For the last week and a half I’ve been in Gainesville, Georgia for the World Race Training Camp. Guys, Training Camp was intense! It was crazy! And man, let me just say, God is so good!
To sum it up, Training Camp consisted of:
- Georgia red dirt, 90 degree days & 90% Humidity
- Ice-cold bucket showers
- 7:00 am workouts
- Random dance parties
- An unhealthy amount of rice, beans, and white bread
- Sleeping under the stars
- Eating crickets and pickled eggs for breakfast
- A concerning number of mosquito bites
- Overcoming any fear of porta-potties
- Running 2.2 miles up and down hills with 40-pound packs on
- Eating with nothing but our hands
- Squeezing 100 adults into very small rooms
- A lack of personal space
- Gospel music around the campfire
- REALLY awesome Worship
- Walking in vulnerability
- Accidentally inhaling too much flour
- Hearing the voice of God
- Physical, emotional, and spiritual healing
- 48 new life-long friends
So much happened at Training Camp this week… much of which I still need to process over the next few days/weeks as I prepare for launch in October. But don’t worry, you’ll all get to hear about the super deep stuff that happened, and the goodness of God in my next few blogs!
Now guys, let me introduce you to my team “Agua Viva”!!! These are the amazing ladies that I will be doing life with for the next year while we’re on the Race. Every single one of them has unique gifts and a deep love for Jesus. As a team we were described as being gentle like a calm flowing river, and from that came our team name Agua Viva, meaning Living Water. As we make our way around the globe, “Living Water” will be translated into the language of each country we are in.
(Left to right: Amanda, Rhi, Wendy, Jaivie, Carolyn, me, and Cristina)
Amanda is from Arizona, but has spent the last six months living in Florida while she was working as King Louie, Bolt, and Chip and Dale at Walt Disney World. Her theatrical personality brings so much life and joy to our team. She is a woman of honorable character, and is gifted in faith and encouragement.
Rhi is from Louisiana, and has a degree in Social Work (which is so fitting for her, because man, anyone who has talked to her knows that she has a rare and deep love for people). She is super sociable, and showers others with encouragement. Rhi is also gifted in the ability to walk in vulnerability, and in activism.
Wendy is such a kind and gentle soul. She is a Seattle native (woot woot! Let’s Go PNW!) who has a great love for kids and coffee. She is an exceptional listener, and when she speaks it is with much truth and wisdom. To no surprise, Wendy has a knack for hearing the voice of God.
Jaivie (our team leader!) was born in San Francisco, California, and spent a large chunk of her childhood living in the Philippines before moving back to the States. She loves people and craves adventure. Jaivie is a natural born leader, and has a character that constantly exudes the love of Jesus. Just a few of her gifts include wisdom, exhortation, and being a prayer warrior.
Carolyn is originally from California, but has spent the last five years as a teacher in South Korea. There is never a moment that Carolyn isn’t smiling and/or encouraging those around her. She is completely genuine, and will make friends with literally anyone. Her deep knowledge of scripture is totally astounding. Carolyn is gifted in both exhortation and evangelism.
Cristina was born in Romania and moved to the States with her family at the age of three. She is passionate about Jesus, and she walks out her life in a way that reflects that. Her personality is so real and refreshing—not to mention, she’s got such an authentic humor about her. Cristina is like soccer mom meets the World Race: she has a gentle and nurturing spirit and is prepared with everything! I kid you not, you name it, she’s got it somewhere in her pack! (so mom, you can worry about me a little less now)
I am privileged to get to walk alongside each of these women for the next year, and am excited to see where God takes us.
Thanks for joining us on this wild journey!
