So let me just start by saying “God is awesome, like REALLY awesome!”
The 10 days of World Race training camp were very interesting to say the least. The things I encountered & took part in were things I would have ran away from a year ago. Honestly if someone would have approached me a year ago & said I would be sharing the gospel all over the world, sleeping in a tent, or taking cold water bucket showers, I would have laughed in their face. I definitely wouldn’t have had the last laugh, because here I am!
What I took from training camp is many learned lessons & many spankings by the Holy Spirit.
Sitting here in my air-conditioned room, in my comfortable bean bag chair, I realize that I took all the little things I’ve been blessed with for granted before experiencing training camp & it’s definitely hitting me hard. I remember just a few days before training camp, I caught myself grunting because the power went out which lead to the air going out. What I didn’t stop & think is, I still had a secure roof over my head power or not.
I found myself complaining night 1 of training camp as I lay in my tent around 1A.M. My comfort zone was being stretched knowing that many of the next 10 nights would be spent in the scorching heat of my tent & I asked myself “why am I here?” Then I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me saying “Why are you complaining about being uncomfortable? With uncomfort comes growth, you are being molded for the mission you are about to embark on.” WOW! The Lord definitely got me in check!
On day 6 all the men separated from the ladies & embarked on a man hike through the Appalachian mountains that lasted two days covering a span of 18 miles. During the first day, between 6-8 miles into the hike, fatigue began to set & it hit some more than others. We began to take rest stops to allow the males who were having a hard time to recuperate so they would be able to finish the journey. I began to grow frustrated because I really didn’t feel like I needed rest, I would have much rather kept trucking. Then I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me saying, “it’s not about you, you are not in this alone. You are here to bear one another’s burdens, use your strengths to empower your brothers’ weaknesses.” From that point on, I made it a point to kill my selfish desires a little bit more with every step we took.”
A few days later after returning from the man hike, our entire team (men & women) were put through a special sleeping scenario for the night. At this point I was running on fumes, I had slept only 2-3 hours combined the previous two days. As everyone is winding down for the night, some turning in for bed & others hanging out in quiet groups chats, my mind was only set on sleep. One of my female squad mates approached me & asked if I was going to hangout on the other side of camp with another squad mate who had been allowed to stay inside due to being bit by a brown recluse spider on the man hike. My instant reply was, “no I’m way too tired, I’m going to bed”. The Holy Spirit let me hear it for a third time. Boy was I convicted! I was allowing my wants to get in the way of my brother’s needs. I knew he needed us there with him that night & I almost neglected the fact out of my own self desires. I went along with some of my squad to see our awesome squad mate that night & I vowed to never let my sleep or wants get in the way of my squad’s (family’s) needs.
I am not on this journey alone, so I can no longer make decisions or think solely for me. I have to consider my squad mates in all my decisions because we are now one. Although I have been involved in sports & teamwork much of my life, The phrase “There is no I in team” has never rang so clearly to me than it does now.
It’s a beautiful thing to have that soft, still, yet powerful voice correct us when we are wrong, speak life into us when we are asleep, give us clear sight when our visions are obscured, & mostly smack us when we need a reality check.
Galatians 6:2: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
