Dear O squad,
I spent my Saturday night writing my post about training camp, in Spanish of course! I finally finished it at 2:30 am. I was exhausted and ready to go to bed. After sleeping for just about 3 hours, God decided that it was time for me to wake up with this on my mind: “Girl, you must write this blog in English as well! Share it with your family”. Have you ever been in the situation when you really don’t want to obey God? If so, you can understand how I felt. I really wanted to ignore that thought and go back to sleep. But well… I just couldn’t ignore it so I wrote the blog again. It is not a translation because translating is not my thing.
So, here it is, a glimpse of what I wrote in Spanish to my family and friends about what I learned during training camp with you, my new family!
I could spend hours writing about all the marvelous things God has done in my life during training camp. I could spend hours describing all the crazy stuff people in Adventure in Missions prepared for us. But, I won’t do that today. There is something important that I need to share with you guys first:
Just 9 weeks to go on the Race and I don’t want to leave.
Before training camp I was so ready to go. Every single day was spent on counting the days I had to wait for departing, creating in my head my ideal day on the race, writing do-to lists, reading blogs, trying to follow up all the crazy convos in whatssapp, and so much more. All I did was waiting impatiently for the Race to start.
Well, now that training camp is over things have changed dramatically:
1) I don’t want to leave: My present is beautiful and I will live it to the fullest.
“Don’t wish the future. Be present and home and enjoy every single second (…)”
This is one of the most helpful pieces of advice that I received during training camp, it comes from a racer. He said that if we learn to enjoy the present here, at home, and then we will know how to enjoy the present during the World Race. Longing what will come in the future is something that I have done since always. When I was in elementary school I couldn’t wait for High School. During High School I only could think about being in college. While studying in college I was only dreaming about working as a teacher. Now I am finally teacher!! (I have wanted to be a teacher so badly since I was a teenager, you cannot imagine!)… But, I have spent the last few months of school longing for the moment to say good-bye and start the race. STOP MONICA! I don’t want this vicious cycle to continue. I don’t want to spend next year wondering and dreaming about 2016. I don’t want to make the same mistake, whishing the future when the present that God has given me is so beautiful, special and will never come back again. This racer also encouraged us to find “the strawberry of the day” everyday. What did God have for me today? I have asked myself this question every night, for the last 6 days. It has been wonderful. God really knows how to spoil his children!!! Birds singing early in the morning, unexpected group hugs with my little ones at school, one muffin that “magically” appeared on my desk on Friday morning, etc. I don’t want to leave yet; I want to fully enjoy what God has for me every day.
2) I don’t want to leave: God is using this period of time to transform me and fill me.
“The World Race won’t change you, God will”.
Two weeks ago I thought I understood what I will be doing next year on the field. However, during training I found out that I was completely wrong. Before training camp, thinking about serving and doing ministry was equal to thinking on activities and schedules and on my abilities and previous experiences that I could use on the field. Oh my goodness! Thanks God he opened my eyes! I have been called to be used by the Holy Spirit in places where death and desperation has conquered people’s hearts. I have being given the right to use His power!!! There is no human skill that could beat that.
So, now I my enjoying the process of being filled by Him every morning. I am letting the Holy Spirit to transform my heart and prepared my soul. “The key to all ministries is intimacy with God” “Listen to the Father, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit” “learn to depend of God, not church”. I don’t want to leave yet; God is doing an amazing transformation in my life during this season! (And I was expecting this to happen during the race. Silly me, events don’t transform hearts, just God does that.)
3) I don’t want to leave: This is the time to enjoy family and friends to the fullest. Because I am not taking them with me to the race.
“Don’t go to stay in touch with people at home” “Be prepared to be 100% absent”.
I won’t spend my year wishing to be back home. I won’t spend it on facebook or what’sapp (we use it A LOT here in Peru), I won’t spend my year trying to imagine all the great stuff my friends and family will be doing without me. I will be 100% absent to be 100% present in the place God has prepared for me. So, I am using this time to charge my batteries, create beautiful memories with the people I love so that when I am struggling with homesickness I will embrace these memories and keep focused on what God has for me at that present time. I don’t want to leave yet, I am enjoying home, friends, church and school like crazy.
4) I don’t want to leave: This is the time to start what I want to do on the Race
“If you don’t start now, you won’t start on the Race”.
Shame on me!!! How many times have I said this to myself this year: “Once I am on the Word Race, then I’ll do it”. I have been pushing away so many decisions lately… you know! those bad habits that need to stop, and those good habit I wish I had. I was really pretending to start all this new life next year. But, thank God that racer said those words “if I don´t star now, I won’t start on the Race”. So, I don´t want to leave yet!! I am starting to work on all this stuff I had there waiting for me to be brave and make some wise decisions.
I just need to add that this week has been as stressful, busy, exhausting and crazy as the ones before training camp. I have found myself not following these pieces of advice more than once every day. That’s why I want to encourage us to have all of us in our prayers! So that O squad spends the rest of this short period of time living life to the fullest! in God’s way!
*And know that on January 6 I will be ready to leave home and spend 11 months with all of you, my dear O squad family.
