For the past 11 days I have been at World Race Training Camp. We slept in the woods, bathed with buckets and never once saw a sink or mirror(although windows make great stand-in mirrors.)
We trained not only physically, but also spiritually, socially and mentally.
Through field simulations, minimal food, travel scenarios and team building exercises, we developed an adaptability to changes around us and prepared for things we would experience around the world.
I’d like to share with you 10 things I learned while in the backwoods of Georgia!
1. Empty port-a-pottys are a gift to be treasured. (Trust me. After a certain point, the flies move in and there’s a mountain/sloshy swamp in dangerously close proximity to you when you sit down.)
2. When given food to eat, eat it. Even if you don’t like it or have no idea what it actually is.
3. Ticks are resilient fighters that refuse to die.
4. It’s possible to bond with a group of strangers and make deep connections. Sometimes it looks like talking about life together while sitting beneath the dappled night sky, richly painted with glittery stars, in awe of the creator that made us.
5. I may not know what will happen today, tomorrow, September or in the days after that, but I do know that God loves me and He’s a good, good Father. He loves the world deeply. He loves you deeply.
6. My squad has my back.
7. 30 pounds on your back isn’t that hard of a weight to carry.
8. A hammock is an amazing investment. Seriously, you never know when you might lose your tent and need to sleep in it.
9. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and be vulnerable. Let people in. Be transparent. It is worth it.
10. I don’t have to be afraid.
I admit I was super nervous for training camp. Having to spend 11 days with people I hardly knew was daunting. It seemed a foreshadowing of the 11 months to come…away from comfort, family, friends and everything I know.
If I couldn’t get through training camp, could I really handle 11 months around the world?
Know what I found?
I’m a lot stronger than I imagined.
The things I experienced at training camp were only a taste of things to come. Which makes me think that I can live in a tent in Romania, or cuddle with orphans in Swaziland or work with youth in Colombia. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I can minister to those trafficked in Bulgaria and hurting in Kosovo.
Maybe I might even be vulnerable enough to dance with those in Mozambique and adventurous enough to explore with kids in Peru.
I don’t know all that is going to happen, but I know Jesus and He will lead, guide and walk with me.
And that is the best part of all.
