Every ninja must go through training. So it’s no surprise that as a world racer and in “THE YEAR OF THE NINJA” that training camp would not only be a must but would be life changing.
Training camp was a seven-day adventure right outside of Atlanta Georgia. There we were introduced to our Squad, soaked in teachings, had amazing services filled with dynamic worship and life changing God moments. Days filled with different continents, their foods and customs. Team building exercises including burning planes and lost limbs, towels being flipped without feet leaving and creatively building items from our packs. Sleeping outdoors, being poured on by rain, sleeping under the stars and sharing items as a community. Mostly we met with God, listened and allowed Him into the deepest places of our lives.
A famous ninja of sorts said,
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
–Bruce Lee
These are some of the laser focused things that this wanna be, but soon coming “Ninja” encountered at camp:
A true NINJA is Honest.
At training camp through team exercises, rubbing shoulders with our [F] Squad slash team and spending deep time in the presence of Jesus we were harbored into an environment of honesty. Honestly, after living a season based on a lot of performance and creating experiences every weekend I had lost the art of pure, inhibited honesty. Through learning how to give positive feed back and how to soak in feedback given, training camp taught me once again the importance to my growth in honesty. No more “FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.” No more living up to a religious standard, but pure relationship with Jesus & pure relationship with others.
A true NINJA is brave.
God has been speaking a lot to me in this season on being brave. While we were stretching ourselves in hearing from God and speaking over other peoples lives. We did this “exercise” where we stood in a circle with our eyes closed and one of our leaders tapped a shoulder of someone who would stand in the middle and the others not knowing who was there would speak what God was laying on their hearts to that person in the middle. My shoulder was tapped. I stood in the middle hearing my squad mates speaking directly to my soul straight from the heart of God. One of my amazing squad mates spoke the single word
BRAVE
It wasn’t be brave, it was just BRAVE. In this season as I face the unknown, God is calling me to be BRAVE. He is where my BRAVE comes from I must walk confidently in HIM. I don’t have to search for the brave; this ninja is already walking in it.
A true NINJA is free.
Ninja’s aren’t tied down to anything. They are light as a feather able to move and do what mission is set before them. At training camp I found a new freedom. During a time of prayer I started naming the things that were lingering in my life. There was a lot of unforgiveness towards someone who had hurt me in the past. I thought I had forgiven them and I hadn’t truly let that Go, well this NINJA has let go. God also set me free and blew the lid off of a performance/religious mentality that was ruling my life. This NINJA is walking in a freedom like she has never experience thus far in her lifetime!
Honesty.
Brave.
Free.
Training camp took this simple girl and played a vital role in shaping her towards her NINJA ways.
#YEARoftheNINJA
“If YOU want to be immortal, live a life worth remembering.”
–Bruce Lee
Be praying for our [F]Squad as we venture out June 30th for Launch and then leaving to Bolivia July 3rd. We have trained to be ninja’s and that is where our training will only be just that, training and we will see the realities of our NINJA-RIFIC ADVENTURE!
<3
Ash
#TeamAsh
