Go on an adventure they said; camping is fun they said; there are no bears in Georgia they said… They were wrong. But I don’t care. Despite 95 degree heat, 26 mosquito bites, and one unexpected trip to the hospital due to an inflamed lower intestine (which involved my blood being mislabeled and having to be drawn twice by the novice nurse), my World Race training camp experience was one of the greatest of my life. I thankfully completed my fitness hike test with time to spare, and got to sample the native food of the countries we will be visiting. Of course, this would prove to be an obstacle for me. Not because I was unwilling to give up steak or pizza, oh nay-nay. But rather because when dared to swallow a cup full of roasted crickets (a common snack in Southeast Asia), my ruggedly macho persona was unwilling to simply say no for fear of being seen as a wuss. So I did it, only days after being hospitalized for intestinal distress. Yes indeed- this is the logic of a college graduate.
But in all seriousness, I met 50 great people, who became like another family to me virtually overnight. These are the people I will be traveling, ministering, and living with for the next year. Within this group is my smaller team of seven. As we were unable to come to a consensus on what our team name should be, we opted to combine our three options—“Unwavering”, “Deeply Rooted”, and my least favorite, “Warriors of Love”—into the acronym DRUWL (pronounced “Drool”), meaning “Deeply Rooted Unwavering Warriors of Love”. (If we pay by the letter, our team t-shirt should run somewhere around $40/unit.) But the Lord challenged me in some incredible ways, and continues to challenge me as I spend this last month before launch with my family. I gave up my idols, truly realized that my body, my life, and my soul are not my own, but His, and that there is strength in surrender. I mean I really felt his presence. At one point, during a worship session, a random woman I had never seen before came up to me, and simply said, “I feel God wanted me to tell you that you are coming closer to the throne!” I mean what an encouragement! And immediately upon returning home, I got to grab coffee with my Bible Study leader, who told me it seems as if I’ve experienced a year’s worth of spiritual growth despite knowing me for less only three months. So I have been truly blessed and affirmed in the task that lies ahead of me. I am accompanied by some 44 beautiful sisters in Christ, and 4 other strong Christian men, who unashamedly would sing the same three Phil Collins songs with me every time we were lucky enough to get a freezing bucket shower (Tarzan still counts for something among us millennials by the way).
I am incredibly excited to be going on this trip, and I feel the Lord working in my life more so now than ever before. My prayer and my desire is to be so totally submerged in the Holy Spirit that I have no choice but to share His love with everyone I meet, regardless of how it may be received. I am excited to see my new friends at launch come October, and start this amazing adventure. Now in order to do that, I am still in need of funds. I need about $1,500 to reach my second goal of $10,000 before September 22. I have faith that the Lord will provide. Nevertheless, please continue to pray for me, my teammates, and all the people we will interact with during our trip and remember, that there is still power in the name of Jesus.
“non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam”
Psalm 115:1
