Ok, first off, this blog is super belated because I went straight from Training Camp to my first missions trip to Managua, Nicaragua but that’s a story for another blog (:
I could probably write a novel about what’s been happening in my life and the lives of the people around me in the past few weeks but for this one I’ll just focus on TC
On June 7th I left Columbus for Gainesville, GA. I expected a challenge. I honestly expected a pretty rough week. I expected that the food would be a struggle. I expected that so much people time would leave me completely drained. But I also expected the Lord to come through, and HE DID.
Training camp WAS physically, mentally and spiritually challenging but in the BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I was stretched and grew in ways that I didn’t even know that I had to grow. The food wasn’t an issue, which, if you know me, you know is totally a God thing. I left training camp with a full heart ready for more people time (again, that could only be the Holy Spirit).
The Lord shattered and exceeded all of my expectations.
With that said, the deets.
MY SQUAD
The Lord knew what He was doing in putting this squad together. We meshed super well and I’ve never seen such a one-minded group of people come together so quickly. For the first time in my life I saw the community described in the Acts 2 church.
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
We learned, we grew, we ate, we fellowshipped (?), we invested in each other, we shared possessions, we worshiped, all together in the name of the Lord.
We were all thrown into this crazy 10 days as strangers with a common interest and came out a family ready to boldly go out into the world and fight for the Kingdom. I can’t wait to grow with these brothers and sisters and to see what the Lord does in and through each of us. I truly LOVE these people.
THE LEADERSHIP
Our leadership team is incredible. I can tell that they genuinely care about myself, and each of my team members as people. They lead us prayerfully and I’ve never seen such intentionality in a group of mentors. They’ve already invested in us as a squad and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are all completely in this crazy journey with us. They are a critical part of our squad and I can’t wait to grow closer with them.
THE FOOD
Pre-TC: picky eater/not really open to new foods
Worries: gross food/not enough food
Post-TC: new food is good food (different region each day)
Favorite region: Central America
Weirdest food: crickets and pickled eggs
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
Pre-TC: 1 night backyard camping/cabin camping
Worries: Bugs, rain, hard ground
Post-TC: Tents almost every night, Loved being outside, slept great every night, no complaints
Lessons learned: circumstancesbrought our team closer together, prepared us for potential scenarios on the race
THE HIKE
Pre-TC: I probably physically can-but it’ll still be a struggle
The Hike: I ran/walked it with 2 other ladies (s/o to Abby and Rachel) and we really pushed each other and ourselves. Towards the beginning we decided we were going to try to finish the hike as fast as we possibly could. We finished in right around 30 minutes and then were able to go encourage our teammates to finish their hikes.
-SO HOT
-BOO HILLS
Post-TC: I learned to always push myself but also to be intentional about coming along side my teammates. I cheered on the people who were finishing after me but then I watched another squad rally around their last few teammates as they finished and I remember thinking, “why didn’t I do that?” It was just a reminder to always be looking for opportunities to come alongside people with my actions and not just my words.
SQUAD WARS
Pre-TC: V squad will be victorious!
Post-TC: We killed the dance competition- #1- We Are The Champions
WORSHIP
The worship was freeing and it was cool to see so many different forms of worship. It’s all for the Lord and He loves all of it. I’m excited to worship with people who speak different languages because the worship itself is a common language.
THE SESSIONS
So I started this section, and it’s A LOT so I’m going to make that another post later this week (:
I think I’ve hit most of the aspects of training camp and I hope I’ve done it justice. Training camp itself would be nothing without the Lord meeting us there. It really just makes me more excited to see what HE does as he leads us on this journey and lets us be a part of HIS story.
All that being said, YOU can be a part of His story too! I want to encourage you to step out in whatever way the Lord is calling you! He Will Meet You There!!! I’d love to hear how you’re stepping out!
Finally, I want to thank all of my supporters so far! I am currently at 73% funded, which is CRAZY AWESOME, especially since I started this journey so late! God is so cool. For you math people out there that means I’ve still got 27% left to raise and I’d love to be fully funded before I leave August 3rd. If you feel so inclined please prayerfully consider coming alongside me in this mission! A donation of any size would be helpful and I look forward to keeping everyone updated with this journey!!
Love Always (:
P.S. worst part of TC… bucket showers.
