I’ve been staring at my computer screen for the past hour trying to process and put in words everything I experienced the last week in Georgia and I don’t even know where to begin. It was emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausting. Training camp was the best and worst 10 days of my life.
Before going to training camp, I dreaded it. I had heard and read all of the horror stories about the early morning workouts, sleeping in tents, and getting all of your things “stolen”. I also heard about all of the awesome things God had done and the life changing moments. I heard about the bad and the good and I still wanted no part of training camp. I’ve realized now that was just the enemy working in my life and telling me that I’m not strong enough for the world race, which I now know how much of a lie that was.
So without further ado, here is a small glimpse into what my 10 days at training camp looked like.
A “shower” was an occasional bucket rinse or wiping with baby wipes. The only bathroom I used was a porta potty. I sat at a table with 8 people, using our hands to eat most days and sharing a meal that would typically feed maybe 4 people. I experienced what it was like sleeping in the woods with 50 other people and only a few tarps, an “airport”, and a community tent with 10 other people. I wore the same clothes for 2 or 3 days straight and nobody noticed how nasty that was because they were doing the same thing themselves.
With all of that being said, training camp was much more than that. Not only was it about “training” us for our trip but it was also about stepping out of my comfort zone. It was about dealing with things that I didn’t even know I needed to deal with. It was about learning about shame and forgiveness more than I ever thought I would. It was about finding freedom. It was about letting go of all of the fear I had. It was about realizing that not only does God love me, but He also likes me and I can’t even tell you how amazing that feels!
On top of all of the emotions this week, I found out the 5 other people (see picture below) that I will be traveling the world with, living with, crying with, rejoicing with, laughing with, praying with, eating with, and most importantly, spreading the love of God with! I can’t wait to see how God is going to work in all of our lives. Please keep us in your prayers!
(from left to right)
Me, Rye, Courtney, Jack, Sydney, Maddux
(a snap shot of the worship that took place at training camp)
“You’re a good, good Father
It’s who you are. It’s who you are. It’s who you are.
& I am loved by You.
It’s who I am. It’s who I am. It’s who I am”
**T-MINUS 35 DAYS UNTIL THAILAND!**
