Yes… I ate weird food in small portions at training camp; I slept in some pretty uncomfortable scenarios; and I took bucket showers (2 times in the entire 10 days, yuck!). But that’s not what changed me. I went into training camp with some reservations and fears about the World Race. I leave training camp with a new sense of identity in Christ and an excitement, which cannot be contained, to go and share the Good News with the world.
I don’t know how to summarize training camp. In fact, I think it’s impossible. It’s an experience I am still processing, but has dramatically changed the way I view my walk with the Lord. It’s an experience I wish everyone, especially my generation, would have.
In Seth Barnes’ book, Kingdom Journeys, he says “I had trusted Jesus to save me from hell, but I hadn’t begun to understand the life He offered before death.” This is a great way to summarize where my heart was going into training camp.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly – John 10:10
On the first day, they told us that if we create space in our life, the Lord will fill it. Training camp was the first time I’ve made space for Jesus to do things He’s never done. My paradigm shifted from viewing myself as a devout servant of God to a beloved daughter working alongside her Father. I am learning to stop living to “earn” God’s approval, but rather live in God’s approval. Jesus is the only man to impress God with his life/performance and Jesus intercedes on my behalf. God loves me enough to break me, so my dependency is no longer on myself. It was a beautiful thing when I realized I’m not strong enough.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you – James 4:8
I learned three of the most powerful tools God has given us are the Holy Spirit, His Word, and healthy community. Healthy community requires vulnerability. Vulnerability is about sharing our feelings and experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them and speak into them. Vulnerability is something that terrified me going into training camp. How could you expect me to spill my guts to 50 complete strangers? But, by the end of training camp, vulnerability and healthy community are things I craved. And through all of this, I began to crave intimacy with God for the first time. I know that He knows everything about me, but I began sharing everything with Him. I want Him to know everything about me not just because He’s all-knowing, but because I trust Him and I want intimacy with Him.
I am learning to be who I was created to be, not who I’ve created myself to be based on who I think I should be. I’ve never felt so loved an accepted as I was by my squadmates. Nothing unleashes the power of God like obedience.
The biggest thing I learned at training camp is that the “American dream” is no longer big enough for me. The Lord has given me Kingdom dreams. I don’t need to know the plans He has for me because I know Him. The World Race is about connecting us with what God is doing around the world.
“Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t contain, that I can’t control. ‘Cause I want more of you, Lord.”
