Step 1: Introduce them to all the tasty, weird, and downright gross foods of the world.
Within my one week of Training Camp I indulged in a variety of foods from all over the world. From Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe to Africa to Latin America to the Middle East… you name it, we ate it. A former picky eater myself, I have really pushed myself over the past several years to be more adventurous with food and I am happy to announce that I enjoyed 99% of the food we ate at training camp! The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of is an African staple meal: ugali and collard greens. Ugali is a simple, starchy meal made of maize flour and water that looks like mashed potatoes, but tastes like… not mashed potatoes.
Step 2: Make sure they know how to pack… and repack.
For the entire duration of Training Camp we were up and PACKED every morning at 7am. Not even once did we leave our tents up for more than a night. The plus side to this is that I am now a professional at packing my backpack. Also, if I hadn’t been packing up my tent one morning, I probably wouldn’t have noticed my little roommate:
Day two of Training Camp we loaded up our packs and headed out on what was probably only a 0.2 mile hike on a relatively flat surface. Nonetheless, the hike was long enough for me to realize that I had over-packed. World Race staff did a good job at teaching us both what and how to pack.
Step 3: Teach them what real community looks like.
One night the “airline” (aka World Race staff) “lost” (hid under a big tarp) half of our squad’s luggage. As crummy as this situation may sound, it was one of my favorite moments with my squad. For months I had been praying to the Lord to show me a community that functioned like that in Acts 4:32-35:
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
With half of our squad without their possessions, I was able to witness a similar generous community that came together to ensure the needs of each person was met. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. I am so blessed to be in community with such a loving and giving squad as my F squad and my new team, Bold Radiance.
F Squad (3rd generation): These are the people I will travel from country to country with and have debrief sessions with every couple months.
Team Bold Radiance: These are the people that I will go to a specific part of the country with and do ministry alongside every day.
(From left to right: Elizabeth Frantti, Isabella Strafaci, Esther Gordon, Courtney Knoff, Danielle Anchondo, and Courtney Tuttle)
Step 4: Get them pumped up on Jesus.
The Holy Spirit blew through Training Camp. We worshipped at the top of our lungs and we danced like there was no tomorrow. We prayed and were prayed over. People were healed. Lives were changed.
Personally, my big takeaway from Training Camp is that God is far more proactive than I was giving Him credit for and He can use average, everyday people like me to accomplish great things. I experienced God in brand new ways this past week, and I did things I didn’t even know I could do. But this is only the beginning. I cannot wait to see how God will develop what feels like a brand new relationship with Him and make it into something even greater than I’ve ever known.
God is still on the move. He is not dormant, but very much proactive. He does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. If your World Racer can say that, then you have successfully learned how to train your World Racer.
It’s official! We know our launch date! I need to be in Atlanta, GA on June 29th for Launch and then all squads will fly out of Atlanta to their first country on July 3rd!
However, I still need some help to get there! I need $7,500 by June 20th in order to launch with my squad. Checks need to be mailed in by June 6th and online donations by June 17th. Will you help send me to the nations? If so, please click the Support Me link!
I have a few fundraisers I am hoping to sneak in before I leave that I’ll keep you posted on. Thank you so much for your support! The World Race wouldn’t exist without supporters like you!
