I’ve been saying for months now that the World Race will change me, and that by the end of my 11 months abroad I will be an entirely different person. What I didn’t realize is that that change would start before I ever stepped foot on foreign soil. I’m talking about the life-overhaul that began just a couple of weeks ago at Training Camp.
Let’s back up a little. It was the morning of October 8th. I packed up and hit the road, on my way to Georgia.
Me, all showered, clean, and wearing what I would call “normal” clothes. Remember this image.
I’ll admit it, I was scared. I had pretty much no idea what I was doing, one because I was about to be forced into the “great outdoors” for the first time in my life, and two because the World Race staff insists on keeping all things Training-Camp-related a complete secret. Luckily I had a 7.5-hour drive all by my lonesome to think things through and prepare myself.
I arrived in Gainesville around 5:15pm, and with strict instructions from the Race to not arrive on campus until 6, I had some time to kill. I.e., more time to think. So as I sat in a gas station parking lot, I decided to get out of my own brain and pray out loud. I starting talking to Jesus about all the things I was scared about, how I was afraid I couldn’t handle it all, and how I was probably most terrified of meeting so many new people. I asked Him to please give me courage to talk, to interact, and to let my guard down. I asked Him for strength and confidence that were not my own
About half an hour later I rolled onto the Adventures in Missions campus. In my first 15 minutes there, I carried all my stuff (45 pounds total, mind you) from the “parking lot” (read, “field way down at the end of the driveway and way far away from the check-in location”), found the campground, and set up my tent. They really weren’t kidding about this whole “training” thing.
Our little tent village
On top of all that, I managed to meet the six other girls on my squad who had also chosen to arrive a few days early for the women’s retreat.
The lovely ladies I now call my sisters
This extra time before Training Camp, called the “Beauty for Ashes Retreat,” was a special time for the women of the World Race to come together, bond, and work on preparing our hearts, minds, and emotions for the challenges we will face in the coming year. To be honest, we all cried a lot throughout those first few days as we shared our wounds and learned how to turn them to scars. But it was through all of those emotions that God also revealed a promise to me. The very first night of worship, the band led us in the following song.
You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the love that made a way
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the promises You made
Tears filled my eyes as I sang those words for the first time. I thought back to my conversation with Jesus at the gas station earlier that day, and I knew that He was right there with me now. He would help me through the scariest things, especially meeting new people. He would make me brave.
He did not disappoint. When “actual” Training Camp rolled around a few days later and the rest of my squad arrived, I could hardly wait to meet all of them. I’m pretty certain I talked to each one of my squad mates (there are 28 of us total) that very first night we were all together. If that’s not “strength and confidence that are not my own,” I don’t know what is. Thank you, Jesus!
My family for next year–M Squad!
And luckily that supernatural courage carried on beyond social interactions, because I’m not gonna lie, Training Camp was by far one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I don’t want to say too much about the specifics of Camp, as there are future World Racers out there stalking blogs wanting to get every last detail of what to expect (trust me, it’s a thing). But here are some brief highlights:
Red bathrobes
Port-a-potties
Bucket showers (sometimes)
Sleeping in a tent
Being forced to sleep in someone else’s tent
Not sleeping in a tent (but not necessarily indoors)
Divine healings
Throwing up
Carrying another girl on my back, in the rain, while blindfolded
“If everybody smells bad, nobody smells bad.”
I will happily expand on any of these stories in person, but the important part is that amidst all this craziness, I was transformed. Remember that picture from the first day? Well, here’s how I looked the morning that Training Camp ended:
Here, I haven’t (bucket) showered in 4 days, I’m wearing the same clothes I slept in, and there’s not a trace of makeup on my face. I’m also the happiest I’ve been in a long time.
What on earth could have caused such a transformation? There’s this verse in 2 Corinthians that says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…” That’s pretty much the only explanation I have for what happened. It wasn’t Training Camp that changed me. I mean, sure, that was a catalyst, but it was the overwhelming Holy Spirit that I experienced at Camp that allowed me to quit worrying about what other people think and just embrace the life I have been given. It was terrifying at first, but He made me brave like He promised, and I found absolute joy. I can’t wait to see who else I become.
