You hear people say the most abundant life is found with Jesus. That His freedom and joy are superior to anything you can find in this life. For my whole life up to this point, this was only head knowledge. I had no idea how to “crack the code” and receive it for myself.
Training camp moved this head knowledge to my heart. Once I quieted my mind and focused on Him, He showed me the freedom and joy He had to offer me.
Let me give you a fuller picture by explaining some of the abundance my team and I experienced at camp.
I will first start with my squad. What am amazing group of people! They all came with the mindset that they are willing to be vulnerable, intimate, and themselves. So, by the second day, we had already forged deep relationships. The true kind that all humans crave but cannot seem to find. These people, my “instant’ family are standing ready to do life, the good and the bad, with each other. It is clear to us that God has called us to be on a squad together for a time such as this. And the best way to explain it is beautiful; the union is truly a beautiful wonder. My little team consists of Jenny, Suze, Cami, Abby, and Megan! Go check them out; they are beautiful women of God. I wish I could properly convey how excited I am that God put us on a “squid” togther!
We also have a pile of amazing God-following mentors in our court. I was constantly stopped just so people could tell me how awesome my mentor team is. And boy oh boy were they right. They love God fiercely, are not scared to speak truth into your life, and are not hesitant to jump right into a relationship with you. N squad is wildly blessed by their commitment to us.
God showed Himself in mighty ways. We witnessed healings, both spiritual and physical, as well as Him talking to all of us- confirming and healing our hearts. He moved right into our mess and starting cleaning the gardens of our souls. Praise Him for His steadfast goodness!
We were blessed with Godly men and women helping mold and teach us all that we need to know for the year to come. They imparted years and years of wisdom to us and wow that is such a blessing. I would like to thank them for their sacrifice and all the time that they spend pouring into the future racers, making sure we understand who God actually is.
We received the chance to evangelize around Gainesville, GA where we met an amazing little lady named Pat. We got to spend a beautiful hour with her and pray with her too. This experience really engrained the statement “life is ministry and ministry is life.” It is a daily thing, everyone needs love and Jesus. I pray that we can make this a reality in all of our lives.
We received the chance to formally give our “yes” to God, each other, and AIM. What a joyous moment that was! We committed ourselves to growth, to love. I have not felt so much joy in a long time. As I jumped into the arms of my teammates and mentors while telling them that I am fully committed to them, joy erupted in the room. It was a heavenly experience to say the least.
God broke some crazy, real lies in my life. He started off by reminding me “to fix your eyes on me baby girl, let’s dance.” From here, He revealed to me lies that I previously thought of as truth. An onslaught of “no one likes you” and “you overcompensate so people will like you” filled my brain. And that’s the moment that I realized that those were lies from the pit of hell that I had accepted as truth for myself. What a freeing moment that I can now identify these lies just as they are, lies. I praise God for opening my eyes to this blind spot in my life.
Also, meet one of your N squad worship coordinators! It is so funny to me how God works. I have always felt the desire to be apart of worship, but with no musical skill I thought I was out of luck. Surprise, God likes to use the most unqualified people to bring Himself glory. So, I am unreal excited to step into this role and see how I can be used by God! Any tips? Comment below.
The hike. The physical test to see if we were actually capable of this endeavor. The thing that most definitely brought the most joy and community to our team. The first day many of us triumphed over the challenge with sweat dripping from our faces, but sorrow hit when we saw that not everyone finished in time. Our hearts broke as we realized out whole entire team did not pull through the challenge with success. The next morning we all rallied before the sun came up to get behind our squad mates who were about to tackle the hike for the second time. Ready to cheer our hearts out, we went to our posts around the hike. As the group of hikers passed by, tears rolled from my eyes. What a beautiful picture of community! These people were incredibly strong and love exuded from them. We collectively learned that day that we need each other to pull through in every experience. We also now know that we will never leave anyone behind. We can conquer anything with God and our fellow brothers and sisters by our sides. All this emotion came to an acme as our remaining squad and October route members crossed the finish line, way below the necessary finish time. We screamed and cried while joy filled our hearts. We are a team; we are mighty as one.
So many other things happened at camp as well. 5,000 laughs, friendly but intense competition, arm wrestling, field scenarios, deck talks, angle voices singing with us, shame conquered, market day, flour in my face, a black widow in the shower, ultimate frisbee, unlimited hugs, and incredible joy and excitement for the future. I am going to drop a hallelujah right here.
God is so good and so faithful. How simple and how true is that statement. He wants to share His abundant life with us and all we have to do is to sit at His feet. He blesses us with so much. This past camp experience has brought me so much peace that I made the right decision. Although the pain of change is constantly knocking at my door, I am confident that the God of the universe has planned a grand adventure for His children, me included.
So here’s to N squad, the New wave of the Holy Spirit is coming. I cannot fathom what this year has in store for us!
Much Love,
Brook
P.S. God is incredibly faithful to provide. He told me to do “nothing” and wait and rest with Him. I am privilege to just sit back and watch Him work.
