What a long, exciting journey this week has been! I’m pretty sure every person would agree that this past week has felt like a whole month. The Spirit has definitely been alive and moving through so many people and it’s amazing that people who are my brothers and sisters in Christ who I didn’t know over a week ago have now become my family in the hills of Georgia.
Well to be completely honest here, my spiritual bubble that I had grown to be comfortable with was popped in a big way this week. I had no idea what to expect from training camp coming in, but now as I prepare to leave I can boldly say that this has been a life-changing week for me. Coming from a conservative, Southern Baptist background, a lot of the ideas and practices were very foreign to me and everything I had grown up in. Some I have a hard time believing and struggle with. While others allowed me to experience a spiritual freedom that was truly powerful and moving. There was an amazing, contagious passion and emotion in the atmosphere as we worshipped or just worked together as a squad for a people who refuse to settle for anything less than reaching the nations.
Some of the highs include scraping my knees in the dance competition (God definitely has a sense of humor if he works through my dancing skills), meeting a truly unbelievable group of people (U-Know), getting 9 powdered donuts stuffed down my mouth, and bonding with my awesome teammates. Just as the race will be though, there have also been some lows as well (insert lost cell phone). Three of my good friends, and another amazing girl all decided that they felt like God had called them elsewhere (God bless you guys). My spiritual beliefs and stances have been challenged and stretched with freedom in certain areas and conflicting views in others. At the end of the day, I am thankful that God has allowed me to experience different people from different backgrounds and given me a higher ability to appreciate his beauty in a new way. The Holy Spirit has definitely revealed itself to me in a new and beautiful way, and has truly been moving through me and all of my teammates.
I love this squad and believe in each of you guys. Let our normal be different and our different be normal as we settle for nothing less than impacting the world in a way that I know is completely possible through the power of our God. What a blessing to serve our holy God alongside a great group of believers. God bless you guys and our squad!
