Training Camp. 10 days in Gainsville, Georgia filled with community, sessions and simulations to help prepare us both for the World Race but also life as followers of Jesus beyond just those 11 months.
There were bucket showers.
There were airport simulations.
There were comfort zone stretching really rad Jesus moments.
My flight landed around 8 am. The shuttle to training camp left in the early afternoon. Waiting around and reading was game plan #1 but so love when God has other things, better things, in store. Imagine the relief of spotting someone else with a hiking backpack, modest shorts and look of exhaustion because they too probably left in the early hours of the morning to arrive here at this hour. The first World Racer I met at training camp was Rachel. A West Virginian who loves the Lord loads and was down to chat for ages while we biding our time waiting for the shuttle to camp. Soon more and more came and added to our mountain of backpacks.
We played “how many water bottles can we stack” and shared stories of what the Lord had done in our lives and how he led us here.
Matt with stack of water bottles
It was here at the airport that I met Brie. Wow is she such a precious human that I’m glad to know. I’m pretty sure 85% of the photos I have of training camp are selfies of the two of us. We would go on to share a tent, clothes and even soap for the shower when (during a simulation) my pack (my big hiking backpack) got “lost” at the airport (when really it was under a tarp 20 ft from me the whole time) and her pack didn’t.
It was really fun getting to know people, people that would be traveling with me to the 11 countries I’m going to and people going elsewhere. We laughed hard. We shared things. We made guesses as to what the 10 days ahead at training camp would look like. Even our wildest estimates didn’t come close, I had no idea all that the Lord would do in my heart and within this community.
Here are a few little snapshots that I had no idea would happen before getting to Training Camp that bring me a lot of joy to reflect back on:
Singing “we’re soaring, flying” from High School Musical with Matt and Brie while running down a hill during the 2.2 mile fitness hike that we did while carrying our big pack (the big hiking backpack that holds most of our things- mine’s about 25 lbs).
Celebrating Regan’s birthday. Hunter, our tallest squad mate whose about a foot an inch or two taller than me, held up the red star piñata for the birthday girl to hit.
Rolling down a hill with Brie during a break from a session about the Old Testament. A group was standing by the hill and when I strolled over I mentioned how the hill looks like a great hill to roll down. Brie had a similar sentiment just moments before so we totally took advantage of the moment.
Morgan is a squad mate of mine is lovely in many ways and also owns some really neat pants. She let me borrow these pants when the skirts I was wearing was much too warm for the hot Georgia day we were having. And when I made a hole a tiny bit a lot bigger, I got the rad opportunity to serve her and sew it back together.
Hanging out with Jesus in the morning. Just some real intentional one-on-one time in prayer and worship and reading the Bible all before the start of the day. I loved these moments. If I could only do one thing at training camp over again, it would be those sweet sweet mornings with Jesus.
Catching the disc in the end zone during Ultimate Frisbee, scoring the final point. Just being made aware that we’d have an option to play brought me so much joy I was nearly jumping around. To actually get to play, be trusted with the disc and get to encourage others just was overall top notch. And sure there were times it was frustrating, when it would seem the guys were only passing to other guys or that I would try to catch something and fail so spectacularly it would make a comedic highlight real. But what I love about Ultimate, especially when playing with believers that seek love each other well even when competing, is that the Lord reveals himself even in those moments. That my worth isn’t in the amount of points I score or if I catch the disc. That even in my failures he doesn’t give up on me. That we were wired for community, that none of us could win the game or even score a point solo.
Hammock sleepover with Sharonne and Brie in the trees by our campsite late one night.
There were a lot of bold moments that pre-Jesus Caitlyn would have been terrified of. And yet, when there was a call for volunteers, I found my hand shooting straight up again and again. I got to read a children’s story in front of everyone, later during a women’s time recap the book of Ruth and even lead everyone in the reading of the Psalm (which so wasn’t perfect but wow thank God for grace). I mean I am one of those extroverts that is wired well for those sorts of things but also its such a beautiful reminder for me personally of how the Lord has changed my life and called me beyond my comfort zone.
(That’s me up on stage in a friend’s flannel, reading a children’s story)
Teaching. Love it, studied it and have gotten to do a bit of it. When it came time to break out into different sessions, this is the one I found myself at. Really shifted some of the training I had previously had on teaching to ways that are culturally aware and that shine Jesus. Like one thing really drilled into me in school was how we need to write objectives first (and they need to match up with state standards). This training mentioned objectives, that we still need them in framing lessons but also that the first one could be that students feel loved. Through teaching, I could seek to love my students well in ways first shown me by God my Father. We were also made aware that teaching on the World Race might look like have little resources and maybe little time to prepare but how to roll with that well.
