A SQUAD
I’ve just returned home from spending 10 days in hot and humid (like swimming through the air humid) Gainesville, Georgia at the Adventures in Missions headquarters for world race training camp. The purpose of training camp is to prepare and equip us racers for the work we will be doing on the field as well as what things might look like as we dive into different cultures and different ways of life while on the race.
For 10 days, our showers included a 5 gallon bucket of cold water and a plastic measuring cup. Our bathrooms consisted of nothing beyond community porta-potties, and all but 2 nights consisted of resting my eyes in my hammock with the bugs of woods sounding in a unison chorus. (Thankful for my bug net!) The other two nights were spent on the training room floor to simulate a night spent in the airport, and an aborted mens hike camp out along the Appellation trail due to some nasty thunderstorms. We did not remain dry during the retreat operation to the lodge basement!
Our meals also prepared us for what we’ll encounter on the race. Each day we had food from a different culture and learned some do’s and don’ts from each region. We practiced using chop sticks on Asia day, and learned to eat with our hands on Africa and India day. Dinner time on India day was quite the fiasco. The staff set up a mock Indian market for us racers to come and buy our food. They were dressed up as vendors with tables of food set up, loud music blasting, a van constantly honking while trying to drive through the “street”. There were language barriers, currency exchanges, beggars in the street, thieves watching our belongings, and even tourists from L.A. kindly inviting us to a party! It was wild but likely pretty realistic.
Aside from learning about the new cultures and getting used to living without all the modern amenities we’ve come to know, we were busy making new friends in our squads and getting poured into by some great speakers and staff members throughout our 10 days. I had my phone on a charger twice throughout all of camp, but there was always so much going on that unplugging and turning the phone off went pretty well unnoticed. My squad “A squad” shared our time at training camp with “Z squad”, the other squad launching on a different route to different countries this coming October. There are 20 racers on each squad. 4 guys total on Z squad, and only myself and my teammate Isaac for guys on A squad. We’re a bit out numbered! Our squad is split into 3 different teams that will change up a few times throughout the 11 months, however Isaac and I will be together for the entirety of the trip so we’re not singled out. I’m excited for the team I’m a part of and the different strengths we each bring to the table. It’s been great bonding and getting to know the whole squad in just 10 days. I hope to do another blog later on introducing my 5 teammates to you!
A lot of our time at camp was spent in sessions; listening to different speakers and hearing the Lord speak to us through the words and scriptures we heard. We talked about our identity in the Lord and walking through life with Him in partnership. We talked about living our lives on mission, bringing universal worship to the world around us, the power of the Holy Spirit and what that means for each of us. We also spent time doing different team building activities and challenges with our squads. The AIM staff was allllways watching intently to see how each of us reacted to certain situations. They were weirdly good at noticing our different strengths and used their observations to divide us up into our teams. We were also able to spend time in worship each day. The worship team at AIM knows how to lead some powerful worship! Ethan and Paul from Z squad are also some great guitarists and led some songs after hours and in free time.
There were a few other highlights from camp that I really enjoyed. On day 5, The 6 guys of the squads were able to get away and go on a hiking trip along the terrain of the Appalachian trail. We hiked 12 miles, which offered some beautiful views and scenery along with some quality guy time and conversations with our Men trainers and mentors. We had conversations about what it means to be a man in the kingdom of God and how we can better ourselves at that.
On Thursday, day 7, we were given the evening off! We were given our official teams for the race for the first time the previous day, and so we were given the opportunity to take ourselves into Gainesville and go out to eat with our new teammates! My team and I went out for pizza at a local place and I think it was the most glorious pizza I’ve ever had after 7 days of mystery meals! It was a great time for our team to get to know each other a little better and have some fun together. We were also encouraged to activate ourselves to “living life on mission” while out on the town. Not just being on mission while on the race. We were given some pretty cool opportunities to have conversations and pray for some individuals as we split up to walk around the town square.
The end of training camp was capped off with “squad wars”! It was a competitive battle between A squad, Z squad, and the staff/CGA which is a 2nd year discipleship program for alumni racers at AIM. It involved various games, challenges and even a dance off. Somehow, we pulled off a win with an A squad victory! It is safe to say lots of fun was had by all.
Training camp seemed like a lot packed into 10 days. Sometimes it felt like trying to drink from a fire hose with so much to try and absorb. In just 6 weeks I’ll be back in Atlanta for launch and a day of extra training as I was chosen to be a squad logistics leader. It will then be, “See you in 11 months friends and family.” It’s really starting to sink in. I’m excited for the journey to come, and I know God will use our squads in awesome ways.
Stay tuned for many more stories to come! Your prayers and words of encouragement are always appreciated. Thank you!
P.S. I wrote this blog twice because the first draft decided to self destruct while uploading the photo… So i hope you enjoyed the update!!
