I spent the last week and a half doing what every Seattleite dreams of: camping in Georgia in June (please note this sarcasm). It was hot, real sticky, occasionally muddy, and filled with sketchy meals- crickets, anyone? But it was full of the most amazing people I have ever met. Those 11 days were exactly how life is supposed to be; full, powerful, humorous, uncomfortable, and full of community.
Every person I talk to has asked me the same questions, “How was training camp? What was it like?” So here lies the answer. Read the following to get a glimpse into what life will look like on the Race!
You Know You’re At Missionary Boot Camp When:
1. You have to pretend that Georgia in the summer isn’t that hot. Because India will be much, much hotter.
2. You get overly excited and feel a little giddy when someone tells you the Porta Potties were emptied.
3. Your pack gets “lost at the airport,” AKA your trainer steals it- deal with it.
4. You learn to depend on strangers for absolutely everything.
5. Said strangers come to know your heart better than almost anyone- and they become family in the process.
6. When your trainer tells you you can sleep in your tent for the night you consider crying with joy and want to throw a dance party to celebrate.
7. Conversation boundaries no longer exist. Diarrhea becomes a normal topic (TMI? Sorry, I don’t know where the line is anymore).
8. You have rice at almost every meal.
9. Bucket showers are the best thing that’s happened. Ever.
10. You accidentally eat chicken gizzard. (Actually, Regan handled that one- thanks for that).
11. Eating without utensils is not nearly as fun as it sounds. It’s actually kind of hard.
12. By the end you no longer care about germs. Dropped food on the floor? No problem, just blow it off, it’s good for your immune system!
13. You see the power of the Holy Spirit through miracles. My right leg literally grew 3/4 of an inch.
Yes, you read that right. Yes, you may think I sound crazy and you may be a little uncomfortable. But that’s okay, I’ll walk you through it.
My entire life I have had a leg length discrepancy. My Sophomore year of high school it actually put me into a back brace for 2 years. Without going into too much detail, I’ll just say that it destroyed me. I was no longer allowed to play lacrosse, and in turn, my identity was rocked.
But that injury taught me more than I could have ever imagined. Eventually, I thought I had it all figured out. In high school I realized that I had built the foundation of my life on “sand.” Matthew 7:24-27 states the following:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these worlds of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Now, you can probably see the analogy so I’ll leave it at this: building your life on anything but your identity in Christ is like building your house on sand. And that’s exactly what I did before my injury. In fact, I thought I figured this out in high school, but it was not until Training Camp that I fully came to understand this verse.
In high school one day my leg was lengthened through prayer- not completely, but partially. A miracle did happen that day, but I was not completely healed. Fast forward to June 2017. On the 12th my entire squad had a camp out. As we were worshipping a squadmate felt called to pray for healing. We split into groups and about 20 members of my squad put their hands on my leg and prayed for lengthening. They prayed hard. Really hard. After 30 minutes nothing had happened. I stopped them and told them, “The Lord is saying, ‘not yet.'”
2 days later, the Holy Spirit rocked my world. That night everyone at Training Camp gathered for our nightly session. The speaker talked to us about the power of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of healing. So again, my squad prayed. And this time, something happened. It started with a tingle in my toes and a warm sensation throughout my leg. All of the sudden my right leg started shaking uncontrollably. My friends could barely keep their hands on my leg to pray. And just like that, my legs were even. I put my hands on my hips and for the first time in my life, they aligned. And then I started crying. Ugly Kim K. crying. Because PRAISE JESUS. Who would’ve thought His “not yet” would happen 48 hours later?! His timing is so much greater than anything we could ever understand. His “not yet” was so that nearly 200 people could share this story instead of just the 20 people two nights before. Or the 10 people 6 years ago. God needed me to commit fully to my identity in Him. I can truly say my house is built on a rock.
So, yes, you may feel uncomfortable. Yes, you may be in disbelief. And that’s okay. We tend to put God in a box. If you have questions, let’s talk about them. But remember this:
Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
~John 14:12-14
