Adventures in Mission’s requires us to attend training camp for roughly two weeks before we launch for our yearlong missions trip. Training camp is a great way for all of us to get to know each other and begin preparing for the field. My training camp was in Alabama for 10 days with 4 squads (each squad is approximately 31 people). The nights got down into the low 40s and the days were in the 60s and 70s, so it was pretty chilly.
For me the first night was the hardest. There was so many emotions running through me. I was nervous, anxious, scared, slightly intimidated, excited, hopeful, but most of all just kind of uneasy because I had no idea what to expect from training camp.
When I arrived I was directed to set up my tent along with the rest of my squad (these are the 31 people that will be doing my Route). I met two girls right away and they seemed so kind and down to earth it put my racing thoughts to ease. Katie is one of the girls I met right away and we just hit it off. God provided an instant friendship and this definitely gave me a little peace and comfort going into training camp.
The first few days were all about strengthening our relationships in Christ, getting to know our squad and building a strong community with each other. One of the coolest things that was emphasized at training camp was that our individual gifts/strengths should be celebrated. We were encouraged to invest in each other, give feedback, and most importantly to speak truth into each other’s lives throughout this year. This journey will facilitate incredible relationships and I am so excited.
We had beautiful worship services. There was a variety of messages that were taught. I learned a lot about myself and what I want out of this upcoming year. Growth and transformation are a few of those things.
The price for his presence is time
The product of his presence is change
The purpose of his presence is powerful
We also had a lot of in the field “scenarios”. For example we slept in our tents for the two weeks, we also ate outside and for some of those meals there was no silverware or serving utensils provided!! We took bucket showers, which is when you fill up a 5-gal bucket with icy cold hose water and you are given a 5-cup measuring cup. You then proceed to splash water on yourself, then soap up and then splash more water to rinse off! This was the highlight of training camp 😉 There were times when we had to sleep in community tents. Packing and unpacking almost every single day became second nature.
The fitness hike was a lot more challenging than I had expected. I will definitely be packing less! I was seriously dreading this hike. Yuck! We started the hike at 6:45am. That morning was nice and cold, dark and wet! The sun was not up yet and we were literally running up hills, through the woods, and along gravel roads. Good news I passed!!!!
Training camp was so refreshing and really beneficial. I can’t wait to serve with all these incredible people!! God is so GOOD.
I saw this poem and I want to have a mindset like this for this eye opening Journey ahead:
“Don’t just learn, experience. Don’t just read, absorb. Don’t just change, transform. … Don’t just promise, prove. Don’t just criticize, encourage. … Don’t just take, give. Don’t just see, feel. Don’t just dream, do. Don’t just hear, listen. Don’t just talk, act. … Don’t just exist, live.”
Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart – Don’t Just
