So, here it is, the much awaited recap of World Race Training Camp. The purpose of training camp is to prepare us for life on the field as missionaries. This was also the first time that we all met each other face-to-face. Needless to say, I was a bit anxious to see what weirdos would be on my team for a year.
Arrival: We arrived at ATL airport around 2pm and gathered into our squads, based on color. My squad was B squad and our color was orange. As I greeted everyone, I was very happy to see that they were all normal people who, like myself, just wanted to travel, help others, and share God’s love. As we began to load up on buses, I was thinking to myself “Okay… as long as I am on a team with these 5 or 6 people, everything will be fine. Anyone else and it may be a very very long year”…
Training camp began with check-ins and registration. We all set up our tents and made our way over to the lodge for some music and evening worship. The next day, we were told to be packed and ready to move by 7AM. Each day consisted of morning fitness of some type, designed to represent challenges on the race.
For example: Wake up, pack tents, hike to another location in time to catch the “bus”:
Or sometimes it was practicing new exercises in a confined area like the compounds we may live in in some countries. Next, we would eat breakfast and prepare for a day of worship and travel lessons. Some of the topics included the role of the Holy Spirit, grieving, forgiveness, personality differences, etc. For example, we covered some of the different ways in which people connect with God. For me, normal churches don’t really do it. I enjoy being outside in nature and enjoying alone time with God in that way. Many people don’t really understand that, but it’s what works for me. Classes continued throughout the day with various tips on packing, ministry, travel, etc. At night, we would close with some prayer time and worship.
Each day was a different geographical region. Along with that region came certain rules about how to act, how to eat, and other customs. Each region also came with very ethnic meals designed to represent what we will eat on the field. For instance, in Africa, we had oranges, hard boiled eggs, and french fries for breakfast. In India, LOTS of curry. For me, that poses a challenge because I like to eat a very healthy and specific diet. This will definitely be a challenge on the race. Each of these plates below had to feed 8 people, every single day!!!
Since there was a lot that happened in a week, I will just use some key words to explain more of what took place: Sleeping in tents, team building exercises, squad wars, dancing, singing, bonfires, new foods, faith, no published schedules, learning how to buy things in markets, and a whole lot of people who are really really passionate about God who have been great inspirations as I try and grow in my faith. There was a lot of emotional stuff… which I don’t deal well with… and a lot of bonding and support. In the end, we were split into teams of 7.
– My Team. “TEAM ENTRUSTED”
Sometimes we would run into “Travel problems”. For instance, we split into 1’s an 2’s and placed all of our bags on either side. Then, they randomly chose one of our groups and said “Group 2, the airlines lost your luggage” and we had to sort out ho to sleep with 2 people in a tent when it was about 35 degrees F outside. While most of this stuff was far from anything new for me, it was really cool to see the rest of the team work together, share supplies, and make the best out of a poor situation.
More importantly, I learned that I have an important role to fill during this race… but it is not by any means THE most important role. You see, here’s the deal… all of this hiking, backpacking, eat weird food, sleep in the dirt, freeze at night, exercise, work hard, challenge yourself stuff is nothing new to me. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. However, I can play a very important role to my team as a leader and mentor. I can help them sort through all of that stuff and help them develop their leadership and self-sustainment skills. Most importantly though is the role that I realized that they will play for me: Helping me to walk and grow in my faith. Please read my next post for a much more interesting and in-depth account of what I REALLY learned at training camp.
One thing is for sure: I may not understand much about God and I am certainly nowhere near as strong in my faith as I’d like to be… but I am working on it. I have the best team in the world to help me develop and strengthen my relationship with Jesus. And I am looking forward to growing immensely over the course of the coming year. Stay tuned.
God bless,
Dave
