TRAINING CAMP.
I’m currently on my flight to Quito, Ecuador and I’m finally going to write about the crazy 10 days that changed my life. I’ve been majorly procrastinating on this post because (1) a lot happened that’s difficult to put into words and (2) I’ve been busy saying my goodbyes and preparing for 9 months abroad. Ahhhh!
I’m going to break this post into two parts: the logistical side of training camp and the spiritual side.
Part One
Here are 10 things that went down at training camp:
1. Sleeping in tents – I realized I’m not too big on this sleeping arrangement (can anyone say HOT), so I spent most nights in my hammock or my sleeping bag under the stars.
2. Porta Potties – No. Just no.
3. Bucket Showers – I actually didn’t mind these. The cold water felt good after sweating under the Georgia sun all day. The mile long line, however, caused me to only shower maybe four times the whole time….it doesn’t matter when everyone’s gross. Baby wipes = clean enough.
4. Weird food – One day they served us crickets for breakfast. Despite them being sautéed in garlic and onions, I opted for the scrambled eggs. But don’t worry, I did try the cow liver and tripe…
5. Field Scenarios – Getting our luggage “stolen”, sleeping in an “airport”, contracting “Chikungunya.” You get the idea.
6. Dance parties – Lots of them. These are my people.
7. Bonding – So much bonding. I love my squad. I love my team. (Note: My squad consists of the 53 people I’m traveling with. Our squad is broken down into 8 teams. I’m on team Tetelestai with 5 amazing girls. These are the women I will be with day in and day out for the whole 9 months. GIRL POWER.)
Team Tetelestai:
Gap J Squad:
8. Teaching sessions – From how to use our spiritual gifts to how stay safe on the field. We had a lot to learn in these 10 days.
9. Role Assignments – I was chosen (by our squad leaders) to be my team’s treasurer. I am responsible for our team’s money and making sure we stick to the budget AIM gives us. My goal is to be a good steward of the funds that were so generously donated to us for these 9 months.
10. Comfort zone infringement – Training camp was hard. I was challenged in ways I’ve never been before. I left Georgia viewing God and myself in a completely different way.
If you want a better glimpse of training camp, here are some awesome videos a few of my squad mates put together:
Stay tuned for part two!
