Hey Everyone!
I have been back from training camp for a few days now and while I am still processing, I am ready to fill everyone in!
First, I want to catch you up to speed on some basics; Sunday night I got back from spending 11 days in Gainesville, GA at the Adventures in Mission headquarters for Training Camp. There were around 250 of us there from 6 different routes that will launch in January. Each individual route is called a squad, my squad is “A” squad and there are 41 of us on my squad. I will travel and debrief with this family of 41 all year. Here is a picture of them in all their beauty:
Within my squad there are 6 teams of 7+/- people. My team name is “Agape Rooted,” Agape is the Greek word for the highest and truest form of love, the love we give and receive from God. So my team name essentially means, rooted in The Fathers love. My team is who I will be living and working most closely with, let me introduce you to Alyssa, Lindsey, Scarlett, Gennesis, Tanner, and Evan…
Now that some of the basics are defined I will try to brief you on the experience.
It was cold. It was hot. It was dirty (literally and figuratively). It was emotional. It was impactful. It was foundational. It was inspiring. It was so many things; too many things for the english language to express. Largely, Training Camp sealed my decision to continue moving towards this calling with overwhelming confidence. Through all of it I am more sure; more sure of who I am, more sure of who God is, and more sure of where he is guiding me. I came into Training Camp committed to having no expectations, but even that commitment has its own set of unintentional expectations, and at the end of 11 days I can say they were all exceeded 10-fold.
The Holy Spirit moved in incredible ways during camp and I experienced Gods love through it in deeper ways than I ever have before. We serve a God who is eager to share his perfect love with us. I would love to talk to you more about what this realistically and tangibly looks like if you are interested in experiencing this kind of incomparable love for yourself.
While the freezing nights in tents outside, early mornings, cold bucket showers, minimal food, and countless miles hiked with 40 pounds on our backs seemed rough in the moment, it all brought us closer to each other and closer to our father. I am beyond excited to run this race with my new family of 41 next year; however I am equally excited for what God has in store for the next two months here in the states.
I cannot thank my supporters enough, both for prayer and finances. You all have had a significant and real impact on this journey. I am just over 70% funded and have $4,968 left to raise. The reality of this dream becoming fully funded before Christmas is becoming more real with every dollar contributed, but I still need more help, so please prayerfully consider what that could look like for you and your family! Tonight I was blessed by a supporter purchasing my launch ticket, which was an incredible blessing! I will be leaving AZ at 9:55AM on January 7th for Atlanta where I will have several days of additional training before departing for The Dominican Republic.
Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the article written about my journey in the October issue of Images AZ Magazine: http://imagesaz.com/blogs/viewBlog/3275/racing-around-te-world
As well as the one written in the November issue of North Scottsdale Lifestyle Magazine: http://www.nscottsdalelifestyle.com/2015/10/26/the-world-race/
I will also be placing a second t-shirt order sometime within the next week because I went through the first 75 so quickly. If you are interested let me know, I need 50 people in order to make the order work.
Lastly, I want to share one more picture and brag on the men that will be by my side for the next year. Meet Tanner, Evan, Rick, Alex, and our squad leader Seth. They are incredible; keep them in your prayers as they too go through the process of preparing to leave in 9 short weeks! (picture taken on the Appalachian Trail!)
Thanks for reading and supporting! God Bless.
