Just got back from training camp last night! It was an experience I will never forget! I learned so much these past 10 days and can’t wait to see what God wants to teach me next. So much has happened and I want to share with everyone what God has been doing in my life, these past weeks.
Before training camp, I was feeling very stagnant in my faith. I was feeling numb to God’s Word and distant from Him. Apathy had taken control of my life and it was like I had no fire in my soul for Christ. When arriving at training camp I met my team and then we had worship. Worshiping with 300 other people about to go on a 9 month missions trip was such an awesome experience, but that first night I was like, What am I doing here? Is this for me? Why don’t I have that fire for Christ that they do?
As training camp went on, we had sessions throughout each day as well as worship and a speaker every night. During those sessions, we learned about other religions, evangelism, ways to connect with God, how to hear His voice, and so on. It was good to spend 10 days just fully focusing and learning more about Him.
The first few days I was still feeling distant from God, but I kept praying that the Holy Spirit would speak to me and I could feel His presence in my life. During worship on Day 5, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me and I am so over-joyed to be able to here Him and feel near to Him once again! That feeling of numbness and apathy is something I have to choose to set aside. It will be something I will have to fight for probably the rest of my life, but God is so good and by staying in His Word and constantly seeking after Him, He will remove those unhealthy feelings.
One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 40:28-31. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Even though we grow tired and weary, if we hope in the Lord and stay seeking after Him, He will renew our strength. He will give us what we need to press on.
I am so excited to to see what the Lord is going to teach me next. Please be in prayer for my team and I as we prepare during these next 7 weeks for our trip. Pray that we will continue to spend time with God as we go back to our normal routines for the time being and that we will not fall back into a spirit of apathy or numbness. I also want to thank everyone who have been praying for my team and I and helped me get this far! I am so thankful for you!
And real quick, meet my team!
Left to Right:
Ben, Justin, Zach G., Landon, Tikki, Me, and Zach T.
