8 days. it has only been 8 days since I left a place I called home for nearly 12 days. in efforts to comprehend what happened during training camp, I have been taking a lot of time to myself & trying to verbalize (or type) everything I learned & experienced. as I sit here typing, I have quickly come to the realization that I am not able to completely wrap my mind around what the Lord did in & through me. or what He did in & through the lives of the others racers, leaders, etc. all I know, is that it was good. so so good. I am apologizing now in advance for the messiness of this blog, but here I go trying to give you readers the tiniest glimpse of my unforgettable time spent in gainesville, GA alongside some of the coolest people of all time.
- we do not have the power to save people on our own: we can’t save, heal, fix, anything like that, by ourselves. God is legitimately the only one that can. but we CAN be used by Him. used to plant seeds!!! it’s important & something that should be taken seriously. easy to doubt/ question this but a very friendly reminder to have when encountering pretty much anyone.
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NEVER, I repeat NEVER, take toilets & showers for granted: the entire 10 days we were dependent on porta potties & bucket showers to take care of business. it was definitely not something i was used to but learning to find comfort in the grossest of situations is kinda cool.
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ask questions & ask them often: getting to know people- ask questions. after a session- ask questions. trying something new- ask questions. there are literally so many opportunities to ask questions & I have been learning to embrace that & not shy away or ignore areas of conversation the Lord is inviting us into.
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I need to invest in dryer sheets for the field: everything. literally everything that I owned & brought smelled atrocious. my clothes especially and boy was it terrible. so lesson learned, bring dryer sheets to shove in your pack in hopes that your clothes will absorb the tiniest bit of good scents.
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kiddie pool baptisms are always a good idea: I kid you not, I had the biggest smile on my face during the kiddie pool baptisms. watching people publicly surrender everything to their Heavenly father. coolest! thing! ever!!! I hope & pray that I never forget that night.
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worship is so much more than just singing: never have I ever experienced worship in such a more real, individual way. prior to training camp I would look forward to worship every church service i go to, but WOW. I would have never expected to love it as much as I do after TC. worship there brought out every single emotion I had. it made me feel things, learn things, see things, that I never had before. everyone experiences it in a different way but even still, the Lord’s presence was so evidently moving in every human there. opening up my eyes & just watching everyone surrender & praise so freely…. gives me freaking chills just thinking about it!!! the coolest thing about it all is that we serve a God worthy of all the worship our physical bodies contain, whether we are still & silent or screaming our heads off during the songs. there is so much more going on in the hearts of every single person & I LOVE IT!!!
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georgia has bugs. a LOT of them: about every 2.4 seconds there was another bug for you to be swatting off your body. or better yet, if you are ever lonely in your tent, just look around & you’re bound to have some kind of crawling companion in there with you. oh & you also can’t forget waking up the next day with about 17 new bug bites.
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hangs on the back porch of the lodge > hangs anywhere else: my teammies & I spent nearly every night after session on that back porch. whether it be playing cards, being ridiculous on instagram live or sharing our deepest, darkest secrets, we experienced a lot in the cumulative couple hours there. ah the things I would do to be back there right now :’)
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i need to get my bladder checked: if you know me, you know I pee my pants. A LOT. so the idea of getting my bladder checked makes sense, but after peeing on two of my teammates at TC, I think this statement needs to be taken seriously. yes TWO different people…. presley & katie, I sincerely apologize for those incidents. I am so appreciative of how well you two love me regardless of my problem <3
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rope swings are reallll fun: one of our last nights we had a squad “campout” where we made our own dinner (shoutout to merrill & kayla), didn’t have our phones, prepared for squad wars & spent some quality time together. at our campsite we had a rope swing & it was an absolute hit. we took turns swinging on it & it was the most effortless kind of fun that I have had in a long time. I remember sitting there watching people swing & thinking that moment was one of my favorite moments of all time. silly times & amazing people, I was so happy.
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I AM KNOWN!!!!: Jesus totally wrecked my idea of being known & truly showed me how big He is & how well He knows every part of me. I learned a lot about noticing when the Lord is trying to speak to me or show me something. (I am planning on writing a separate blog about this one because this is some good stuff).
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speak truth & do it to combat lies: my teammate just said to us today “the enemy attacks the hardest when something great is coming” & boy is that true. speak truth not only to say it, but to declare it above every possible lie that the enemy is trying to make you believe. feeling #blessed because Jesus already won & no lie, doubt, or temptation could ever stand against that.
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a fried cricket is not my favorite food: we had our fair share of strange foods throughout the week. a fried cricket was one of the items on the menu. it was better than I was expecting but still not something that I would eat again. coming from a picky eater, I sure am interested to see how I will react to all the new foods on the race.
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my leadership team is the coolest of all time, my squad is the coolest of all time, my team is the coolest of all time: I legitimately have never met more amazing people. I could go on & on & on about every individual but there are not enough good words in the english vocabulary to accurately describe them. more blog posts about them are sure to come.
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you never realize how much you miss something until you don’t have access to it: @ chic fil a :’) you better believe that was my very first stop after training camp & wow did it hit the spot. every single day that went past at TC was a day closer to getting chic fil a in the airport & honestly was a great motivator. this goes for more things than just chic fil a, but I believe I won’t know what it’s truly like to miss something/ someone until I’m gone for months at a time. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on that one.
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Deon Vanstaden is the actual GOAT: wow I could write a whole blog about that man because he brought the heat. he had the tendency of stating things so clearly & casually when they ultimately “Jesus slap” you in the face. good words & good truth, PTL that he spoke at our TC.
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“all your promises are yes & amen”: an easy but powerful song lyric from the week. really just including this bullet point for anyone on my squad to enjoy because i sang this out about every 5 seconds. P.S. fear just saw the exit sign (if you know, you know)
I know for a fact this doesn’t come close to including everything but if you made it through all of this then you deserve a pat on the back because most of this was totally unorganized. as always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this & for your support. whether it’s financial support or a simple prayer, you all are so appreciated!!
