We got another country added to our route: Malaysia! We will be in Thailand for the first 2 months, Malaysia for 1 month, India for 3 months, and then Costa Rica for the final 3 months. Prayers over what God
has planned for us in each country are extremely appreciated.On another note, I am about two-thirds fund-raised!!! Thank you, God!
For the past couple of days, I have had Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle stuck in my head. (I know this song holds a different connotation of heaven, but just bear with me.) I would hate to call it a coincidence as I just got back from training camp. While I would argue that heaven does not constitute using port-a-potties, taking bucket showers, sharing a sleeping space with strange bugs, or eating crickets for breakfast, God’s presence was constant throughout the 10 days at training camp. Heaven is not necessarily about location, but rather the presence of and relationship formed with God.
PERSONAL GROWTH
At the start of training camp, God immediately called me out of my comfort zone by placing the words authenticity and vulnerability on my heart. You’re telling me you want me to be real, even if it’s ugly, with these people I just met a day ago? So as I was faced with the temptation of isolation, I instead obeyed and went to the amazing community God has given me with open arms. I was met with understanding hearts and an overwhelming freedom. There is no denying the confidence that God planted in me as I decided to walk in His desires! While I was pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, God was a living example of what He had for me. He was showing me pieces of himself that were brand new to me — His stillness, His purposefulness, and His stress-free nature. With this, God challenged me even further.
If you really know me, I do not think quiet or even patient would be something you would use to describe me. Well, sometimes God wants to take everything the world uses to define you and throw it out the window. While it was anything but easy or perfect, I tried to choose stillness whenever possible. Sometimes this looked like being aware of not interrupting my teammates, and other times this meant being quiet even when I thought I had something really good or funny to add the conversation. To some of you this may seem constrictive or even impossible, but there was so much freedom in this! Throughout this growing process, I read through John. In this, I was shown how purposeful Jesus was with his tongue. All of the times I had to seemingly sacrifice self, or my personality, God was really just working to make me more like Jesus. There is so much beauty and fruit that is born from being vulnerable, purposeful, and still in the Word. 10 days in the Lord’s presence has showed me a multitude of things — I can not wait to see what the next 9 months hold.
COMMUNITY
Jesus showed up in more than one way during training camp. His nature bled from the hearts of every single one of the racers on my squad. Jesus’ attributes were unique in every individual, but His presence and purpose shined in all of them. While I could speak on the fruit that is in every single racer, I am going to focus on the beautiful team Selah that God handcrafted in Heaven. Within each squad we are divided up by 7 and given a team leader who has previously been on the race. Emma is our team leader whose heart bleeds the love of the Holy Spirit. I am in awe of the love she has already poured into each of us. Here are the rest of my team members:
Avery: Kindness exudes from Avery. She is so encouraging to everyone she crosses paths with. Her presence exudes such a light that I will forever be grateful for!
Hannah: Goodness is what comes to mind when I think of Hannah. She is always willing to help others selflessly. I am so blessed to have her as a fellow team member!
Sam: The faithfulness that Sam demonstrates in every aspect of her life is so beautiful. She relies on God when it comes to what she says, what she does, and even what she eats!
Kenni: Joy has made its home in this girl! She seriously reflects the glee of the Lord with every word she says.
Lilly: She demonstrates patience with every aspect of her being. Lilly is patient with others and patient with the Lord. She even demonstrated this as she stuck by my side during the 2.2 mile hike at training camp (let’s just say I was not the hare in this situation…)
Caroline: The gentleness that Caroline carries herself with is so inspiring. She is a natural leader and is so gentle with the people of God’s kingdom. Her spirit is contagious.
All of these girls demonstrate all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in different ways, and I cannot wait to learn from them and grow alongside them in these next 9 months. We settled on the team name “Selah,” which is derived from the book of Psalm. Selah means “to praise” or “pause and reflect upon what has just been said.” As we go throughout these 9 months in different parts of the world, I pray that our team name always comes to fruition. May we never forget to pause and praise the Lord. This brief introduction will not be the last that you see of my team or even my squad! I am so thankful I get to live life beside the amazing women and men of God in squad Y.
FUN & GAMES
On a little lighter note, here are some of the fun things we got to do throughout the 10 days at training camp:
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Bucket showers (which I came to love)
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Learned about different cultures and religions
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Participated in a bunch of team-building activities where we had to get a little closer than comfort (especially considering that none of us had had a real shower for a considerable amount of time)
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Tried a ton of different foods from different cultures (The food was actually pretty good! Crickets and black eggs were just the worst of it.)
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I participated in a water chugging contest, got 2nd place, then proceeded to v*mit. (I promise it was funny.)
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SQUAD WARS! This consisted of messy games and a dance off (We got third place, not too shabby)
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We got to eat with our hands sometimes. (Gross? Kind of fun? I don’t even know anymore.)
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Mud fights (I can confidently say the red dirt did NOT stain.)
This is only a fraction of the crazy, fun things that made up our 10 days at training camp.
WORSHIP
The worship was so amazing at training camp. I felt so connected to the Lord during the times of worship. (I just want to clarify that God is anywhere and everywhere, not just in Gainesville, Georgia. I still feel the strong presence of God as I’m writing this in my bedroom in New Braunfels, Texas.) One night during worship, I got a radiant vision of God watching me through the clouds, his hand reaching out to touch me. As we all sang out “I was made for the center of Your Love,” God’s warm, smiling face was looking down upon me. He was reassuring me and empowering me in the fact that His Love is all I need to prosper. After awhile, God’s hand started reaching out and touching every single head in the building. I could not contain my tears. This vision is a testament to the unwavering, intimate faith He has always shown to every single one of us and will continue to provide us with throughout these next 9 months. I have no doubt that God’s hand is on this mission trip. And I promise to continue to let His hand guide me throughout this time. It may be imperfect, it may be messy, but it will be purposeful. Training camp was just a glimpse into heaven, into God’s Kingdom. The experience may have been hard, messy, and even smelly, but overall, it was so fruitful.
