Well, today is my first day back home from training camp. When I woke up the first thing I noticed was the silence. No giggling, no laughter, no tents unzipping, no “good morning!”, no guitars playing, no people falling off hammocks….just silence.
Hmm, weird.
Then I walked to the bathroom and I smiled at the toilet. Yes, I smiled at my toilet, and at my sink, and at my shower.
You probably think I’m crazy.
Of course, I then headed to the kitchen and I raided my fridge and pantry. Probably not the wisest thing to do, but I did it anyway!
Then I thought, “What are you doing? What are you happy about? What did you learn at training camp? Have you forgotten already?”
Training camp was an incredible learning experience and I was already letting go of the things it taught me! I was happy to have all my luxuries back. I was only gone for 10 days and I was eating all the food I could as if I wasn’t going to have it ever again. I was happy that I could shower and wash my hands whenever I pleased. I was happy to sleep on my bed. I was happy about the silliest things. Things we don’t really appreciate in the United States because they’re essentials. There was only one thing that I wasn’t happy about, and that was the SILENCE. I didn’t hear James telling jokes and making everyone crack up, I didn’t hear Cam asking people if they needed help with anything, I didn’t see any shy “I’m still half asleep” smiles, I didn’t hear Abby humming songs, Kirby wasn’t playing guitar.
Things were not right!
Training camp taught me SO MUCH about community. You’re leaving for 11 months to live with a bunch of strangers. You best believe they’ll teach you to live in community! But it was one of the most rewarding experiences EVER. You get to meet everyone and share your story with those you feel connected to. You instantly build friendships that you KNOW are going to last a lifetime. A circle of trust surrounds you, and you share things that you don’t even share with your friends at home. (Trust me, it will happen). You learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses and you build each other up. You share every meal with them…actually…you share everything with them! Someone forgot a deodorant stick? No biggie, here use mine!!! That’s gross, I know, but you do it anyway because you look out for each other. You realize that there’s no room for a false self. Honesty is the way to go! And the best thing is that you are accepted and loved for everything you are. HERE & NOW. Not the person you’re striving to be, or the person you know God will turn you into one day…you are LOVED by exactly who you are, so don’t be afraid to bring your baggage with you! Your squad will show you God’s love and grace. (And for all the introverts, don’t worry, you will have personal time to get away from all the crazies and recharge!)
Training camp was also physically draining. I didn’t train before hand because I like to believe I’m in shape (BAD ASSUMPTION TO MAKE) and I thought “Walk 2 miles under 40 minutes? Piece of cake!” but it makes a HUGE difference carrying a backpack that’s one third of your body weight! All my necessities are in that backpack, so I have to be able to carry it around the world. It’s not only about carrying your pack, but I learned it’s important to stay in shape so that you can be useful when you run into a scenario where physical strength plays a major role. Train and prepare some sort of work-out for when you head into the field. It’s really important to maintain a well and healthy body when you’re serving overseas. Aaaaand there’s SQUAD WARS. So yeah, if you wanna keep up, you better start doing some burpees and squats! I’m not kidding.
Another important thing I learned was how to deal with different cultures and social norms. They gave us all the information necessary to go out into these countries and succeed. How to interact with our hosts and all the types of projects we could do to serve the people in these communities. How to minister to women, how to deal with all the brokenness we’re going to experience, how to make a long-term impact in someone’s life, how to be ok only being a part of the process! We understand that we’re not going out there to FIX people. That’s not what we’re there to do. We want to go out and share God’s love, His grace, His peace, the FREEDOM that comes through knowing JESUS. I’m going out there to share my story, to listen to their stories, to be a helping hand, to show love, to show mercy and grace, to show Jesus through my actions, to accept these people and be a part of their story! I believe God is already moving in their hearts, and He will use me to plant some seeds while He takes care of the growing.
So now I have 6 weeks between now and launch. I feel like I couldn’t be more ready or excited! Training camp was challenging, but so rewarding and totally worth it. GOD SHOWS UP. I’m not lying when I say that, He’s a good, good Father 🙂 He will stretch you, tear down walls, break chains, and BUILD YOU UP. I experienced a type of freedom that I hadn’t felt before. It was so amazing and also a very crucial step for me before going into the nations.
I AM READY! SEND ME!
I trust that God will continue to provide until I am fully funded for this trip. I know deep in my heart that this is the plan God has set before me. (Trust me, you’ll find out at training camp if this is from God). So I will continue to hold on to the things I learned at training camp. I will discipline myself from here till launch. I will not take advantage of the comforts I have at home, in order to create a smoother transition once I launch into the field. (I don’t want any caffeine headaches…geez they were awful!!!) OK, maybe I’ll take advantage of the showers. Not feeling sticky, sweaty, and gross is really nice. But physically, mentally, and spiritually I will continue to get ready for the race!
Blessings! & thank you for all your support!
I’m sure the time will fly by, so to all my supporters, friends, and family, I would like to meet up and catch up before I leave!!! Let’s make it happen!
LOVE YOU ALL
