Training camp in a few words:
Overwhelming, AMAZING, cold, challenging, and so worth it.
I learned how to:
Pitch a tent/break it down very quickly
Fall asleep (riding on a bus, when it is very cold, when my tent and sleeping bag are wet, when the rooster won’t shut up at three in the morning, etc.)
To be genuinely thankful to eat food even if I don’t like it (spicy food, sausage, mushrooms, ham)
Hike with my 35 pound pack (1/3 of my entire body weight, by the way…a challenge!)
Go without showering for an extended period of time (……okay, I know…EWW)
I had the opportunity to:
Love on the people on my squad
Pray with/for people
See people experience healing
Encourage and pour into others
Hear so many amazing testimonies
Eat crazy different food in non-American sized portions
See God being continuously glorified day in and day out
Exercise every morning
Prophecy
Hear from the Lord
Look at breath-taking stars every night
Enjoy nature!
I experienced God’s:
Love
Truth
Joy
Peace
……..deeper than I’ve experience them before!
My experience started off with being utterly exhausted. The night before I left for training camp, I had a spaghetti dinner and praise night scheduled as a fundraiser for the World Race (which, by the way, was a HUGE success….God brought in over $2,000!!!!). In between setting up for that, a medical emergency, and the actual dinner, I attempted to pack. Well…I didn’t actually finish packing until it was time to leave at 3 AM for the airport! When I got to Atlanta (mostly delirious since I hadn’t slept for well over 24 hours), I got to meet some of my squad, and then we took a school bus to Tennessee.
The bus was…really loud and bumpy, and the roads were windy…..and I fell asleep. I’ve never fallen asleep on a school bus before, but my body didn’t give me a choice. I mean, I was drooling with my head hanging forward and everything! A couple hours later with me feeling a little more rested, we arrived at camp. We were surrounded by the Smokey Mountains…God’s beauty is so evident in nature, the view was amazing!
The teaching was so good but also challenging…not because it was hard to understand, but because it brought up things that the Lord wanted to work on. I realized that I’ve spent a long time living in shame for things the Lord has already forgiven me for….and because of that, I had a hard time receiving the love He is always offering me. So, I cast out the lie of shame, and started walking in His forgiveness.
One night during worship, God literally dumped His love and joy on me. Like, I couldn’t stop laughing and was so blessed in His presence. I allowed Him to saturate me with His love.
I got to build deep connections with the people on my squad, and am looking forward to the relationships we will get to build over the next year! We were placed on our teams, and I have the priveledge of being on an all ladies’ team with five amazing women of God.
SO, training camp was amazing, and I am PUMPED for all that God has in store!
Also…MY ROUTE CHANGED!!!
Here it is:
Zambia
Malawi
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
China
Mongolia
Thailand
Cambodia
Vietnam
Nepal
*Photo Credit: Some amazing Z squader!!!
