing that you will never win the battle of keeping your nails and hair clean or preventing the funky odors from emanating off your clothes is off-putting at first, but something you quickly begin to adapt to. Don’t get me wrong, I dreamed of getting a hot shower and putting on makeup almost daily. However, I also adjusted to reality a lot faster than I originally gave myself credit for.
Lesson: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
This is one of the hardest lessons for me to live by and one that God directed me to over and over again during TC. Though it is not wrong to want to look pretty and smell good, my outward appearance should not be held in higher priority than my inward being. My appearance can often become a debilitating mask and I know God wants to change this in me.
God keeps showing me that He values the inward cleanliness and purity much more than the outward. God showed me some of the most beautiful sides to people during their filthiest moments as I got to know people for their hearts, and not how they present themselves aesthetically.
3. Routine – It is hard to imagine that I would actually desire and miss the predictability and monotony of a schedule and routine, but I did. Each day at TC was different from the previous and you never really knew what was in store for you until moments before it happened. There was no planning or preparation to be done, just reaction and obedience (hmmm, sounds a lot like something else I know).
For example, many evenings, we would be told to go quickly pack up our tents and packs and meet back up for further instructions. Once completed, we would then find out our various sleeping scenarios, which ranged from sharing a large tent with 9 other people, sleeping outdoors with no tent (which led to some interesting spider and scorpion encounters), having the “airport lose our luggage” for 2 days and relying on the kindness of our team members and sleeping in a freezing cold and extremely loud “airport” without a sleeping pad or bag. After a few of these moments, this type A chick was craving her regular routine, with planned wake and sleep times, and knowledge of where I would be and when.
Lesson: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ ” Genesis 12:1
There are numerous times in the Bible where God called people to obey and follow Him without giving them many details, sometimes none at all. TC served as a constant reminder that it is not about you and not about your comforts, but about going and serving and trusting God’s call on your life. The next step may not always be clear or even desired, but there is a purpose behind it all.
4. Independence/Community – I know these two things sound like an oxymoron, but I’m learning just how much I take both for granted. Having lived on my own for essentially the past 12 years, I’ve grown quite accustomed to taking care of things myself and have tried to rely on others less and less. I don’t like the feeling of depending on others as I have somehow linked it with weakness, laziness and increased exposure to disappointment.
At TC, the idea of community and reliance on one another was a huge theme since we will be living in community 24/7 once overseas. Our ability to lean on each other and live in unity and openness will play a large part in how we are able to help others. So, this idea of working and living together was found throughout all of our exercises, discussions and activities.
Initially, I really missed my autonomy to make my own decisions and choices, from what I ate and when to who was on my team to when I showered. I felt like a teenager again, with limited choices and freedoms. There was not one moment at TC that you ever truly had to yourself. World Racers seemed to cover every acre of land at AIM and nothing was ever really yours alone. Just ask anyone who tried to get in a snack only to find 48 other people asking for a bite…let’s take a moment to remember’s Abi’s starburst (ha!). We even ate our meals off of the same platter, dirty hands all just digging in at once, trying to portion out enough so no one was hungry.
However, it did not take long for me to start experiencing some of the new freedoms and joy that came from being in a community together. I did not have to do it all on my own anymore and I found a growing sense of acceptance and love when I knew I could ask for help with zero resentment or annoyance from the other person. Even more, I started finding myself learning new things and having a better experience because I was sharing it with others.
I was able to see the whole TC experience through the eyes of my squad mates while sharing my own perspective, which only further enriched it. I also experienced a level of openness and vulnerability that I often don’t give to people that early on. Through it, I found a place of safety and closeness that I don’t typically allow for in my normal life and it felt amazing! The fear of sharing and exposing my true self was almost immediately replaced by a feeling of comfort and relief, and I witnessed this happen to multiple others during the course of those 10 days.
Lesson: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
I have always read about God’s call for believers to live in community, freely giving to and encouraging one another, but I can’t say I’ve ever really experienced it the way I did at TC. It was something very special to witness and experience, and I look forward to God continuing to stretch me in this area. I see now why God says it will be this type of unity and love that ultimately serves to spread His message.
Like I said before, there is so much more that took place during TC than I could ever fit into a post. God brought so many different and unexpected things to the surface for me as He began to show me more of what letting go looks like. If you want to know more about my experience and some of the lessons I learned, please feel free to reach out to me individually as I would love to share more. Here is a video of our TC (made by one of my squad mates, Victoria Baxter), which will give you a small taste of some of what I discussed above:
The full weight of my decision to go on the World Race has really started sinking in now that TC is over, but God has continued to remind me that He is in it all. I do believe He will accomplish some wonderful things through my squad and team over the next year. If you would like to be a part of it all, please consider supporting me financially and through prayer. Just click on the support me button on this site or contact me for more information.
