I feel like time has gone by so quickly in the last 4 months but also dragged by at the same time. A month ago I had only met two people from my squad and only had very few conversations with everyone else. I still had no idea what to pack or what else I needed for training camp. The entire idea of leaving Colorado seemed distant and far off much less leaving the country. I was working forty hours a week saving up for a trip that didn’t even seem real in my mind.
Now I sit here in Starbucks (I know I’m a white girl at heart you don’t need to tell me) wondering how I’m suppose to process everything that happened at training camp and how to fit saying goodbye to all my friends and family in 7 weeks. But that can wait until after I try (it’s one of those things that is hard to explain and has to be experienced to fully understand) explain what training camp was like and how God used 10 short days changed me in so many ways.
Leaving Colorado to go to Georgia in the middle of July was definitely never something that was on my bucket list of things I would want to do. Strangely enough for all the time that was spent in the (very hot and bright) Georgia sun I still managed to not get any tanner. Anyway the few hours spent in the Georgia airport were a little awkward as people I know but have never actually met were showing up. Conversations were slightly weird because of the fact that we’ve all been in a group chat together for months and yet I couldn’t tell you where most of them are from or how old they are. The hour van ride to Gainesville was quiet but that’s mostly due to the fact that everyone was trying to fit as much sleep in as they could before training camp officially started.
All that was running through my head the entire time was “What did I get myself into?” then we arrived at the AIM (Adventures in Missions) campus. I heard so much about training camp from previous racers who are extremely close friends but nothing would be able to prepare me for truly experiencing it. After checking in and getting dinner (which would be the most I would eat at dinner for the next 10 days and also the most American) I walked to our campsite with 5 other squad mates who I had just met. What happened when I walked up was the moment that I knew why God had me waiting for 2 years for him to tell me what to do, I realized God hadn’t forgotten about me in those 2 years but that He had me waiting for this group of people. All the times I had been angry at God and yelled at him and wanted him to just tell me what to do and use me so I didn’t feel so useless and abandoned faded away. So what was the moment that brought all this about?
I walked up to our campsite and hear “ZACH!” from one of the guys in the squad and out of the woods this guy, who I have never met in person, runs towards me and jumps literally into my arms and hugs me. Also realize that I have my 40 pound pack on my back and my daypack on my chest and now a fully grown man in my arms, and I couldn’t have been happier (honestly surprised I didn’t fall). I later found out that earlier he had seen someone who he thought was me and ran towards him then realized it wasn’t me and ran by him instead. That moment changed everything for me, I couldn’t get the smile off of my face as I met everyone else in our squad, the walls had already come down, I could be real with these people because I already knew they would accept me for who I am and I didn’t have to maintain a facade.
That was the beginning of training camp for me. I’ll try to do my best to explain the rest of the week but a lot of it I’m still trying to process. Our days consisted of little food, lots of sitting and lots more learning. We learned about the cost of discipleship (how truly following God has a price), different religions and how the relate to christianity, forgiveness, roadblocks that keep us from intimacy with God, how to communicate well and effectively, and different ways to connect with God. When we weren’t sitting and listening we were doing team exercises, having small groups with our individual teams, and learning to love each others strengths and weaknesses. We had nights in our own tents alone as well as scenarios such as pairing up with a teammate and one of us “losing” our luggage and what that means for getting through the night, community living scenario aka shoving 9-10 people in a tent for the night (much rougher for the girls who had to fit 16-20 in a tent for the night), and an “airport” scenario which consisted of sleeping in the training center with the lights on all night, airport noises playing throughout the night, and having the temperature being as cold as they could make it.
By far one of my favorite things about training camp was the worship. Every night we would worship for roughly and hour to an hour and a half but it felt like it lasted 10 minutes. Seeing so many people in one room on fire for the Lord and singing like no one was watching was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I truly felt God’s presence in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time and to be able to freely worship him without holding back or fearing what others would think is something I’ll always remember and will take to heart.
Not only did this week help me grow my relationship with God and my squad mates but it also helped me realize how I work as an individual. I can be pushy about being quick and not take time to fully think things through, I need to ask others before jumping right into things, sometimes I need to just be quiet and not speak, and I need to realize God knows what he is doing and has a plan and all I need to do is trust in Him. I also learned I absolutely love music and not being able to listen to it very much over the course of 10 days was harder than expected.
At the end of the week myself and another girl on the squad were chosen to be the logistics team. What this means is we will be in charge of getting our team transportation to and from our monthly debriefs as well as where we will stay while at debrief all while staying in budget. We will also be in charge of transportation between countries on traveling days (except for flights, our squad logistics leader will take care of that from the States). This is an amazing opportunity to learn and grow in a position of leadership and to humble myself when making mistakes (which will be made).
7 short weeks and I’ll be flying back to Georgia for launch and to start this beautiful opportunity the Lord has provided. During that time I would ask for continued prayer as it is a weird in-between time of not wanting to leave my squad but also wanting to say goodbye to everyone back home. Other prayer requests include,
- Staying motivated as I come up on my last few weeks of work
- Applying what I learned at training camp to my everyday life at home and not forgetting how God changed me
- Not becoming complacent as I know I only have 7 weeks left here, but to use my time wisely and to be intentional with my friendships
- Fundraising, although Launch is approaching quickly I still have a lot to fundraise. I have to meet a goal of $10,000 by August 24th and I am relying on God and those willing to donate.
If you have already donated and helped me already get this far I want to thank you as none of this would be possible without your love and support.
My entire squad (R squad) repping our squad color. (above)
My team who I’ll be spending most of my time with while on the field.
(left to right) Ben, Justin, Me!, Landon, CJ, Zach T. and the one so graciously being held is Tikki
