I'm still processing everything that was World Race Training Camp September 2013. Whenever I think about how to explain what training camp was like (without going into an hour long dissertation), one recurring theme comes to mind — ROLLER COASTER. It was a roller coaster. A roller coaster that I wasn't prepared for. Adventures In Missions doesn't exactly do a lot of preparing racers for what we're getting into at training camp. For some reason, they think it's cool to keep us in suspense. If you're a future racer, I know you're probably a little antsy and probably a little annoyed at how little info there is out there regarding what goes on at training camp. So, I'm gonna help you out! There is no way that I can fully describe everything that training camp consists of, but I can give you my List of Things That I Wish I Would've Known BEFORE Coming To Training Camp:
- YOU'RE NEVER ALONE – Training Camp is where 4 squads of approximately 50 members come together for 1 week. This much I knew. What I didn't know was that I would constantly be surrounded by these people! Day in. Day Out. Sunrise. Sunset. Now, I'm not an introvert at all, but everyone enjoys a little "me" time. Time to spend with your thoughts. Time to get away from the madness. Well, don't expect to get any of that during training camp week. You will always be surrounded people. People singing, people dancing, people taking showers in the creek, they will ALWAYS be there. And then you will realize how lucky you are to be surrounded by some of the most amazing people that you will ever meet in your entire life; and when you're not surrounded by them, although you will be surrounded by the Lord and His amazing love, you will wish they were there. God told me long ago that He would never leave me nor forsake me, but somehow it took a week at training camp to really get it.
- YOUR FAMILY GETS TO JOIN YOU – I'm a really big family girl. My family means ever
y thing to me and I do anything for them. A couple of weeks leading into training camp I began getting a little sad at the fact that I'd be away from my family for so long. If AIM had told me that my family would be meeting me at training camp (and some of them even before training camp started), I could've saved those sad feelings for later! As soon as I arrived at training camp I was greeted by a large group of people who instantly became family and treated me as if we'd known each other our entire lives. The theme for W Squad was "Unity" and we were unified from the beginning and well throughout training camp. My squad mates felt as if they already knew me and treated me as such. It was beautiful and better than anything I'd ever experienced! My family met me at training camp and I had no idea – what an awesome surprise! #WRDUBLOVE
- YOU WILL LEARN THAT YOU ARE WRONG, A LOT – I thought I knew a lot about a lot. I now know that I was wrong! I thought I knew what it was like to love, give, & serve. Nope, I had no clue what serving really looked like until I came to training camp and couldn't go 2 minutes without running into someone who wanted to serve me. Whether it was pra
ying with me, putting up my tent, taking down my tent, getting me more food, refilling my water, cooking for me, cleaning for me, making a fire for me, offering an extra hand, an extra towel, an extra bar of soap, a seat, any and everything! These people serve like crazy and put me to shame!! I thought I knew how to avoid mental and emotional attacks from the devil … wrong again! The closer I get to God, the more cunning my enemy gets. He is constantly inventing new ways to throw me off my game. I heard his lies daily. I kept crying for no reason. I felt depression, loneliness, jealousy, fear, anxiety … it was just insane! Finally I realized that my enemy really doesn't want us to complete this race and is will pull out all of the stops. He knows that The World Race draws people closer to the heart of God. He knows that although we go into this thing fully expecting to change the world, the Lord uses the world to change us. Trials will come, weapons will form, and while satan may come at me with new lies and even trip me up a time or two, I know that I am not defeated as long as I have God on my side. I thought I knew what was best for me, but that is also false. I thought I needed to be put on a co-ed team because it would help me to avoid the "drama" that comes with being with a bunch of women for 11 months. I figured that would be best because that is what would mak
e me the most comfortable. Team formations at training camp showed me that God isn't just interested in me being comfortable, but he's interested in me being righteous. He's interested in me being who he created me to be. He's interested in putting me in an environment where I can feel safe, loved, & free. He's interested in giving me the best, which is why he placed me in the greatest team with the greatest women ever! Sha'Terika (Team Leader), Carly, Lynn, Sarah, Vivian & I make up Team Daughters of the Vineyard (#DOVbeauty). You should check out their blogs too because they are truly awesome and inspiring. Ladies, thanks for allowing God to put you in a place to prove me wrong once again. Being wrong has never felt so right!
- YOU WILL BREAK – We all come into training camp with one of two train of thoughts. You either (a) are terrified at the fact everyone has it all together except for you or (b) feel like you have it a
ll together as much as you can. Well, let me warn you that no matter which of these mindsets you prefer to camp in, you WILL be BROKEN. I know what you've seen in the pictures, trailers, and videos, but trust me, it's not all face paint and dancing! You will be challenged, you will be uncomfortable, you will sleep in tight quarters (possibly a bus), you will be tired, you will cry, you will experience spiritual warfare, you will be humbled, and then you will break. Let me give you a word of advice, get this out of the way as soon as possible! Once you realize that you (and your 40 other squad mates) are nothing without Christ, and once you quit focusing on your fears and insecurities and meditate on what your Father says about you, and once you finally surrender yourself and your baggage to the only One strong enough to carry it, only then will you be ready to take on the world. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs … God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth (Matthew 5:3,5)
Training camp was a crazy ride filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, & lots of surprises. But I'm gonna be honest with you … I absolutely love roller coasters, and I would jump at the opportunity to experience this ride all over again. Adventures In Missions may have kept me out of the loop regarding a ton of things, but I now know and trust that this is an organization filled with people who are led by the Holy Spirit and who genuinely love all of their racers. I am so blessed to be led and covered by these folks. Training Camp offered a lot of things that I didn't expect, and because of that I am ready to GO to the nations and share the love of Christ!
