I can’t believe training camp has already come and gone. If training camp was a 10-day, short version of the World Race, I can only imagine how life-changing, incredible, hard, rewarding, and amazing of an experience the World Race will be.
World…. Meet I-SQUAD!!
Also, meet my team: the Shalom Sisters!
Throughout training camp, we did tons of fun stuff. First, we had to “sleep in an airport all night,” complete with an unrealistically loud speaker with French announcements & about 100 other people. Then, my ‘bag got lost on the airline’ so I had to survive for 24 hours without all. of. my. stuff.
We also had a fitness hike (hiking 2.2 miles in 38 minutes with our big packs… not as easy as it sounds), went to evangelize in a local neighborhood, cooked dinner over a campfire, ate disgusting food, and bonded in the bucket showers (never thought I’d say that).
I had a TON of fun at training camp. Everything was extremely well organized, and all of the sessions were thought provoking & packed with pertinent information. And the I-Squad leadership & training team was INCREDIBLE. There was literally not any other combo of people at camp that I would have preferred.
With all of the great aspects of the experience aside, I wasn’t excited going into training camp. I haven’t been that nervous since my first day of the 9th grade, except this time my dad wasn’t around to walk me inside so it was worse. I was able to meet up with Eric so he could pray with me about 15 minutes before I had to be on the campus but I still wasn’t able to shake the feeling. I walked in physically shaking from nervousness & anxiety because thanks to the internet, I knew what training camp had in store for me.
I’m going to tell you straight up: training camp was really, really hard. I am a major introvert and on top of all of that, I take a long time to think about things. When things happen around me, I see 15 different perspectives of it when others see 2 or 3.
Introvert + a thinker + 15 perspectives = A quiet, still Nicole with thoughts racing at 1000 MPH.
Compound that with multiple sessions a day on deep self-introspection and we have a quiet, still Nicole with thoughts racing at 1000 MPH, also with a spinning head.
Without boring you all of the nitty-gritty details, I’ll outline the following themes that emerged from camp:
- Rest
During worship times, seminars & talks, I kept hearing & feeling the Holy Spirit giving me rest. I told you all about how busy I’ve been, and training camp was a way for me to slow down my thoughts & emotions and just rest. Rest in the promises that the Lord has for me, and rest in the community of people that I will be surrounded with. More often than not, my quiet prayer time & worship sessions consisted of just sitting down and listening.
Sidenote: Our society is obsessed with effective communication & conveying persuasive messages. But when you’re trying to communicate, lead, or persuade others, do you ever just stop & listen? Newsflash: Listening should be, like, the majority of your effort in “communication.” Find more time in your life where you can just sit in silence & listen to what the Lord is telling you. It will change you and the way you’re doing things.
- Grief
I’ve spent a lot of my (recent) life feeling angry. Outrageously angry because I have to watch my grandmother die incredibly slowly. Caring for her & having the opportunity to give her comfort is one of the most precious gifts I have ever received. But in return, I’ve had to continually grieve a loss that hasn’t happened yet. It’s an ambiguous loss and it’s difficult to deal with. And as a result of this ambiguous loss I’ve been facing the lie that grief equates to unfaithfulness. It’s easy to feel like there isn’t any hope when you’re in the middle of grieving a continual loss that most people don’t have a capacity to understand. But grieving this difficult season in my life doesn’t mean the Lord isn’t faithful & that His hands aren’t shaping the situation as He pleases. The Lord has my family & I where he wants us and he has equipped us to care for my grandmother as needed. My grandma is pain free & comfortable. And I find rest in that.
- Community is hard
This one doesn’t have a long, drawn out explanation. It is what it is. Community will be hard for me. The friends that I have now have been in my life for a long time and finding my groove in a new group can be difficult. I’m quiet, yet also ~~ a WiLd CHiLd~~ and figuring out the balance without everyone thinking I’m a freaK is soooOOoOoOoO difficult for me to do.
But, I’ve wanted a Christian community like this for a long time. I can’t wait to know everyone on my squad better. I can tell that I will get more comfortable with them as time goes by and I know they will do nothing but build me up.
- Fundraising
Again – no long, drawn out explanation. Asking for your money isn’t as easy as it looks. Everything that you see come through this blog & social media sites is 100% a product of what the Lord tells me to do. But, that doesn’t make it any easier to produce. Planning, logistics, finding people to help, and all of the things to do in-between has exhausted me.
Training camp was one of many confirmations that this season I’m entering is what the Lord has called me to. A year of focus on my relationship with the Lord + a year of service is where I’m supposed to be. But, it can’t happen without the Lord’s provision, handiwork, and your support.
The remaining deadlines are:
- $10,000 by July 20.
- $13,000 by September 30.
- $18,000 by November 30.
If you feel called to help support this journey, you may donate at this link. Or, scroll to the top of this page and click the orange “donate” button, and fill out the information accordingly. All donations made through this page are tax-deductible.
Otherwise – please, please be praying! I leave around August 3rd. Please be in prayer for my squad and I as we are wrapping up loose ends in the states and preparing to leave our loved ones. Also, please be in prayer for our support raising. We each have to meet the above deadlines, or else we cannot launch together.
Thank you to everyone who has read this far & to those who have been supporting me. I greatly appreciate you!