To make sure everyone was at things quickly, instead of counting heads or calling everyone’s name, Jeremy our squad mentor, came up with a buddying system. All of us had a buddy, one was the giraffe and one was the ostrich. At things Jeremy would ask “find your giraffe and ostrich” and from there we’d sort out who was missing. My giraffe, this lovely dude name Jeff, had a hard time spotting me from time to time in part because of my height. So we started this thing where we stick our arms straight up so that the other person can easily spot each other. That was just fun.
Meeting Santa with Hunter, Matthew and Brie. This guy who works at Adventures in Mission is legit Santa during the months around December and was just so incredibly kind and intentional with us. We were late to lunch but I would so be ok with being late to more meals to hang out with him with this rad bunch more.
The World Religions talk was taught with such humility and in such a way that stoked curiosity. I not only learned so much, I want to teach like that. Gave a great framework of how to research and experience other world religions, with the intention that we can’t have a heart for what we don’t know exists. It wasn’t a lecture on the major world religions and theological arguments to win them to Jesus. Nor a bulletpoint list of the numbers and percentages pertaining to different major world religions. Naw. It was a bunch of questions like “What do they believe their God believes about them?” or “What’s the end goal for followers?” that help complexly consider followers of different religions not as robotic single storied people but as humans made in the image of God that he loves and wants and how do we better understand them to reach them where they’re at. Talking with friends after, people were curious and felt equipped with a way to do their own research.
I went in thinking I’d learn about different cultures on an international scale but I had some things to learn about culture in my own backyard. Despite living in North Carolina for four years as I child I still am very culturally unaware when it comes to southern culture. Joe and Caroline, two squadmates from Georgia and South Carolina respectively, were really patient as I made assumptions and didn’t understand why they were doing some of the things the way they were doing it. Like parking a car in a neighborhood, or how to approach someone’s property. I learned a lot and reminds me to continue to have a posture of teachable even when I think I have gist of what’s going on. (Aka calling myself out before I even get to Ecuador that despite living there for a few months my junior year I still have a lot to learn)
One night, our entire squad was really really late getting back to camp. Some of us were nervous or at the very least there were many discussions of how it would be handled. Would we get a lecture? Would they share how disappointed they were with us with us? Would they take away some good thing they had planned for us to teach us a lesson? Walking (ok was definitely more like a fast walk/slow jog) to the spot where all our leadership was waiting stoked many of these possibilities in our conversations with one of another. And then? When we all sat down, a little anxious of how they would respond, what were we met with? Grace. A lot of grace. We were the ones to bring it up, apologize and they accepted the apology and we moved on. There was no punishment, no lecture, no “this isn’t ok to do ministry hosts so why is it ok to do us.” None of it. Boy were we grateful and wow is that a reflection of the Lord’s love how he wants us more than he wants to punish us. What a sweet gift grace is.
There was a neat cultural thing among the World Racers at Training Camp where when we were all sitting around, someone would inventibly go up to fill their water bottle but they wouldn’t take just there’s. They’d grab everyone’s water bottle around them that could use some more and filled it for them. The ways we sought to love each other well even in the little things was just so precious.
Sharoone and I on the last day got assigned to clean the bathrooms and while that sounds not great let me tell you how great it was. We got to have such a stellar heart to heart and the bathroom wasn’t even that dirty to start with.
My favorite morning by far was painting watercolors on the driveway the last morning with Hunter, Emily and Matthew. Seth Barns, the founder of Adventures in Mission, popped by with his really cute really tiny dog. (This out of all of them sounds the most like a dream, but this really did happen)
And there’s so much more. 10 days felt like 10 years and 10 seconds simultaneously. I am grateful that goodbyes on that last day were more like see you laters and we get go on this adventure together called the World Race. And you’re coming too right? I”ll update you on things that are going on down. Let me know whatcha want to hear about and any questions you have in the comments or call me or shoot me a text. (Or if you’re my co director Devyn that I’m taking kids on camping trips with all summer, come find me at the breakfast table right now- I’m about to start making those pancakes)
As much as this is me updating you, I would so also love if this could be a reminder to connect with me. I love you. The Lord loves you even more. Fill me in on what life’s like right now or a way I can be praying for you or even just a quick lil’ hi.
Need to come up with a nifty sign off probably,
Caitlyn Buell
