What an amazing experience! I am so grateful God had us be a part of such an amazing group of people. I joined 50+ like mind believers as we were shaped into what a “missionary” should be like. I do not mean that in a bad way, simply that we all had something that we needed to let go of in order to allow the Lord to truly prepare us for this journey, for His journey. I met amazing women and men and built friendships with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I was stretched, physically and spiritually. I was stretched in my way of life. There were no hot showers, no comfortable beds, no heat or electricity, and of course, no indoor plumbing. We shared everything, and yes I mean everything. In 10 days we became more than just friends, we truly became family. I have always considered myself blessed and after this trip, even more so. Not just because of the things of this world that I have, but because of whom God is and how He has given me a glimpse into Him. As part of our process we had different sessions where we learned how to grieve, learned about the Holy Spirit, and learned how to hear God. What an amazing time to sit back and watch God work! About 3 years ago, when I moved home from college, I was extremely blessed to have the Lord break me. He broke me in every way possible and my faith grew to a level that I had only dreamed of. I have personally experienced miracle after miracle and I have witnessed miracles as well. In the last 3 years I have had my faith tested, and each time I have known that my God is God and He can do ANYTHING! I have learned how to grieve and I have learned how to forgive. I hear the Lord speak to me daily and I do my best to be obedient to Him. He pours His spiritual gifts on me and I receive them, even when I do not understand them. I have watched God heal. Because of my experience and relationship with God, I sat in these sessions and wondered why so many people had yet to experience what I had. I wished that I had experienced it sooner and really wished they had as well. The Lord told me to be patient. I love how He said it. I struggle with the physical aspect of this trip. I have to work extra hard to prepare myself and in return my team has to be a little more patient with me. Well God said to me one morning during exercise, He said “Renee’, be patient with your brothers & sisters, no one can pressure you to run 5 miles in 1 day when you have yet to run 1 mile.” It made sense, finally! So instead of wondering why they were barely going through this process, I listened to the Lord, I prayed, I let go of the fear that was holding me back, and I truly became the hands and feet of Christ. The words He spoke to me, I delivered, the people He led me to pray for, I prayed. I encouraged and I rejoiced when I would see another one of my brothers or sisters in Christ began to experience Him in the way I have. This made training camp such an encouraging time for me. Now I am back, and I have to say, “Thank you, Lord! I love being home!” I absolutely love being home and I love electricity and indoor plumbing! I came back a new woman, one who truly has let go of the worldly things. However, I am truly happy to be home. I have talked to several of my squad mates who literally had their box blown away, and I love how on fire they are for the Lord. I truly hope they will stay that way. I am thrilled that the Lord has taken them to new levels of faith, as He has with me. I miss all of the amazing AIM staff and all of the H-squad, but I do not take for granted what He has provided for me and the fact that He handpicked me to live in this great country, and to be prosperous. I do not take for granted the Word which reads, everything you touch will prosper, you will always be the head and never be the tail. I do not take for granted people God has placed in my life to bring me where I am. I do not take for granted family and friends. Yes, my heart is humbled and on fire to serve the Lord, but I serve Him daily. I am grateful and blessed that He, not me, but He, would lead me to serve Him in missions around the world. I am excited for what next year will bring, but I do not live in the future, I live in His presence and in His present. I am taking every moment with my family and friends. I am loving every minute that I have here, because I do not know what tomorrow brings. My job today is to love God, to love others, and to lay my burdens down at the cross. I am to serve God in EVERYTHING I do. That is why I can say, I am glad to be back in reality, because 10 days secluded with other believers is not reality, it is amazing preparation. I am glad to be back in reality and I’m grateful for the time the Lord has granted me with my family, friends, co-workers, and church family. I’m grateful the Lord is saying take the next 8 weeks to process, grow, fall more in love, and minister to others at home. I am truly grateful for every moment I have here. I believe, from this mission trip, there will be those who are called to full time missions over seas, those who will be called to missions in the states, and those who will be called to serve in other forms of ministry. Jimmy said something at training and the Lord has brought it up several times in my heart…If this is the last time God uses me in my life, am I ok with that? Will I continue to love and follow without being used? The Lord has called us to be ordinary, we must be willing to be extraordinary!
