There’s no way I can explain the feeling of waking up surrounded by my sweet friends every morning, getting to share meals together, worship together, and all the little moments in between. There’s no way I can explain all the ways I grew, the things I learned, and how I saw the Lord work.
I’m filled with joy & overcome with gratitude for the three months I spent with my squad. There will never be a season quite like this one, where my only focuses are the Lord & the beautiful people around me. Here are 15 things I learned (plus a few more) while living in Gainesville, GA: one of the sweetest seasons of my life yet.
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Redefining home: home isn’t always four walls with household appliances. In the past three months, I’ve lived in my little tent, on two church floors in Louisiana, and a big room in the AIM building. All of these places have felt like home, no matter the length of time spent there. As I’ve moved, the Lord has moved with me. Over every place I’ve dewelled, the Lord has been my dwelling place & security.
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It’s okay to not be okay. Really.
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I can do hard things! Leave my family & friends, complete a fitness hike carrying everything I own on my back, work long & physically hard days to serve homeowners, and so much more.
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My voice holds authority!
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He is enough. In every moment, situation, and season.
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Community! I can’t speak highly enough about the community I’m surrounded by. Gap D is a squad of honor. A group of people who will fight for each other. They’re passionate about the Lord & constantly pursuing Him. They’re intentional with all that they say & do. They’re people to laugh, cry, and grow with. People that have seen me at my best & my worst, and still pursue me. Living in constant community with my squad has been one of the best parts about GA.
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Life is ministry, and ministry is life. I get to choose a life on mission & see everyday as an opportunity to serve, whether it’s homeowners in Louisiana or my own teammates.
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Identity! Knowing & believing my identity in the Lord. A daughter. Loved. Worthy. Seen & known.
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Abandonment! Letting go of all the things: my need for control, my desire to be comfortable, my family & friends. Surrendering it all everyday. Leaving it all in His hands.
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Wrestling is normal & growth is hard, but always worth it.
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There are no limits or constraints to how the Lord speaks (listen to Voice of God by Dante Bowe Feat. Steffany Gretzinger and Chandler Moore :).
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Vulnerability breeds vulnerability, baby!
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There is always more: more to learn, more to grow in, more to celebrate.
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Worship is a heart posture. It’s not just that hour & a half set aside, I’m called to live a life of constant worship.
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Simplicity & slowness are actually good! (a separate blog to come on this soon!)
As for some of the more humorous/lighthearted things I learned:
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Keep your razor away from your sleeping pad! I learned this after my razor sliced my sleeping pad open, completely deflating it, at 10:30pm in my tent.
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Check for snakes in the bucket showers.
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It’s a good day when the porta potties get emptied 🙂
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The Georgia heat & humidity is no joke. On the flip side it also gets a LOT colder than I expected. Thankful my mom could send me a bunch of warm clothes 🙂
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The more you clothes you re-wear, the less you have to hand wash every week.
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Gumbo is delicious! Shoutout to our coaches, the Coco’s, for making some bomb gumbo for us on Halloween 🙂
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Dutch blitz games are no joke with our squad.
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Take time to look up! Metaphorically, but also the stars in GA are so clear & beautiful.
This blog just barely scratches the surface of everything that I learned. If you have any questions, or want to hear more about anything, I would love to talk! I’ll be talking about my time in Georgia forever. My next blog will be a biiiiig photo dump from the past 3 months so stick around 🙂
All the love,
Jen
