Less than a week ago I landed in Atlanta for training camp, marking the tangible beginning of this big adventure! A few hours later I was surrounded by dozens of strangers. Over the week I was thrust into countless situations that dragged me out of my comfort zone (sometimes kicking and screaming inside my head). And today, I am surrounded by a new family of brothers and sisters who inspire me and I am thrilled to be partnering with! I have a zillion stories from these last few days that I would love to share with every one of you (and I'm in the states for over two months still, so please ask!) 🙂
I plan to post more about camp soon, but for now I only have time for one story (as I write this, I am in a simulated "internet cafe" and only have 10 minutes to post!)
One thing that we are continually talking about, singing about, and praying about here is that we are sons and daughters of the King. A couple nights ago, my squad of about 40 set up camp in the woods, built tarp tents and a campfire to cook dinner. After dinner all of us pressed in around the blazing flames to share testimonies of God's deliverance in our lives. Afterward, we began to declare who we are in Christ, shouting in loud voices to the the woods of who we are, claiming the identity and promises Christ has given us. One girl declared, "I am a princess!" Others chimed in "I am a princess!"
I felt an annoyance inside me when I thought about the words. The images they conjured up were less than what I would choose to describe myself – it seemed so "girly-girl". So I did not join the chorus of women's voices. After all, I've never wanted to be a princess!
Yesterday came the much anticipated moment when our teams were finally announced! Afterwards, we were given a chunk of several hours and sent out for the first time as a team to minister wherever God led us to go. As my team drove to a local hospital, we shared with each other about ourselves, our tendencies, and the fact that our team is all women (seven of us)! There was a commonality instantly in that none of us are very girly and the term "princess" came up in the conversation. Some of the girls spoke of how their hearts have been changing in realizing that they can say, "I am a princess!" with pride, holding their heads high. We are daughters of the King! We pictured princess warriors, bold and fearless.
We arrived at the hospital with limited time, where my teammate Jen and I met an elderly man whom I'll call Jack. As we chatted with him, my heart broke for Jack, who was obviously very alone and without much joy in his life. He was thrilled to chat with us and even let us pray over him for healing and hope! By this time, my team leader Kate had also joined us in the hospital room. Jack's nurse walked into the room and seemed surprised to see us, commenting, "Jack! You look like a king surrounded by princesses!" Kate and I exchanged stunned glances.
We are princesses!
The immensity of the words that the nurse had spoken hit me even harder as we left the hospital.
"You guys!" I exclaimed. "You know how the Bible says that when you've done this to the one of the least of these, you've done it to Christ? We just ministered to Jesus! We really were princesses surrounding our King!"
And yes, I can now say for myself with my head held high, "I am a princess!"
