Before Training Camp I….
1. had no idea how to set up my tent
2. struggled with knowing how to pack for 1 week let alone 11 months
3. had never slept in a school bus in the middle of the woods before
4. never had fish soup for breakfast…yum yum!
5. was nervous and excited about meeting my squad
6. didn't know about the empowerment of the Holy Spirit
7. didn't realize that my spirit could be more free than it already was
After Training Camp I….
1. am still working on the tent thing but now have a family to help me 🙂
2. realized i need a much smaller sleeping bag and sleeping pad
3. know to get my sleeping bag out next time i'm sleeping in a school bus in October
4. well i ate my first anchovy (definitely had to google how to spell that)
5. have a new AMAZING family
6. RECEIVED THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
7. AM WALKING IN FREEDOM I DID NOT KNOW COULD EXIST ON EARTH
Can I tell you about the freedom? About my spirit being more alive than it ever has before! I want that for everyone! God gives good gifts to His kids!
I grew up learning who Jesus was and having a relationship with him, but only knew the Holy Spirit was part of the trinity. When I was baptized with water, I didn't know being baptized in the Holy Spirit was an option!
My freedom began with laying down the desires of my flesh.
Before training camp, I really didn't see how this whole guy and girl sharing deep spiritual convos with each other was going work. I had major walls up. I basically had shut myself off from guys for the past year. I had the mindset that I could not pray for or really encourage a man in the Lord because it would create a bond that I was saving for my husband. My mind couldn't see how I was going to see these guys as brothers, so I laid it down. I did not want to struggle the entire year, and luckily God did not want me to either. We learned about breaking unhealthy soul ties (when our thoughts and emotions get bound to another person). Jesus cut 3 souls ties for me that I didn't realize I had. I thought I had moved on. I realized the reason I was so afraid of having brothers in Christ was because I had a messed up picture of what that was supposed to look like. God showed me the few guys I thought were brothers had never treated me as a sister should be treated. Once the soul ties were broken, God said, "Trena, you are free to love your brothers in Christ." I thought, "really God, are you sure?" He told me, "Yes, Trena. I promise! You have been set free to love your brothers on this trip. The walls in your heart are coming down and it's ok to encourage and pray for your brothers. These guys on your squad will be the ones to show you what it truly feels like to be treated as a sister in Christ."
FREEDOM! No more wondering deep down, God could this be my husband? It was like a light switch in my head and heart, and I immediately saw all the guys as brothers! I know this is how God intended us to treat each other! I thought the day couldn't get any better! Oh but it did!
Later that afternoon, we learned about being empowered by the Holy Spirit. I accepted Christ whenever I was 12 years old, and I have only recently within the past few weeks learned about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The speaker told us that whenever we are in the field next year, we need the power of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit knows something about the people we are going to minister to. In my walk with the Lord, there have definitely been times when I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life; however, I had never experienced this radical change like so many others had. I knew that I didn't need that "radical moment that I would never forget," but deep down I always wanted something more. I thought well, it's because my relationship with God has always been steady, never rebelling from the Lord, but always trusting His will in my life. I didn't realize that I had been missing something!
Back to training camp, the speaker said that we would all get a chance to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yes, please! I could already feel the Spirit moving. He told us to lift up our hands and that leaders would come around to pray for us. He said whenever this happens, some people will start speaking in tongues, others may cry or laugh, and others could fall to the ground. I was ready, so ready! He invited the Holy Spirit into the room and someone came to pray over me in the Spirit. What happened next is difficult to explain in words. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in a physical way that I had NEVER experienced before, and it brought me to tears. Like ugly cry tears. Uncontrollable ugly cry tears. It felt so good. I knew I had experienced a breakthrough. I knew I had experienced a radical change. My Spirit had never felt so free. I was so free to dance and worship the Lord, not caring what anyone thought. I remember telling God, "this is what satan tried to steal from me." It took me 3 months from the time I heard from the Lord to apply for the World Race to actually apply. The entire time, the enemy used other missions opportunities to veer me off this path. Missions opportunities that my flesh wanted more than anything; however, my heart knew God told me WR for a reason I couldn't understand. But now I did! God knew this is exactly what I needed to get to a deeper level with Him.
God will NEVER let satan steal His best for my life! God will never let satan steal His best for your life!
From then on, I felt bolder, stronger, more confident in my relationship with God. I find myself saying and doing things that I never would have done before. Words come out of my mouth that have to be the Holy Spirit because they are way smarter than anything I could come up with on my own!
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13
