Yesterday, I arrived home after spending 10 days in Gainesville, Georgia for my World Race Training Camp.
At TC, I met my squad, was placed into a team of women I will be living life with while on the race, lived out of my backpack, took cold bucket showers, ate new food, worshiped God alongside my brothers and sisters, and was pushed past what I thought were my limits physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Best of all- God completely interrupted my life in ways I would have never thought to expect.
It will take some time to begin to unpack all that I learned about God and myself over the 10 days, but I will begin here:
What I learned at Training Camp.
- Bucket showers can be tricky and take some getting used to, especially if it’s unusually cold outside. Also, some advice: don’t lose your headlamp midway through TC and attempt to take a shower in the dark. (Thankfully, I found my headlamp a couple days later… but it was sketchy for a while.)
- I need to be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do. Some sessions stretched my idea of who the Holy Spirit is and how He works in the lives of believers. I found that when I confessed the limitations I was placing on God and gave Him space to do what He wanted to do in me, He showed up in incredible ways.
- I need less food to survive than what I think I do– aka; the world doesn’t eat like Americans do. One of the breakout sessions I attended was on healthy living on the field and it challenged me to look at how I live my life when it comes to diet and exercise. The instructor challenged us to “say ‘no’ now for a better ‘yes’ later.” Saying “no” to the unhealthy (a candy binge) will help empower me to say “yes” to something better later (being able to walk the extra mile on a ministry day because I am feeding my body well, for example).
- Singing Bohemian Rhapsody with a friend can help pass time and keep you motivated… like during a fitness test of walking/running 2 miles in 35 minutes or less with your pack on.
- Late night talks around a campfire are such a blessing!… and can swing to strange places and make you laugh harder than you have in a long time.
- I have to be me. I came to TC as someone I thought “Laura the World Racer” should be… and it hindered my experience. From my clothing choices to my worship style to my testimony to how I spend my free time to random dance parties… I missed out on so much because I was so concerned about how I appeared. I projected my own judgments about my insecurities on others and then judged them for judging me. Thankfully, I was blessed with the most incredible squad and there were some who were able cut through the *junk* and really love me for me. Over the next couple months, I hope to grow in the truth of who God says I am and arrive at launch in January much more confident of the REAL me.
- It is downright freeing to not have my phone in my hand all the time– same goes with not having a mirror for a week.
- I don’t dislike Taylor Swift as much as I thought I did.
- Snakes happen. So do spiders. Breathe and move on.
- I have always felt like there was more to life than the life I have always lived- this week, God showed up and blew my mind. It’s a long story for another time, but suffice it to say, God showed up and spoke into my life in a way I have never experienced before, He blessed me with the “why” behind some difficult situations in my past, and gave me a glimpse of the destiny He has created for me.
God used Training Camp to change the trajectory of my life; I cannot begin to fathom how much more He is going to use the 11 months of the World Race to transform me.
A couple photos from TC:
Squad Wars!!!! Our tent village. 🙂
B Squad!
My team!
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Training Camp was amazing, and hard, and transformative, and cold, and fantastic, to say the least, and I am so thankful God gave me the courage to respond to His call by going.
My next big hurdle is of a financial nature- I have about 7 weeks (until December 18th) to raise about $5,000 or my launch date of early January will be in jeopardy. I am completely convinced this is the time, the team, the squad, and the route I have been called to, and I have full faith that God will provide through friends and family, co-workers and strangers, and in any other way He chooses.
I am currently about 30% funded- my December deadline will push me to about 60% funded and I will need to continue to raise funds until I reach my grand total of $16,962. It’s a big step of faith, but I know the Lord will provide.
If you would like to donate, please click the “Support Me” link on this page. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions- either by commenting below, by emailing me at [email protected], or by clicking the “Contact Me” link above.
Thank you. God bless!!
