Heyya, Folks!
So, a week ago today at, about 3:37 PM, I pulled the keys out of my car after a long drive home from Georgia. The drive really wasn’t all that bad. As a matter of fact, besides being dog sick, smelling like a sloth, and impulsively scratching the occasional itch (more on that later), this drive could definitely be written of as pleasant. It’s pleasantness mainly owing to the fact that my mind was filled with ten days worth of instances where the Father’s graces had been poured out lavishly on me and my squad. We had been at Training Camp, Ya’ll, and let me tell you all about it!
Training Camp is basically one big-massive-huge meet and greet. It’s the first official time where the whole squad (all 40ish of us) gets together as a unit basically just to do life together for ten days. We got to know each other, but also received valuable teaching about things we might deal with on the field. Now, before I get into the particulars of this awesome experience, I want to take a second to explain the squad dynamic. I’m going to try to lay this down as smoothly as I can because many people have been asking questions like, “What’s to a squad?” “Is everyone together all the time?” “Are there leaders present on the race other than the racers?” “Are there small groups on the race?” Therefore, with no further ado, here be the answers. First up, the Squad. The Squad is the body as a whole (think the body of Christ). It includes everyone affiliated with my route. It is the broadest swipe of the brush. Next up, we have the teams. The teams are smaller (about 6 people). Every racer on the Squad is also part of a team. These teams were chosen by leadership (i.e. we’re stuck with eachother 
) Think of the teams as different churches within the body of Christ (the squad). The Squad will not always be together as a whole in every country we go to. In fact, a great deal of the time the Squad will split into it’s smaller teams to reach different parts of the country. Finally, leadership. Our squad is graced with some of the most rockin’awesome individuals on this side of the universe to lead us through this journey. They’re there for our spiritual growth, but also they basically make sure we survive these nine months in foreign lands because, let’s face it, we aren’t as know-it-all-knowledgeable as we’ve convinced our parents (ahem).
NOW! Moving on from the Squad dynamic, let’s talk about training camp! Basically it was awesome. We arrived only with the stuff we plan to bring on the race, so it was definitely a good trial run to see what does and does not work. Time was pretty much split between attending sessions, which were specific to life on the field, and time in our teams and Squads. (Side note: we were not the only squad there for training. That’s why I keep saying, “Squads” and not just “Squad.”) As a Squad, we went through a number of scenarios together to stretch us and knit us closer together as a group. For example, in one of the scenarios half of our Squad’s bags were, “lost in transit” creating a situation where we had to share things, like tents and toiletries, to make up for what was lost. Really good opportunity to grow in unity through situations that could definitely be repeated while on the field.
Something else happened at camp that could likely be repeated on the field. It was late Thursday night, and we were all pretty pooped. Camp is always an exhausting blast of fun, but that particular day we had embarked on a team fitness hike to create some bonds through sweat. Not to mention the Georgia humidity and heat was out to kill all day. Needless to say, by the time evening rolled around, the camp was pretty much zombified. Whilst I was pleasantly lounging on the cold hard ground (again, too pooped to find a chair) myself and some friends were told to head up to the lodge to meet the Squad. This inspired slight stress because the lodge was uphill from our location at the time. Regardless, up the hill we sauntered and at the Lodge we arrived. There the beans were spilled. A little bug (which will remain nameless, but I can tell you it starts with L and ends with ICE) had founds its way into the hair of some unfortunate campers. Now they were hopping heads, hitch-hiking on the scalps of the unaware. We needed to be checked. I’m not going to lie, nothing unites people quite like going through, “hard times” together. Lice really aren’t a big deal, but hey, we still freak out over them. A few at a time some of us would go in to get checked and would later emerge to be met with exclamations of relief when they announced they were clean. Until… me. For some random reason I was the only one in our Squad who the Father had deemed worthy to bless with a single, disgusting little louse. What a blessing. I had not felt a thing before being checked. No itchiness, no irritation, but you know as soon as I heard the words, “Sorry man, you got ’em” I was scratching like a hound dog. There’s something about just knowing that they’re there. To wrap this story up, I got shunned (not really) I got nixed (hair poison) and basically had a pleasant experience with my little companion through the week. I haven’t noticed anything in my hair since, but I got lucky. Some Squads had nearly half of their members infested by these little vermin. I only had one on me and no nits or anything that suggested it had been there long. That and leadership later revealed that the majority of racers get lice bad while on the field. Seeing as I have already been introduced to these little companions I guess I have that on the rest of my Squad. Yipee!
Onto the rest of training camp… trying to describe everything that happened is pretty much impossible. I could probably type up a small books worth of reflections and testimonies of how the Father used those ten days to minister to me. However, since that would be time consuming (and a chore to read, no doubt), I am going to summarize the experience into my top three take-away’s from camp.
