It was ten days.
It felt like ten years.
It also felt like no time at all.
At training camp each day was scheduled down to the minute. There were so many experiences and so much learning packing into these ten days.
I was actually able to spend a day and night in Nashville before training camp with about 15 of my squadmates. We went to two church services, Long Hollow Baptist Church and The Belonging Co. It was a blessing to be able to worship alongside my new people. We also went out to eat and played some fun games. It was a beautiful time getting to know each other.
The next day several of us drove from Nashville to the Adventures in Missions headquarters in Gainesville, GA, for an optional day of storytelling workshops. We learned about the purpose of storytelling and the importance of sensitivity, as well as practical information about photography, videography, and blog writing. I loved being able to meet some of my squadmates ahead of time and get some cool tips and practice telling stories. There are many new things I want to try while I’m on the field.
Tuesday was the first actual day of training camp. We had registration and orientation in the evening, and then we set up our tents and had dinner and worship.
A typical day at training camp looks like this:
8:15 Breakfast
9:00 Worship
10:00 Session
11:00 Squad time
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Session
2:00 Session
3:00 Squad time
4:00 Field scenario
5:00 Free time
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Worship
8:00 Session
We tented every night except one where we slept in an “airport.” We had to pack up our tents before breakfast almost every morning, which help us get really good at it. We had to use porta potties and take bucket showers. Squads rotated cleaning up after meals. For most of the meals, we didn’t have plates or utensils. We just ate off the table using our hands. We were fed lots of rice and beans, and we (okay not me) even tried some unique food like century eggs and crickets.
During squad times we had opportunities to get to know each other. We engaged in team building exercises and squad-specific sessions or activities.
Field scenarios were times when we were put in certain situations where we had to work together and create a plan to get something done. One scenario was a loud and crowded marketplace where we had to purchase food for our team while beggars, pickpockets, and drug dealers competed for our attention. Other scenarios dealt with sleeping situations, such as losing half our luggage or sleeping in a community tent or a loud airport. In another scenario we had to cook dinner for our squad over a fire.
By observing how we interact with each other and react to certain situations, our leadership was able to put us in teams and choose our roles for the Race.
Sessions covered topics like children’s ministry, the Jesus film, teaching, preaching, women’s retreats, worship, communication styles, Sabbath rest, identity, storytelling, spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare, living in community, feedback, God’s purpose and kingdom, role of the Holy Spirit and how to hear him, prayer, legalism, methods of Bible study, methods of evangelism, shame, forgiveness, and God’s covenant with Abram in Gen 15.
We were also given practical information about things like insurance, staying healthy on the field, and AIM’s expectations of Racers.
One of the challenges we faced during training camp was completing a 2.2 mile hike while carrying our packs, which were around 30-50 lbs depending on how much each person packed. We had to finish in 38 minutes or less, and every single person on our squad did! It was a little more challenging than I expected since much of the course was uphill, but I finished in about 30 minutes.
For one day and night, the men went on a man hike and the women had a ladies’ day.
Another day we went door-to-door evangelizing.
One of my favorite nights was campfire worship with my squad. Afterward, the men on our squad surprised the women by washing our feet and speaking God’s promises over us. We appreciate their intentional servant hearts.
On the last day of training camp, we had squad wars. Basically we dressed up in our squad color and competed against the other squads in different activities. There was dodgeball, Mario Kart (stomping on balloons tied to our ankles), David and Goliath (tall person and small person link arms, small person has an egg in a pantyhose tied to the back of their head, tall person has a pool noodle and tries to smash the other team’s egg), and a dance off. You can watch my squad’s dance at the end of this blog. After squad wars we had baptisms, and six members of our squad were baptized! Praise God!
Overall, training camp was incredibly challenging. I was stretched in pretty much every area. Because of this, it was undeniably worthwhile and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
65 days until launch!
Recklessly love and be loved,
Em
