Hi friends,
It has been a while since my last blog. It is difficult for me to put down in writing sometimes what I am feeling and what God has been doing in me, so I think for a while I just stopped trying. Comparison and fear of judgement is something the Lord has been slowly working with me on, and I think after the past two weeks it is the perfect time for a new post! The past 12 days I spent in Gainesville, Georgia at The World Race Training Camp. So many people have asked me how it was and I think the only thing to sum it up is to say it was easily the best and hardest thing I have ever done. The night after camp I wrote a list of things to try and process the time I had spent there, and I am going to type it out below, it is pretty raw & intense but it is exactly where I was at.
*Disclaimer – If you have not done training camp yet and are planning to apply for TWR/have a training camp next year, please only read on if you are ok with exploring some of the teachings that will be given to you while you are there. Some of my points are directly from things we were taught over the course of camp, and if you want to go there with completely fresh perspective, then I’d suggest coming back and reading this blog afterwards.*
1. DAUGHTER – my sweet squadmate Mya left such an impression on me with her passion for the knowledge that we are chosen & loved daughters of the creator of the universe. When you know this, it completely shapes who you are and how you act.
2. GOODNESS – My Lord is good, and the full goodness of who He is and what He does for us was impressed on my heart so strongly this week. He loves each and everyone us of us so so much.
3.”Oh you are the Irish girl, I heard about you!” – life as one of the two only non-Americans at training camp lol. This will then lead into multiple attempts at your accent and a whole lot of laughs. Margaret you are without a doubt the best Irish-American accent about.
4. Squadmates are handpicked by the Lord to make up our very own body/church on the move. Each and every one of us brings something entirely different to the table and we all have flaws, just as I do.
5. The enemy will steal and attack absolutely anything he can to try and stop the joy of Jesus being shared to those who need it most. When you are feeling down, you are directly under enemy attack because you have something SO good to share that he will do anything he can to stop you.
6. Bucket showers; when you stand in an outdoor wooden cubicle (in 2-3 degree weather) with a bucket of ice cold water, and throw it over yourself with a jug. If you took any more than 2 bucket showers at camp, you are my hero.
7. Quietness is a character given by God; it does not mean weakness, it allows meekness (patience, without resentment, non violent, control over power).
8. Leadership means coming alongside to empower & encourage, never coming down on top of. Quiet leadership is beautiful and being a good follower is even more important.
9. Baby wipes are your best friend at training camp (see #6) and a baby wipe shower is absolutely a thing.
10. “Every time I create the space, the Lord always fills it”.
11. All time lows at training camp included spiders on faces, putting peppermint oil under your eyes to stay awake, 6am wake up calls everyday, brushing your teeth by eating mint Oreos & offering to wash the tables after food just so you could put your hands in hot water.
“Im so glad to be around people who let their standards fall as far as mine”
12. Are we the first & last someone might see of hear of Jesus? What impression am I leaving them with?
13. A life with Christ is not always safe, but it is always good.
14. “Thank you for sharing” – the most commonly used phrase at camp and my new favourite way to respond, try it and see how validated you make someone feel.
15. The tone of your voice will be heard by someone long before what you are actually saying. And in turn, will be heard by someone even if they do not speak your language.
16. The Holy Spirit is in every single one of us who believes. The amount we experience the work of the Spirit and our spiritual gifting depends on how much we ask for and how much we work on our relationship with Him. I LOVE what my incredible teammate Rebecca said about this on her blog, “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, He waits to be invited in”.
17. The Lord is absolutely always chasing after you, sometimes you just need to slow down enough to receive it (Breier – that sermon, loved your word.)
18. Eating with your hands becomes a totally normal way of life at training camp and something you need to stop yourself from doing when you get home. Eating a different cuisine everyday, always with your hands. Eating crickets, always with your hands. Eating anything that is set in front of you, always with your hands. BRING hand sanitiser to training camp!
19. We are so lucky that God uses us in His story, when He could do it all himself.
20. Shame is from the enemy and causes condemnation, guilt is from the Lord and causes conviction. It is redemptive and life giving.
21. Simple living causes a dependence on the Lord and coming back into the ‘real world’ is overwhelming even after 12 days. I stayed in a hotel room the night after training camp and I sat on a chair and looked at the bed for genuinely an hour before I felt ready to sit on it. I then took 3 hot showers in 12 hours.
22. When I am using my voice for anything other than good, I am missing out on the opportunity and letting someone else pray/praise for me. When I am using my voice over other people, I am dishonouring them and the people around me.
23. “Theres no shame in looking like a fool, when I give you what I can’t keep and take a hold of you” – my new favourite worship song.
24. God will do things in entirely unpredictable ways, but it will always have a very predictable agenda, LOVE.
25. Team Haven – my beautiful team of 5 other women to start the Race with for the first few months. Rebecca, Margaret, Amanda, Krista & Emily – you are all amazing women of God and I cannot wait to learn from each and everyone one of you. Haven def’n; A place of safety or refuge.
26. Hiking with a 18kg backpack at 7am is without a doubt my new least favourite activity.
27. Closely followed by packing up, setting up & re-packing up my tent 10 times in a week. Or just not setting it up at all and making your squadmates share their tent with you.
28. Leadership teams are LIFE GIVERS. We could absolutely not have survived our 11 days without them. Zach, thanks for being the best solo squad leader ever, we can’t wait to spend 5 months on the field with you. Alissa, you are the squad mentor of dreams! Thank you for giving us words of wisdom every single day and loving us from day one. Austin, mobiliser on a mission, you have been there from the very first moment of our World Race experience and it was the best to finally meet and spend time with you at camp. Chuck & Angie, the Mum & Dad of the squad. You loved us fiercely from the first moment we were all together and even after you left sent us messages of encouragement from afar. We can’t wait to love on you this year and have you lead and encourage us along this journey. Sara, Beka, Haley & Matt; we will forever be grateful for how you led and encouraged us throughout these 11 days, it wouldn’t have been the same without you.
29. 5th Generation F Squad – you are all encouragers, Jesus lovers & world changers. It is going to be a privilege spending the next year doing life with you all.
30. The World Race is going to be a WILD 11 months. January 12th 2019 – it all begins!
Chloe xo
