I’m not even sure where to start.
It’s been two days since I got back from World Race Training Camp and I’m still trying to process everything I learned and just how good my God is.
On the surface, training camp was an intense 10 day experience where my squad and I camped outdoors in cool (but not that cold) temperatures, ate most of our meals with our hands, simulated world scenarios, and took freezing (and I mean FREEZING) bucket showers. Really though, it was so much more than that.
Walls in my life were broken down,
Chains that I let control me for years were taken off,
I saw and experienced the power and healing of the Holy Spirit,
and I saw God move in ways I’d only ever heard about.
And the whole time, God kept telling me, “This is were you belong. You are sturdy, equipped, chosen, loved, and called. Rise Up!”
I’m now so excited to travel the world with my new family (above) which consists of 40 racers (27 girls-13 guys split into 6 teams), 4 squad leaders, an amazing mentor and 2 awesome coaches (also a shout-out to our trainers and advisor who won’t be traveling).
These people are the definition of the church. I’ve never felt more at home or comfortable than I am around this community.
A story that has been told quite a few times (for good reason) shows just how amazing this group of people is. On the first day of camp, one of the men on my squad needed to get an epipen because of an allergy to bees. He was hesitant at first to come to us for prayer, but in less than a minute (it was about 40 seconds) we raised over $300 to meet his need. This is only one of the many stories I have that shows how special this group is.
Now, within the squad, there are six teams that we will split into for our first several months on the Race. My team is called Rahkma Rua (Love and Victory) and is made up of six other men besides myself. They are:
Joseph: One of the most encouraging people I’ve ever met.
Caleb: Has wisdom beyond his years.
Tyler: Has an incredible heart for God and is one of the toughest people I know.
Jon: Is very intelligent and he has an ability to make you feel at home.
Nate: Has one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever heard and has an amazing strength for the Lord.
Will: Has the ability to get people relaxed and loose.
These are the men that I will be serving closely with for the first several months on the race, and I’m proud to call them my brothers.
That’s about it for now. Training Camp was amazing, and I’m so looking forward to the upcoming year!
Make sure to look for upcoming blogs including a special guest post!
God Bless!
Ben
P.S. – Please make sure to subscribe to this blog and I pray that you would also consider partnering with me to help me reach my next fundraising goal. Any amount is appreciated. Thank You!
