The day was Wednesday July 16th, I got up at 3am and for the next hour I grabbed last minute items that I would need for the big, crazy adventure I was about to head on. As I turned off the shower I thought of how that warm running water would be the last I knew for the next 10 days. Oh the blessings of a first world lifestyle. By 4am I was ready to go and I hoped in the car with Anthony (a fellow squadmate) and his brother shortly after 4am and we headed down to Buffalo for our flights to Atlanta for the Man Hike. This was both exciting and nervous. Excited for the way God was going to show up but nervous because I didn’t know how that was going to happen and this was the first time in my life I have been truly, truly dependent. I didn’t have my family to fall back on. I was alone. I wasn’t even on the same flight or flight path as Anthony, I would say bye as we got to the airport and hi again after 2 flights and 6 hours down in Atlanta.
Have I mentioned how big the Atlanta airport is?! If not, well it’s massive and there are like 5 or 6 terminals in it plus separate baggage claim areas or international flights and another for domestic and then an atrium area. Did I also mention that I had about 50 minutes to get off the plane (I was near the back) and navigate the new territory to get my bag and then find the Atlanta Chophouse in the Atrium and meet outside it with other men racers? Man was I glad they had a train, even though it was packed full and personal space did not exist. Thankfully TSA workers and a friendly stranger were there and able to direct me. Finally I made it to the meeting point with a few minutes to spare.
Lots of friendly banter in the airport as well as the hour drive to Seth Barnes’ (founder of the World Race) house led each of us to getting to know one another much more. These were some of the brothers I was going to spend my next 9 months with. Present was about half of the males on my squad (Gap A), Bryan Noll, Alex Quinn, Anthony Martin, Jayden Korber as well as myself and our men squad leaders and mentors. The next 2.5 days consisted of these men of God bonding and growing. We hiked up to the highest point in Georgia which took us 6-7 miles of hiking. Luckily it was exceptional weather for this.
Atop one of the Smokey Mountains – the highest point in Georgia
We camped out at the top and were able to get some water from a stream and put tablets in it so we remained healthy. After we settled into our spot a group of us Gap squad boys decided it was time for some adventure, as many would. We hiked around by ourselves and explored the area, going back to the top and finding a edge right close to the cliff to sit and talk as guys. I think this was the true start of the intimacy the Gap A guys would experience. This was the start of the brotherhood between us.
On this Man Hike it is obviously and all throughout this trip a common focus of the leadership team at AIM (Adventures In Missions – the parent organization to the World Race) is discipleship. They believe in properly equipping men and women (not boys and girls) for ministry to the world. In the context of it just being guys, they call that ‘brocipleship’. This Man Hike was a time where each one of us got poured into by the leaders and brocipled up in Godly actions and thoughts. We dealt with past issues and hurts in order to move onto what we are called to be – men of God. They called us out to be leaders in faith, in actions, words, deeds and thoughts. They called us to keep our focus, not on the common distraction of girls that would be there around us all the time but on spiritual growth and maturity. I like to call this a mountain top experience because it was both one of the best times down in Georgia but also because I literally was on a mountain top!
The next day was time to hike down the mountain and out. Just so you know, down and out doesn’t always mean down. In this section it meant the steepest and longest uphill on the hike that ended up lasting over a mile. This trek was 11-12 miles out. Part way through it started to rain and the it poured. We were quite happy that it held off until the hike out though. Eventually we got out and back to the bus for the hour drive back to Seth’s house.
Finished the Man Hike! Soaked but done! L-R: Jayden, Me, Anthony, Bryan
We had extra time and since Alex was local and had his truck there we piled in and went and got real food! Let’s just say what we ate on the hike wouldn’t have been my idea of a meal. We had the night to ourselves and as we arrived back late we decided to set up for bed and after we did we found ourselves talking in the bed of the truck. The Spirit was with us there and these men opened up and shared things they hadn’t before. Prayers were powerful and moving. As we cried together, hugged one another and worshiped our saviour, God was pleased and the Spirit inhabited our praise. This was a time of true growth and bonding. This night and the day the next day (the hours we had before we were able to arrive at training camp) will be a time I won’t forget because true Christian man community was demonstrated to me by each of these brothers. Who knew a gravel parking lot or McDonald’s could be a place where others shared or I shared and God used it to speak worth and comfort into someone else’s life. Being told ‘God put you here for me’ is truly humbling and awe-inspiring.
Although our days as just men were few I was and am very thankful for how each one of these men in God has influenced me and continue to support me still. I was proud at how each of us took what we learned and shared it in private man times with the other guys on our squad. I was proud of how God enabled us to recreate that environment at training camp. I was proud of how the other men stepped up and became vulnerable and allowed us to lift them up in prayer and speak truth into their lives.
Community is important and I was truly blessed by my first real experience of Christian men in community. Thank you to all of you that were a part of it and blessings on you as you continue to serve the Lord, our God!
Extra pictures:
On the way down and out from the Man Hike
Camp is somewhere on top of that…
Some of the guys getting ready for lunch on our hike up the mountain
Not the top but I guess it’s a nice view
