I’ve been slacking on my blogging responsibilities lately. This past week since training camp has surprisingly flown by- which makes me nervous that the remaining two months will pass at the same speed. I’ve spent the last week trying to process training camp and trying to figure out what I could possibly say about those ten days that literally changed me. I still struggle with words when asked how training camp was.
Camp was a time to grieve. I was thrown into an environment where I forced (maybe that’s a bit harsh sounding…) to deal with the crap in my life. Not in the typical sense of confessing sin and repenting. It was more like therapy in that it was safe and it was O.K. to cry and bawl and mourn losses in your life. “It’s O.K. to not be O.K.” I can’t begin to write enough on how necessary this was. I feel like everyone should go through this process of grieving. It was a time of healing.
Camp was a time to learn and unlearn. I had always thought of myself as being open-minded, but in all reality, I am very judgmental. I have a double standard of being open-minded about things I am comfortable with (the more liberal side of things), but extremely close minded when it comes to more conservative views. My beliefs were challenged in a way that they haven’t been in far too long. This is not only healthy, but crucial in my walk.
Camp was a time to be humbled and encouraged. Just when I thought I had things figured out, I realized how much I truly need to rely first on God, and then on my teammates. We are a collection of unique individuals with different skills and talents that make a small body. One of the most memorable experiences of camp was being assigned our team. Later when we were all honest, we each admitted our team was not at all what we expected. But the more time we spent with each other, the more comfortable we became. The bottom line is that God knows what He is doing. I thought I wanted to be in a group with all high energy, enthusiastic people. I know now that that would be disastrous as we would all be “mouths”. I am so excited to spend the next year learning about and loving my new family. I can honestly say if I had the option of choosing 6 people to travel and grow with, I wouldn’t change a thing about my team.
Camp was a time to celebrate and worship. Although this next year will undoubtedly be full of challenges, it will be an amazing opportunity to serve and experience God. I want to be as prepared as possible and I know it’s tempting to glamorize this next year, but I can’t help to be so excited. I am excited to grow and be changed. I am excited to come back a different person.
