To recap Training Camp in one sentence: I almost got my foot chopped off with an ax, almost got my butt set on fire by a ball of fire, and my heart was set free in Jesus Christ.
God has called all of us for one thing, and for those who answer His call, he has immeasurably more than we could ever imagine. All it takes is a simple YES! When I started this World Race journey I am not going to lie I was new at the whole following Jesus thing. I had always grown up in church, but had just begun to really run after God. Over the last 9 months I am not going to say that I was the perfect Christian; I strayed from God numerous times and felt distant from Him going into camp. I told Sadie (a friend that was on the Race,) that I didn’t feel spiritually ready for camp. Her response was that I was ready, God brought me here and He will see me through it. Boy was she right! Let me just say she scared me leading up to camp because she said that training camp was the hardest part of her WR experience to date. So i was scared to say the least!
Day one of training camp I am met in the parking lot by about 15 of my Squad mates, whom I have never met, and I immediately felt their love. Hugs were exchanged and friendship sparked immediately. We headed down with our gear on our backs to meet the rest of the 47 squad mates we had been eager to meet.Love at first sight is an understatement. So we set up our tents and called that Home, or ‘tent city.’
Every day there was 3 different sessions where we worshiped God and learned a little about Him too. All through out the week they pushed us to go deeper into our emotions and what was holding us back from an abundant relationship with God. What kept ringing in my head were my insecurities. I was so worried about what someone was thinking of me, or if someone was watching me during worship, that I couldn’t worship God in a way that He deserved. So I kept praying, ” God I give you these things, and I pray that you fill the spaces that these things leave in my heart with Your love.’ It took a few days of talking with other squad mates about it and pleading with God to fill my heart with His love, but it happened.
I felt God’s love for me for the first time in my life. My heart has never felt so full. All of a sudden I felt beautiful for the first time ever, and I felt His presence with me. He showed me in a vision that He was before me holding my hand, never taking His sight off of me, He showed me that He was standing behind me with His hands on my shoulders. He let me feel His embrace, and I never want to be out of that embrace for the rest of my life.
I can truly say that Training Camp was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have never been so emotionally drained, physically exhausted, or Spiritually full. I have never laughed or cried so hard. I have never felt so much love from a group whom I had only known for a few short days. God showed me how He intended His people to share in community and fellowship with one another. We camped under tarps in the freezing cold and pouring rain, we slept in a (fake) airport together, we slept crammed into 5 tents together, we laughed, and we cried together. In those 10 short days, we became a family.
I believe Training Camp was just the start of what God has for me this year. I can already see Him shaping me into something different than what I am now. He has placed me on a team with 6 beautiful women whom I would not normally pick for myself, but I know that God placed me on this team for a reason. These women have something that I need to learn and that God wants to share with me through these girls. I can not wait to share life with them for the next 11 months! We had to come up with a team name and we decided on ‘Team Pursuit’ because God constantly pursues us, and we constantly pursue Him. We are going out to pursue His people and to bring them closer to God. I am completely open to whatever God wants to offer me this year. Training Camp was just the spark that has set a fire in my soul for more. More of Jesus, more of His plan, more of His love, just more of Him.
Please continue to pray for me as I jump head first into this adventure to find God’s love and share that love with others. Please pray that God works in the lives and hearts of my team mates. Pray that we have safe travels and are open to anything God lays in front of us. Pray that we are obedient to God even when He asks us to do something radical.
I pray that you reading this blog will yearn for that Love I described. That you will run after it with a fire in your soul. We are all His children and no matter what we are going through He is standing in the middle of the storm with us holding our hand. Remember if it aint good, God aint done. All it takes is one simple Yes to fall into God’s will and God’s grace.
I want to thank the AIM staff for all they did for us at camp and for bringing us into this place of readiness to venture out for God. Training Camp impacted me in ways I can’t even put into words; so thank you for taking the time to make it amazing and life changing.
