No, this is not clickbait! I literally almost died at training camp and I am SO excited to tell you this story.
Food allergies are the just so strange to me. Your body literally says, “If you eat that I am going to kill you.” And for me, my body will kill me if I eat bananas.
Anyway.
At training camp we are put through different simulations and scenarios of what we might encounter on the field. The meals for every day are themed by country and we are put in crazy sleeping situations like the airport, community living, and “losing” our gear. It’s basically 11 months worth of preparation crammed down into 11 days and my body is STILL recovering a week later.
Out of all the days and cultures we experience at training camp, I was the most excited for Africa day! We ate with our hands, made sure our shoulders and ankles were covered, and jammed to Shakira! It was an incredible day! Until dinner. I ate my plate of spicy African chicken and rice and was about to get seconds when Shelby ran to my table and yelled, “CLAIRE there are bananas in the rice!!!”
*Sigh*
I thought my lips were tingling because of the spice but then it all made sense that it was actually a sign of my body trying to kill me. I grabbed my bag and went to the kitchen.. long story short and one epipen later, I’m alive!
This happened about day 5ish of training camp and I just want to talk about my squad for a sec. After my reaction settled down a little, they wanted me to go to urgent care to get checked out to really make sure i was A-okay. When I got back from the doctor, my squadmates had my sleeping bag laid out on a couch in the Lodge, packed a change of clothes for me, AND brought some baby wipes (aka my shower for the night). Then my squad leaders brought me some food that they saved for me from dinner.
I could have cried.
Just days before this, my squadmates were almost strangers to me besides the comments we’ve exchanged over social media and here they were showering me with the most genuine hospitality I had ever experienced. The Lord taught me a lot from this hectic experience… now I am even more thankful for modern medicine than I was prior to training camp! But I also got a glimpse of the Lord’s gentleness, kindness, and goodness.
My squad shines with the Lord’s goodness so brightly, it amazes me. They are so quick to lend a hand, to give you anything you need, and to even carry your things when you are unable to. I am beyond blessed with this community filled with people who are seeking after the Lord’s heart and I cannot wait to be the hands and feet of Jesus with them for 11 months.
