I got home late Saturday night, July 19, after spending a week in Gainesville, Georgia for training camp. It was extremely tiring, long, and yet incredibly rewarding. It was a week filled with getting to know new people, praising the One who brought us all together, and learning about who and where I am and who and where I want to be. So much happened that I couldn’t possibly tell everything in one blog. Instead, I am going to summarize my week by helping you decide if training camp is something you could do.
1. Do you have a closed mind?
If so, don’t go to training camp. There were 3 squads there with about 40-50 people per squad. With that many people, you are bound to encounter someone who is very different than you are. And that’s okay. If you recognize your differences and attempt to get to know that person, you may find that you have found a new friend that you never would have expected to meet before. This was true of me. Some people I probably wouldn’t have spoken to outside of training camp. I thought, “They are a lot different than I am. We probably wouldn’t get along.” But then I got to know them. I talked to them and found ways to relate to them. Training camp has a way of forming bonds that are so unlikely. The only explanation for why they work is because of our underlying reason for being there-God.
2. Do you hate to sing and dance?
If so, don’t go to training camp. We spent a week of worshiping the Lord. The band would play and we would all belt out the songs as loud as we could. The faster songs you couldn’t help but start to dance to them. I just imagined Jesus dancing and singing right along with us up in Heaven. That could explain the incredibly loud thunder one night. There was a dance party up in Heaven. I’m pretty sure the turning point in our squad was a dance-off. The entire squad broke up into four different teams. The leaders played a song and two teams faced off in a dance battle. Complete with judges and all. Each team worked together to come up with some kind of choreography to the song in about 1 minute. It was so much fun seeing the different personalities. Everyone got really into it. Even the people who can’t dance: me. Up to this point, we were becoming closer as a squad, but in that dance battle, all the walls were taken down and we really connected. I remember one of the leaders stating when we went into worship that night it was like a different team. We had an incredibly close bond. All from dancing and making fools out of ourselves. What’s even better is we used song and dance to give glory to God all week long. I learned worship and spending time in the presence of the Lord can be so much more than just praying and reading the Bible. It can be anything you want. Anything that makes you feel close to Him. Maybe it is singing and dancing, maybe it’s walking through nature or gardening, maybe it’s just sitting quietly, or maybe it’s talking with others. Anything and everything is okay. Just be you.
3. Do you like to sleep?
If so, don’t go to training camp. Each day we would get up at 6:00, repack everything we had into our backpacks and daypacks. The day consisted of hard work from that time until bed time around 11 or later. We slept on the hard ground with just a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag for comfort. Sometimes we didn’t even have that. One night the “airline lost half the bags.” All I had for an entire day and night was my Bible, journal, and pen. I had to sleep in a friend’s tent. I slept on her sleeping bag using a bag of clothes as a pillow, while she slept on her sleeping pad using the sleeping bag liner as a blanket. Another night, “the border closed” so we were unable to enter into a country. This meant my entire squad (about 40) were crammed onto a bus with our packs. That’s where we spent the night. I got maybe an hour and a half of sleep that night. These are all realistic scenarios that could happen in the field. They have happened before. Now I know all the best ways to not sleep on a bus! Even though we were all exhausted, everything we did just helped form those bonds. We all became incredibly close (literally since we were stuffed on a bus together). But if we hadn’t all gone through those hard moments, we wouldn’t be prepared to take on the world together in just 6 weeks.
4. Do you like to shower regularly?
If so, don’t go to training camp. We had to shower in an out-house type building. Curtains separated the different shower stalls and they may or may not have closed all the way. We had buckets that we had to fill outside with cold water and used a cup to dump the water on us. Days were hot but nights were cold so the cold water sometimes was not welcomed. That was at least some resemblance of a conventional shower. One night I showered in a lake. It went a little something like this: jump off the dock, climb back up, apply shampoo, flip off a pillar, climb back up, apply conditioner, another flip off the pillar, climb back up, shave, and another flip. It was one of my favorite parts about camp. We were all strangers but we quickly bonded over the lack of a real shower. This also included no mirrors, which means no makeup. Instead of worrying about how we looked and trying to impress each other, we all looked like more or less like bums all week. Wearing the same clothes for a few days, not brushing our hair, and at times covered in dirt. And yet we still became a close knit family. I feel like I have known my squad for years rather than 7 days. It just goes to show that looks really are not important. What’s on the inside is the only thing that matters.
5. Do you think your life can’t be changed in one week?
If so, don’t go to training camp. In just 7 days, my life was completely changed. I learned more about myself in that week than I have in years. I learned who I am and who I want to become, where I am and where I want to go. I learned why I was called on this Race and what I hope to gain from this experience. I learned that it’s okay to not know the exact path you are supposed to take as long as you have trust that He will show you that path. In one week I found that even though all of our walks may be different, we are all united in one common goal: to praise Him and spread the good news around the world. On Thursday of camp, we found out our small teams. I am on a team of 6 girls. We will travel the world together and minister to everyone we encounter. We all have different personalities and that’s what makes us work so well together. Everyone brings very different things to the table. We all shared our stories of what led us to the Race and what our vision is for the next year. Although the details differ greatly, we all had one thing in common: We all want to be emptied so that we may be filled with Him.
I left training camp feeling exhausted and unprepared for the Race. At the same time I felt empowered and capable. I realized it’s not going to be a walk in the park. It’s going to be hard but so rewarding. I have realized that I will never be fully prepared for the things we will see and experience. I realized that I may be tired constantly, that I may have to shower with a bucket and cold water, that I may not have electricity some months, and that my bathroom might just be that tree we just passed. I also realized that I am 100% okay with all of that. I realized that I’m ready to step outside of my comfort zone and help build the Kingdom. Because that is what I have been called to do.
Meet team Kenosis. A Greek word meaning “emptied.” This year we will unite to help each other empty ourselves in order to fully rely on Him. This is my immediate family within our extended family. Together we will share the word of God. We may not be able to do much as individuals, but together we may find that we can change the world.
Jen, Katia, Alice, Deborah, and Vashti,
I cannot wait to spend 11 months getting to know you all better and serving the Lord with all of you by my side. I am so excited to be on your team. Love you girls