Number uno) The Holy Spirit will meet me where I am, I just have to expect His arrival. There was one day of camp that was called, “Holy Spirit Day.” It was a day completely dedicated to the Spirit. This was really just a chance for us to zone in on the way we depend on the Spirit and to take steps of faith based on what He was ministering to us as individuals. I remember the night before Holy Spirit day, when we were getting the run down for what the day ahead would look like, I was not comfortable. I knew the events of the next day would stretch me beyond the limits of what I was used to, and that, quite frankly, being obedient to the Father would mean taking a deeper step into faith than I had before. I can’t really explain it, but that’s how I felt that night… really just wishing I could be 24 hours ahead in life so I could be done with the next day. I was uncomfortable. I remember going to the showers (which consisted of buckets of water to poor over our filthy selves) in an attitude of prayer. It was dark, I was alone, and I just committed to God, “I’ll follow where you lead tomorrow, but you have to give me a sign tonight, right now, in this moment, in these filthy showers. Show me that you are with me and that you want me to take these steps of faith…” No sign was given. I dried off and went to the Word. Nothing spoke to where I was. In the silence, I realized that I was doubting the Spirits ability to communicate and, in so doing, I had put Him to the test. I wanted to have a risk free encounter with the Spirit that cost me nothing but a quick prayer. The next day, I was reading of Joshua and was captivated by the way he followed God’s commands. Sometimes he had the battle plan. Occasionally God would let him know how the events of the day would unfold. However, the majority of the time, he had to take a leap of faith to take hold of the things promised. This resonated with me and in my morning time with the Lord I committed to follow where He led that, “Holy Spirit day.” I wasn’t going to overthink or second guess. I would simply obey when prodded. Nothing life changing. The day that followed absolutely rocked my world! Describing everything that happened would take too long, but to sum it up, the Spirit showed up and ministered to each of us throughout the day through prophecy and revelation. I’m still processing many of the things that I recorded in my journal from that day. An absolute answer to prayer!
2) The Father is a good provider, and he gives exactly what is needed. This has been a lesson that I have repeatedly been taught through this World Race journey. However, at training camp this resonated with me because of the friends God has given me to trek across the world with. I want to take a moment to brag on my team, because, lemme tell ya, they’re pretty great! Finding out who is on whose team (again, think smaller church within the squad-body) was one of the first things we did when we got to camp. Not going to lie, meeting my team was the thing that unsettled me the most about training camp. After all, these are the people I’ll do life with for most of the race. What if we didn’t get along? What if they were too goofy or too serious? What if we had, “one of those people.” What if, what if, what if? After spending ten days together, I could clearly see evidence of the Fathers hand print in the crafting of my team. It’s awesome. Stuff like the way we can have good deep discussions, being super open and vulnerable with each other, but also being able to bust a gut laughing together. It’s awesome! I can’t express the peace that comes from seeing the Father provide in overwhelming ways for something I was anxious about!
And, the third) This is exactly where I am suppose to be. Training camp definitely moved me out of my norm. It gave me a very clear realization of just how much this trip has the potential to flip my life upside down. I don’t like change too much. I’m a home body. I’m most comfortable in a routine. I’m a bit of a lone wolf and really crave time to myself. This trip will mean constantly embracing change. It will mean leaving home for nine months. It will mean being with people 24/7, both relying and depending on my team. I had understood this before training camp, but those ten days really made me face up to the reality of each of these challenges. In spite of it all, I have an overwhelming confidence that this journey is what the Father has planned for me. That He will sustain me through whatever lies ahead. I just have to take a leap of faith, knowing that He is waiting with open arms to catch me. After going through a season of indecision and lacking a sense of direction as far as college and life things in general, this peace that I can’t understand has given me an overwhelming sense of security for the journey ahead!
I can’t put into words how grateful I am for all the prayers and support you all have showered me with through this journey! My mind has been blown by the amount of times I’ve had people come up to me and say that they have been praying for a specific thing (Be it the team dynamic, peace over this trip, or even for safety travelling about) and the Spirit provided for, and ministered to me, in those exact areas. Also, thank you SO MUCH! for all those who have given financially! Right now I’m abut halfway to my goal and coming home to see all the donations that had poured in while I was away was as humbling as it was encouraging! With Launch a little under six weeks away, I am so encouraged by the prayer team that the Father has already established because I earnestly believe that this trip could not take place without your gifts and intercessory prayer back home. I am so grateful for your part in making this trip happen, and I look forward for the opportunity to thank each of you individually!
Through the Father’s provision,
Colby
