Camper I am not. But one thing I am continually learning is that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) When applying for the World Race my main focus was serving the "least of these" in different capacities in a variety of geographic locations around the world. I mean I’ve slept in the back of a minivan, a hut, and even a yurt, but I’ve never actually been camping.
In high school my youth group would do overnight trips to Burke Lake Park, but inevitably around 2am my friends and I would sneak off site over to my parents’ house, hang out in the hot tub, then crash on one of their many couches/guestroom beds, wake up to a pancake breakfast then sneak back to the campsite and pretend we’d been there all along.
On May 14th 2013, I got the call; I’d been selected as a World Racer! I felt extremely excited, scared out of my mind, but overall peaceful (a great combination 😉 About a week later, after I had sent out my support letters, reality set in… I would be living out of a backpack for 11 months!!! Reading blog after blog and hearing from squad mates as well as other racers leaving later than I, I began to feel super overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” that I needed. After thoroughly going over several packing lists, I came to the conclusion that I currently own a headlamp and hairbrush.
I’ve never heard of Chacos, and don’t know the first thing about picking out a tent let alone putting one together. But fortunately for me, God has placed some pretty awesome dudes in my life, who coincidentally are avid campers. BONUS!!! Picture this… two typically athletic looking guys and me, a 5 foot 11 female wearing gold rhinestone sandals and a teal maxi dress walk in to a sporting goods store… no this isn’t the beginning of a joke! At first I felt completely out of my element, but during a tour of the store my friends explained things in a clear and simple manner. They were so kind and caring, putting me completely at ease.
Over the past few weeks I’ve seen the Lord’s hand in every aspect of preparation. Providing these gentlemen to “show me the ropes” is just another example of His goodness. I am completely confident that regardless of the "gear" I take with me, or how little I know about the sport, He will be there every step of the way guiding me through this thing they call camping.
