The first thing I learned at training camp was to pack light, and no I don’t just mean bring less clothing (although that would have made the 2 mile hike much easier). I mean get rid of the emotional baggage we tend to collect.
Training camp was really 10 days of “spring cleaning,” getting rid of the old, ugly stuff from our past and replacing it with God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. I can’t move forward and follow God’s plan for my life if I’m held back by past mistakes.
Once we all emptied out our emotional “closets” we could then see what is missing and work on filling it with the beautiful things God has for us. Over the course of training camp, I realized several things were missing from my “closet” (Sorry, I am really committing to this analogy).
The first thing I found I was missing was a personal relationship with Christ. Now don’t get me wrong, I have accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. Despite this, I never really grasped what a personal relationship with Christ looked like and how I could develop one.
I tried reading my Bible and praying every day but never really noticed a connection, and Jesus and I just remained acquaintances. Every once and a while we would talk when I needed something but I never went deeper.
I now know, in order to develop a deeper relationship, I need to let Christ in, and share my life with him. I need to treat him like I would treat my best friend. Talk to him, tell him things, ask him for advice, and acknowledge that he is with me every step of the way.
Another thing I was missing was openness for the Holy Spirit to work in my life. Growing up in Church, I was always told if I believe that Christ is my savior, then the Holy Spirit is in me. I never really knew what this meant or looked like. Yes, the Holy Spirit is with me, so what? Well now I know, how amazingly powerful this gift is. The Holy Spirit is my God-Given superpower; together we can do amazing things. And honestly, I wouldn’t be able to do the World Race without the Holy Spirit.
By filling that empty “closet” space with things to help me grow and move forward in my walk with the Lord, I become stronger.
Now, training camp did not just prepare us spiritually and emotionally; however, that was the main focus. We were also provided with information about what living and travelling in these countries might look like. We ate traditional food from each of the areas, learned to live in tents and lug around our pack.
The best part of training camp, aside from starting to develop a closer relationship with Christ, was building friendships with the amazing group of people I will be spending the next 11 months with.
Not only did I leave with a bunch more friends/ family, I left training camp feeling encouraged and confident that God will use me to care for and add to his kingdom.
PS. For those of you who are curious, I will be starting my ministry January 8th along with six other women in Cape Town, South Africa. We will be supporting a ministry that focuses on working with after school programs. Please keep me, my team and our ministry in prayer.
