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The Hike POV 1 Going into Training Camp, I was only nervous about one thing; the timed two mile hike.I was anxious the entire week. I was praying that somehow God would get me through it. The fact is, if you don’t pass the fitness exam, you don’t get to go on The Race. Right before we began the hike, a thought occurred, “If God has called me, than I am going to pass and be fine.” 2 I tried to pace myself the best that I could on the first mile, but it was tough. I don’t think I realized how many hills were in Georgia. I eventually made it through the first half of the hike, but nothing could have prepared me for the second half. 3 The second round on the trail might have been one of the hardest things that I have ever done.There was this one hill (from Hell) that I kid you not,made me scream. I shouted and even cried a little (please be reminded that I was carrying a thirty pound pack and I was already exhausted from the past eight days of training camp). The only thing that got me through that last mile, besides Ashlynn and my BOZ, was God. I prayed, “God, I can’t do this on my own, I need YOUR strength to become my own”. In that moment, I knew that these next 9 months are going to be overwhelmingly hard,and the only way that I will ever be able to get through them, is with God. I can get through it, if God gets me through it. 4 Towards the end of my hike, I started to gag and I’m pretty sure that one of my teammates said that I could throw up on them as long as I reached the finish line. That was the moment that God broke down so many walls around my heart. For so long I had struggled with trusting the people around me. This was one of my worst moments, and even then, my squad, my team, my family, showed me love. They encouraged me, they pushed me, they made me laugh, and they cried with me. These are the people that I chose, but what astounds me, is that they chose me, because GOD CHOSE US. Esther 4:14 “…who knows, but maybe you have been put in this position [and on this team] for such a time as this.” It will be hard to always choose to love each other, but for such a time as this, God brought all of us here to do exactly that. |
Training Camp POV 1 The drive from Texas to Georgia is a ride that I will never forget. My dad was gracious enough to drive me and I love when he drives me, because if anyone understands what’s going through my head, he does. I was so nervous and was barely even speaking (that’s when you know something is wrong). I was terrified that I wouldn’t make any friends and I literally had no idea how to pitch a tent. But, in the midst of the worry, I was reminded that God called me and if I am called, than I can do this. 2 The first half of Training Camp is a bit of a blur.Our squad spent most of the time just trying to learn each other’s names. I fell in love with my squad, but especially, my team. Training Camp was much harder than what I had initially anticipated, but nothing prepared me for the days to come. 3 The second half of Training Camp focused on intimacy with God and being vulnerable not only with Him, but your teammates. This portion of camp not only pushed us spiritually, but emotionally. We were pushed to forgive others that had done wrong by us, to forgive ourselves for doing wrong by others and to find peace and rest in God. Only He knows that we didn’t get much rest in our tents while sleeping on the ground with a million cicadas chirping. Those days were the most draining. Many of us came to a breaking point, myself included, and the only thing that was strong enough to get us (me) through it, was God.
4 The last few days of training were the bittersweet. We all realized that soon, our time with each other would come to an end, which in turn made us relish in the time we had left together before we had to go our separate ways for 7 weeks. I wanted to go home, but I also wanted to stay in Gainesville forever. I made sweet memories, we shared sweet laughs, and the sweetest of them all is the bond that I share with these people. I’m so excited to see where the Lord takes us. |
Memories from the last few days of camp need to be written down, as to never being forgotten:
I was sitting on the top deck of the lodge with some of the girls from my team and we all shared a bit about where we came from.We had a conversation about where God is taking us spiritually and where we want Him to take us. I’ll never forget how amazing the stars were that night. I’ll never forget the laughs of my teammates. I’ll never forget how happy my heart was that night.
It was one of the last nights at training camp; it was squad night. We weren’t allowed to leave our camp site and we had to entertain ourselves. I’ll never forget swinging from a random rope in a random tree and getting a giant rope burn on my hands and legs. I’ll never forget when one of my teammates kicked me in the face while I tried to feed her from a fork, whilst she was swinging. I’ll never forget how happy my heart was that night.
I was about to board my plane. I had never flown by myself before and again, I got quiet, I was nervous. We were riding up an escalator and I saw another racer that I had seen one time before. I leaned over the escalator and began to call out to her and wave goodbye. But, just as I did, a wall appeared behind me and I hit my head against it and let out a shriek. Both squad mates lost it, one more than the other, and even the lady ahead of us on the escalator laughed at me. It hurt, but the joy that it brought was worth it. We made it to my terminal and I’ll never forget hugging my squad mates and leaving them. I’ll never forget how much it meant to me that they saw me off to my flight because they knew I was terrified. I’ll never forget how hard we all laughed after I hit my head. I’ll never forget how happy my heart was that night.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this. It truly means a lot. There are so many things that happened at training camp and if you ever have any questions for me, I am happy to answer them. Again, thank you for giving me something so valuable, your time. I hope that this encourages you to always have a “YES!” in your spirit when it comes to God.
Blessings, Presley.
