I just got home from spending 11 days in the woods of Gainesville Ga for the World Race Training camp! This intense training is designed to equip us spiritually, mentally and physically for living out of a backpack and serving for a year.
I was so excited to meet the team I will serving and traveling with for 11 months! (more to come about F SQAUD soon, but for now, here are some pictures!)
F SQUAD!
At this camp we were presented with various field scenarios, informative and life-changing speakers, physical activity regimens, team-building activities, and much, much more. To give you an idea, here are a few of the scenarios we had to work through:
-losing luggage in the airport and having to buddy up with a partner to share gear.
-engineering a shelter in the woods for 30+ people with a limited amount of supplies.
-sleeping in the “airport” with extremely loud airport sounds and bright lights
-showering with buckets and no running water
-timed physical tests
-evangelizing an apartment complex.
I soon found out that every task that we were asked to complete was calculated and intentional in terms of preparing us for the race. Everything was for a purpose. These scenarios helped to bond our team together.
I thought I was ready for all this. I had researched for months on all things camping and supplies. I had my tent, backpack, sleeping pad….even my jet boil to coffee! But, I WAS NOT prepared for these surprised scenarios,freezing cold/wet weather, crickets in my eggs, getting sick, or mt sleeping pad popping.
My sleeping pad….I literally lost so much sleep over that thing as it busted the 3rd night. I would blow it up, and it would be deflated again in just a few hours. I couldn’t find the hole anywhere, so it was impossible to fix. I was miserable, and angry! Why did this expensive thing break? It wasn’t fair.
Fast forward a few days; I was sitting in a session about faith, trusting God for healing, and believing He can perform miracles. The leadership challenged us to pray over squad mates to receive healing for things. I was skeptical with this, I have never seen God perform a miracle through me before. I know He performs miracles-But I have never practiced the act of laying on hands for healing, with the faith that HE WOULD WORK. I prayed for one of my squad mates fever to break. My faith grew a tiny bit just by that simple act of faith. All the teams were praying for healing, trusting that God would work. It was incredible.
I got into my tent later that evening, and started bundling up for another cold night ahead of me. I was dreading that I would be sleeping on the cold ground again. Then it hit me:
I can pray for my sleeping pad.
Was this selfish? Silly? Would God even hear this request? My faith was as small as a mustard seed. Matthew 17:20 says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed . . . Nothing will be impossible for you….you can say to this mountain, ‘Move,’ and it will move.”
…Guess what? God heard my prayer, He healed my sleeping pad that night. I woke up the next morning, astonished that my pad was still intact. I knew this wasn’t a coincidence. I am thankful that He met my my faith where it was at.
You have to begin with the faith you already have; it may be just a little, sleeping pad faith like mine, but you start there.
“Lord, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.”
As long as we have some faith – however small – God can use it. If we trust in Him and His mountain-moving power then even our small seed of faith can be enough to achieve His great miracles. I am so excited for my sleeping pad sized faith to grow this next year. Praise Him for the small and large miracles He WILL do!
