TRAINING CAMP
A SQUAD!
On Sunday I returned from an 11-day training camp for the World Race and it was amazing! I left on August 8th, with three of my teammates, not knowing what to expect. We arrived to camp, checked in, and were led to our home for the next 11 days. This picture below is what our home looked like for most of the time!
Some mornings we were told to pack up and given a scenario for something we will more than likely experience. One of the scenarios, we were told to choose a partner and then found out one of us “lost” our bags at the airport so we have to share our tent and belongings with that person for a night. It was a good way to bond, but we were so hot and sticky that it was not the most exciting thing at first! But we survived it and are better prepared for what we need to have in our daypacks if that happens to one of us on the Race.
Each day we “lived” in a new country/part of the world and learned how to respect the cultures by what food we ate and how we dressed. Some countries we were only allowed to eat with our left hand (which was awesome for me!), others we were only allowed to eat with the right hand (not so great for me), and some we were only allowed to use our hands! That was interesting, but I was open to learning what I needed to! One day was called Adventure day because we may have some days where we will get to explore the area we are staying and try the food from the markets. So, for breakfast that day, they presented us with a preserved duck egg (…you should look it up, it was interesting), colored eggs and rice, and crickets…I did not personally partake in the latter option. If I am given a choice on what to eat, I will not be eating them! But I did brave it and try the duck egg…really you should look it up! Overall it was a great experience to prepare us for what we may encounter.
We were given different scenarios, which were great at helping us rethink our packing and how much we really do not need! But this was not the only thing we experienced at camp, we also were given some great teaching and bonding/growing as a team.
This is a picture of my Squad:
I love them all already and am so excited to see how God is going to use us this coming year in each other’s lives, and in other lives around the world. At training camp there were two squads that met to train for our year ahead and one of the first things I noticed what how we were in the squads we were supposed to be in. You could see so clearly how God put us where He desired us to be. I loved seeing that and reflecting on it over the week. I was able to see how He has put each of us exactly where He desires us to be, even down to our teams within our squad.
This is a picture of my team within my squad:
I love them dearly already and we created a bond through camp that I am excited to see what God does through it.
Now I am back in Asheville with 6 weeks left before I embark on my journey! It is crazy how fast time has flown by to get me to this point, it feels like I was just starting to share about this opportunity and now it is here. Thank you for your continued support and prayers as I begin the Race!!
