I recently got back from my 10 day World Race training camp in Gainesville Georgia. It was an incredible time and I made memories that I will never forget. This blog is just simply going to share my favorite 11 memories.
1- Meeting some of the coolest and nicest people.
One of the biggest worries for me personally was not knowing the people I would be living with for the next 11 months. I had talked to them before through facebook, text messages, snapchat, etc, but didn’t truly know them. Over the whole 10 day process I developed relationships with people who would soon become my family. It was incredible to see how God brought so many different people from so many different places and bring them together to mesh so well.
2- Getting to live out of one backpack for 10 days.
Right away I thought it would be incredibly difficult and really unpleasant but it was actually the opposite. Right away when we got there we set up tents and threw all of our belongings in our own little area. The whole week was a simple way of living and a lot slower pace than what we as a society has become use to. And the fact that everyone smelt like sweat 247 nobody judged you what you wore or what you looked like.
3- The Georgia Weather
I am an Iowa boy who likes the cold every once in a while. Georgia didn’t offer that at all. during the day it was humid and hot and at night it was humid and warm. The next day the whole thing would cycle again. I thought it was a going to be the worst week of my life but by the end of day 4 I started to realize it didn’t bother me anymore. I felt more prepared to live in the tropics for 11 months than ever before. It just took a lot of sweat, and a little bit of internal complaining to get there.
4- The bucket showers.
After a long, hot, stinky, and sweaty day in the heat nothing sounded better than a nice long shower. We didn’t have that but what we did have actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The bucket showers were incredible. They were cold, frequent, and a great respite from the georgia heat. After a long day of being hot and tired a cold bucket shower could usually do the trick to bring my mood back up and give me the boost I needed.
5- The man hike.
The man hike was an incredible time. For two days every man from all 5 squads got together with some of the male staff and we went on an 18 mile hike on the Appalachian trail. It was a time to talk about what it’s like to be brothers and men in christ. It was also a time to be vulnerable and build friendships that weren’t there before. In the process we got to see some of God’s most beautiful work, but only after burning our legs out. My favorite moment of the 10 days was hearing 50+ men of God worshiping together on the appalachian trail. To hear the echo of their voices bouncing off the surrounding mountains is an experience I will never forget.
6- Finding out who I was and who God intended me to be.
I have personally always struggled in finding out who I was and who God created me to be. These last days I learned more about myself than I have in my entire life. Thank to some amazing people around me and a father in heaven who loves me unconditionally I finally feel worthy to do his work and ready to do whatever he asks. I will show all of you who he made me to be in blogs to come.
7- The X-Squad camping trip.
One night while we were at training camp our whole squad was dropped off at a near by campground and we were basically given the chance to have fun and bond. We cooked dinner together, split wood, played games, went swimming, worshipped, and many more things. It was a time when all of us got to see our squadmates in a way we haven’t before. I feel it was a time when we got even closer than we already were.
8- The sessions.
Through the week we had some incredible people speak to us. They were all so different but each one seemed to have the same message for us. We are exactly what God needs, we are enough, and with the power of the holy spirit we can do anything he asks us to do. It was refreshing to have people speak love and life into us and empower us to go out and make a difference because who we are is what he wants not what we could be
9- Worship on the porch.
I love music and have always loved singing and playing instruments. Naturally, worship is something I really cherish and is the easiest way for me hear God speak. One night towards the end of camp I went to the porch to sit down and hang out, just like we always did. I found a couple of my squadmates sitting in a circle with a guitar just singing some worship songs. I joined in and it was amazing. It wasn’t a worship that I had ever experienced before. It was as if we were singing to God who was right in the circle with us. It will always be one of those memories I hold on to and never forget.
10- SQUAD WARS
Before camp even started we started squad wars. It’s pretty simple every squad versus the other squads. I am a very competitive person so having the opportunity to be with my team and compete was a great time. I think the best thing about all of squad wars was the teamwork we all had. We spent a couple hours late one night on a dance that turned out amazing and won of first place in that part. We also knew when we lost and made the bet of it and cheered on the other teams as a team.
11-Finding out teams.
When you are living with the same group of people every day for 11 months straight you can’t help but worry whether it will work or not. The day that we found out was a huge relief. I will be living with 6 of the nicest, most caring, wisest, and straight up coolest people I have ever met in my life. Not to say that I wouldn’t have been happy with other people but each of us just work so well together that I just get so excited every time I think of what we can do as a team through christ.
If camp was any indication of how the next 11 months will go I am even more excited than I was before. We are going to do great things as a squad and a team and the enemy knows that. He is working overtime to screw us up and keep us from following the path God has laid out for us. I know I can speak for my whole squad when I say thank you for all of your prayers and keep them coming. We will need them to continue following the road God has each of us on.
