“We’ll cast our crowns before him, like the rusting leaves of autumn. Now every chain lies broken, and finally we’re free.”
-Rend Collective, “Finally Free”
Eyes wide, and heart pounding in anticipation, I made my way from my airport terminal to meet up with my squad in the airport. Today was the long-awaited day that all members of Gap I had been talking about for months: Training Camp arrival day. The day that we would all finally get to meet in person, the day that officially began our journey on The World Race.
Amidst the excited greetings, laughter, and small talk, there was an air of anticipation. Of anxiousness. Of longing. Longing for deeper relationships with each other. Anxiousness for what was in store for us in the upcoming 10 days. Anticipation of what the Lord was going to do within us and our squad.
But I don’t think any of us were at all ready for all that God had in store for us.
Because Training Camp was hard. Training Camp was tiring. It was hot, and we smelt really bad the whole time. (No, really. We stank so bad.) We took showers out of buckets, and went to the bathroom in port-a-potties. We slept in tents, and there was never a time in which my feet weren’t coated with at least one layer of Georgian red dirt. I don’t think that I stopped sweating for more than ten minutes in total for the entirety of ten days.
Most days we ate with our hands from a community plate, and no, we did not wash our hands. (Hand sanitizer counts, right?) Each day we ate food from different regions of the world, in preparation for the time that we will spend living in those regions. One day we ate crickets for breakfast, and cow intestines for lunch. (No, I’m not kidding you, this actually happened.) We spent a lot of time day-dreaming of chick-fil-a, pistachio ice cream, and iced coffee.
But Training Camp was also sort of wonderful.
Never before in my life have I felt freedom in such fulness. Never before have I physically and emotionally felt the chains enslaving me being broken. Never before have I encountered the Holy Spirit in such a real and tangible way. Never before have I felt so loved and worthy by our Heavenly Father.
Because Training Camp taught me a few things. It taught me how to choose my sisters and joy before my own comfort. It taught me how to worship the Lord in spirit, in truth, and in full abandon. It taught me how to share my story without any shame because Jesus has made me pure. Training Camp taught me how to be vulnerable, and how to share my struggles with the community that my squad has built around each other. It taught me that God sees me as worthy, and as His radiant daughter.
And, most importantly, Training Camp has taught me how to walk in the freedom that Jesus has won for us all. Gone is the weight of my shame, gone are the chains that used to bind me. In its place is freedom, and the everlasting joy of our Father.
Yes, I am free indeed.
Blessings,
Katie 🙂
In other exciting news, CAMBODIA has been added to my route! This means that instead of heading straight to Thailand in October, I get to spend my first month in Cambodia, and then the next two in Thailand!
Help me to get there! To donate financially, just click “HERE”. Thanks so much all!
