“Hard but good.” I realized when people ask how training camp was that that is my go to phrase… and then I continue to elaborate. Training camp was July 6-16th; 10 days full of intense spiritual, emotional, and physical growth. I would fall asleep in my hot, sticky, humid tent at night but after the first night it was not too bad. Waking up early in the morning and going to the “showers” was fine until I poured that icy-cold water from the bucket onto my skin. It may feel fine in the later afternoon after a long, hot, sweaty day in the Georgia sun, but in the morning after already being chilled by the night… not so fun. I would go in the morning instead of the later afternoon because all 200 girls would be waiting in line for the bucket showers, 8 stalls of them to be exact. 200 is being a little exaggerative but you get the gist.
Now let me talk about the food. Honestly I loved the food, rice and beans were sometimes not enough to fill me up everything other than that was delicious and I’m so grateful for those cooks who spent so much time serving us. We sometimes had forks and plates but most of the time we used our hands to scoop out the curried rice and chicken or whatever else we were consuming. Crickets are fine, they have a nice crunch to them where they just crumble in your mouth, many say they taste like a sunflower seed but all I could think about were those brown hoppy things outside of my tent making noises at night. It’s fine though, I’m fine, life is fine, I love trying new things, and if we are being totally honestly… I LOVE EATING WITH MY HANDS.
There was this one night when we were in an airport stimulation and had to sleep inside, good right? It was actually the worst sleep I had because the lights were on full blast the whole night and there was a recording that spoke over the speakers repetitively… BUT GOD BLESS THE AC. Waking up not feeling wet from the humidity is such a blessing. In fact, I got a taste of what it is like to live minimally and I have to admit I really liked it. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my bed with the 6 inch micro firm with my down comforter and my dog at my side. But not living on much simply makes life more simple.
So these are all of the materialistic things, but let’s get down to the niddy griddy of this blog. Some of the thoughts, feelings, how overcoming was the only option, and the effective teachings. This blog will not be able to sum of the experience but it is as close as I can get. Actually the way I get out my thoughts is through writing but usually it’s in a journal and usually there are not a hundred other people reading it but I will try my best to share my story.
Going into training, expectations were built up and ready to be fulfilled. STOP! DON’T MAKE EXPECTATIONS! Literally they are a mistake… because they rarely get satisfied. Side note: hope and expectations are two different things). I was positive I was going to make best friends with everyone on my squad in just a blink of an eye, I thought I was going to just naturally connect with everyone because of my outgoing personality. I assumed to be on a co-ed team but found on the first day that an all girls team is who I’m going to be spending months with. I was not thinking the 2.2 mile hike with a 30 pound pack was actually going to consist of running, wow we can do hard things. So out of all these expectations, I was let down, annoyed, frustrated, and confused. However, God decided to use this as an opportunity. I did not feel like family with my squad right away, really not until the day before we left when we participated in what is known as “squad wars.” And as far as teams go, wow I am so glad for my team. It’s just 6 girls who love God and people and desire to be more like Him everyday, I love every single one of them and I am so happy with the teams that were put together.
(Everyone going on my route is called a squad which consists of 50 people. Then when we get to each country, we break into our teams of 6-8 people and go to different ministry contacts that AIM has. Sometimes we are all together as a squad, sometimes there are a couple teams put together, sometimes it’s just one team. Squad and team gets confused often so I felt the need to clarify)
So I love my team. Lissie (on the right) asked Makennah (on the left) and I to baptize her which was such an honor. It was so great. God is so good. Then I find out that Katie and Abi are going to baptize Caitlyn and I’m just like “this is too good.”
Everyday we would sit through hours of sessions. Something AIM taught was that there are three circles that need to exist in our lives which make a vinn diagram: Intimacy with God, missionary living, and community. THAT is the way a Christian should be living, however, the word Christian has been very misconstrued. Before the term “Christian” came to pass, the disciples were known as “followers of the way.” It was not until Barnabas and Saul started preaching at the church of Antioch when “followers of the way” became known as “Christians” or “followers of Christ” or better yet “those who are like Jesus and speak about Him to others.” Today, Christians often go to church on Sunday, party on the weekends, and go through the motions during the week just following what others do, not what Jesus does. I think the vinn diagram sums it up pretty well on what followers of Christ look like, and we can all agree we will never be perfect or even close to perfect with those three things but we sure can thrive in them.
One of my favorite days was when we experimented with different pathways to God, different ways to connect to Him and hear His voice if you will. Nature, Aesthetic (painting), experimental (worship), student (teaching and studying the word), activist (evangelical etc.), and relational. There are many other paths but we just focused on these aspects.
