Training Camp. The beginning of the World Race Journey, and perhaps the best two weeks of my life. The whole experience was incredible; absolutely life-changing. At this camp, I met the people that I quickly learned to call Family. Gap O is filled with amazing people, and God is clearly at work within each and every one of them! I am so anxious to grow with them through this next great adventure!
The point of Training Camp is, obviously, to prepare you for the Race. It may be exposure to cultural foods and customs, team-building, or stressful scenarios that we may have to deal with in the field. Adventures in Missions (AIM) did an amazing job simulating things that we may experience allowing me to feel more comfortable with leaving my home to go serve.
Training Camp also prepared me for things I would have never thought of, things I had no concept of. I felt like I was completely broken down to my foundation, and rebuilt.
“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'” (John 2:19)
The temple, being me, was torn down and Jesus rebuilt it. All the spiritual baggage that I brought with me to this camp was taken from me, and I was left with nothing but the Christian Foundation I was brought up with. The rest of Camp was dedicated to building up on that foundation, building up on my belief in Christ. This camp was truly a Spiritual Awakening and Transformation.
I flew into Georgia for Training Camp a day early, and got to meet up with six guys from my Squad. Going into this, I only knew them from a text-bubble on our Squad Group Chat. They were essentially strangers to me. But when they arrived at the airport to pick me up, I was embraced as an old friend. A little over an hour later, this group of six guys all piled into one of the guy’s, Andrew’s, 4-person Jeep (what a way to get to know each other!), and drove off to his house. This, to me, was incredible! We had all just met, and this guy was already inviting us into his home! That hospitality was unheard of to me! But I soon realized we weren’t strangers: we were brothers in Christ simply uniting for the first time. We were family before we even met!
The next day began Training Camp, and I was introduced to some of the most amazing people I have ever met, my new brothers and sisters. Worship services were held daily, as were sessions, which is where we heard sermons and learned valuable lessons about the Race. We were often given team building exercises, some of which were very challenging! We had to try so many different kinds of food (crickets aren’t nearly as bad as you would think!). We were put into different sleeping scenarios to simulate situations we may encounter in the field; a night in the “airport” (which was just an extremely air-conditioned room with the lights on, and sound effects blasting all night), “lost baggage” (some of our bags were taken, and we had to share tents/clothes with others), and community tents (11 guys in one tent is not something I would recommend). But through it all, we grew spiritually and emotionally (not physically, so I am still quite short).
For the most part, we slept in tents. Our squad had a small campsite, and we had to figure out how to cram 48 tents in there. Somehow we managed!
Our teams were given to us immediately. I was put with Dakota C., Josie D., Noah L., Kara M., Kate P., Alina S. and Zachary Y. We got to know each other fast, and formed a close team-bond. I am very excited to serve for the next 9 months alongside this group of people!
Training Camp was full of amazing experiences, but the most profound experience for me was Day 3: the man hike. This was the day where, together as men, we explored our deepest vulnerabilities. We set out for our hike around 8AM, and headed to Mount Yonah, one of the mountain trails near camp. Before ascending, we were told to talk to each other in a way that pulled back layers we had built up, in order to expose our fears and weaknesses. Then we departed for the top of the mountain. The hike was great; challenging at some parts, but definitely worth it! The view at the top was incredible!
While the hike itself was absolutely beautiful, the conversations had between us, were even more remarkable. Towards the beginning of the hike, a few of my conversations were somewhat surface level (“Who’s your favorite sports team?”) But as the hike went on, the conversations became deeper.
I talked to our Squad Coach, Chris, for a good while; this was one of the first times I experienced an in depth spiritual conversation. It was a great experience. But the guy I talked to the most on that hike was Jordan, one of the trainers assigned to my Squad. Jordan and I started off by talking about many of the things Chris and I had discussed, but we went even deeper than that. He helped walk me through many of my struggles and vulnerabilities, and helped me to understand that I am not alone in many of the things I have gone through or am going through. This really helped set the tone for the rest of training camp, and began the process of breaking down. Throughout the duration of camp, Jordan and I had many spiritual conversations, and he took me through the process of rebuilding.
The conversations we had were eye opening. They made me think about parts of my testimony that I hadn’t thought of in a long time. They made me think back to my roots, to the things that have defined me as a person. Burdens were lifted off of my chest, and I felt like a new person. I was reborn, and was ready to dedicate my life to God.
Towards the end of camp, I planned to get baptized again, by Jordan. I felt as though my understanding of God, and my newfound dedication to his Gospel, was something I did not have when I was confirmed in the sixth grade, and certainly not when I was baptized at 1 years old. This would be a true testament of my faith, and would allow me to start anew. Unfortunately, thunderstorms got in the way of this. Jordan, one of my squad-mates Joe, and myself resolved to pray in the rain instead; water was still being washed over us, and we were being given a blessing to carry out God’s will. It was a powerful moment for myself, and is a memory I will hold close as I build further upon my relationship with God.
Like anything that has just been born, however, I still have a lot of growing to do. I am sure much of this growth will come as a result of this mission experience. But the growth will continue into eternity, as a relationship with God can never reach max potential.
I am excited to enter into this journey, this year of growth, with God, the great people of AIM, and the amazing family I was placed in at Training Camp. This is only the beginning, and I am so anxious to see how God works through all of us as we carry out the teachings of the Gospel.