I thought I was more of nature but as we were experimenting with this I was getting eaten by mosquitoes, being itched by grass, bees were flying around me, sweat was an understatement, and poison ivy was before my eyes. Therefore, at that moment I was not feelin’ The Lord. However, looking out at mountains and seeing His vast creation is spectacular. Taking nature walks is a beautiful thing, I honestly think I was just annoyed with the heat that day.
Painting is enjoyable… we were in the AC in a room that looked like it could be in a pottery barn magazine so it definitely was aesthetically pleasing. However, I am not the greatest painter but know that shouldn’t matter.
Now experimental, I mean common, raise the roof hallelujah. It was only our squad in the training center and there were no words on the screen just whatever God put on our hearts. Literally probably one of the best worship sessions I’ve ever had, so intimate with Jesus, just dancing for Him and singing out whatever He was laying on our hearts.
I liked the student one because of love studying word. I love the word, it is so vital and it should be studied more… I just wish I had more motivation to do so.
Activist, common let’s raise the roof again. Being evangelical is something that is in that missionary living circle of the diagram, it is a high attribute of Jesus. Making a difference in any way we can is such a huge praise. We had the opportunity to send a letter to a senator and speak about change in some things. I wrote a letter speaking about how the sex trafficking in the Atlanta airport needs to be more controlled and just in Atlanta in general, it most definitely needs focus. These young women are being treated as slaves everyday and missing out on life. I honestly don’t know how someone could be so sick and twisted to treat another human being the way trafficked women get treated. They don’t get to experience life, they’re stuck in bondage, literal bondage. I cannot even imagine. In one of the sessions at training, they spent the day teaching us about how to minister to abused women. The woman teaching us said listening to their story and letting them spill everything off their chest is a huge step, just letting them have a voice. This is why we need to thank God everyday for our freedom and really just life in general. When I think about poverty, the people suffering from AIDS in Swaziland, the lepers in India, the sickly in Guatemala, it makes me so thankful for everything I have and it also makes me angry when I hear others complaining about miner things. I must admit, I find myself doing that so often, but if someone reminded me every time I did complain, I would reflect. However, I do understand that everyone has their problems and comparison should not be a thought. Being vulnerable for a second, comparison is something I struggle with, it is also something I need to reflect on. It is actually something I went through at training camp. I compared myself a whole lot to others, don’t fall into the comparison trap, it’s hard to get out.
RELATIONAL PATHWAY. This one is amazing. Relationships are key and part of the vinn diagram mentioned earlier (community). Being able to share with others what you’re going through and learning from each other is so precious. Also supporting others, giving advice, or just simply listening is a beautiful thing and it can really connect someone to God.
MISSIONARY LIVING!!!! Oh you mean going on a mission trip once a year and teaching about Jesus and then coming back home and living the same ole same ole mundane lifestyle? NO! Meaning, everyday you are seeking out new opportunities to teach, share, or express Jesus’ love to someone. It is a daily act, not just when you go to a different country. In the states you have a job, you have a routine… it’s hard to step out of that routine and into a place where you’re like, “okay God, who do YOU want me to speak to today? Which co-worker would you like me to branch out to? Hey today is my off day, WHERE do you want me to go today?” That is missionary living. I know, it’s hard. It is something I had the opportunity to practice in high school. One day I decided to pick flowers and hand them out to people at school saying Jesus loves you. Just small things like that. Missionary living could mean asking you uber driver questions about their life, not small talk, but actually pressed in and involved conversation. Missionary living could mean trying harder at a relationship you may struggle with, making amends, showing grace instead of frustration. Missionary living could mean leaving an encouraging note somewhere for someone to find and bless their day. Take risks. Take advantages. Take opportunities. YES JESUS!
Something pretty hard we had to do at training camp was hike 2.2 miles with our 30-40 lb. packs on in 38 minutes. Except it was more like you had to run in order to finish on time and it there were some killer hills. My team had the privilege of doing it twice but man oh man we conquered. It would have been much harder if it were not for each others support and encouragement.
M SQUAD!!!!! (Green squad dream squad).
Much love to all of you!!! I only have a little over $1000 more to fund raise until I am fully funded. If you feel led to give I would deeply appreciate it, I would love for you to join me on this journey to bring the kingdom (my team name is “kingdom come). Just click the orange “donate” button on the right side of the screen on my blog home page. Thank you all for everything you do and please continue to keep me and my squad in your prayers. If you want to be super prayerful you can also pray for Swaziland, Lesotho, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. I love all of you very much.
-Christy Belle McPherson.
Here are some videos a few of my squad mates created. These are just some awesome insights, you won’t regret watching them.
