Training Camp was an amazing expedite. This blog is all about the details. For those of you who want to know what I did keep reading. For those who want to know how God changed me spiritually and my thoughts behind some of the amazing experiences those blogs are coming soon.
Day 1: I got picked up by Kyle in Atlanta and we carpooled with Trent to camp. The car ride is where camp became real. Anticipation from the last year was at an all time high as Kyle and I discussed out expectations and such. Arriving at camp was awesome. As I grabbed my stuff and walked to the "U squad" part of the field I was looking for familiar faces. I am blessed with a visual memory so I was able to identify most of my squad from our Facebook page. After an opening session or worship and teaching, we camped out in our tents!
Day 2: Each morning started at 7am, packed up and ready for exercises. We strapped on our packs and hiked for 30 minutes. Breakfast was small (tortillas, bananas, and peanut butter). My stomach got used to rumbling and definitely shrunk from lack of food. The food always tasted good but was in short supply. Sunday consisted of LOTS of teachings. Our speaker was a professor from New York. He had just the right humor and compassion as he spoke. He made unknown topics seem less scary and controversial than I anticipated. We learned about spiritual gifts, the healing power of Jesus, spiritual instincts, grieving and forgiveness, discipleship, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Spiritual Warfare. Obviously all that was not taught on Sunday but over the course of the first few days the focus was on ourselves and being right with God. After dinner, we learned that half of our things had been "lost". While traveling from Africa to Asia the airlines lost our bags. Night 2 I slept with Hannah and thank goodness had my toiletries in my daypack. I learned throughout the week that wearing the same clothes everyday doesn't really matter and we all smell so no worries.
Day 3: Morning workout consisted of a 30 minute run. We ran to a waterfall which was pretty and around the campus. I was getting used to be constantly hungry and tired. I was without a watch or phone for the week so I can't really tell you how many hours of sleep I'd gotten. I guessed it was something around 5 hours each night. God was doing so much in me that I would wake some nights to journal or early to read. I was loving the closeness and desire I felt for God!! Another full day of lecture. To close the day we had a healing service. I've always been a skeptic of healing and never seen it with my own eyes. (More to come in a blog later) but what I can say is, I felt God move in new ways and He made a believer out of me! Night 3 was on a bus. 44 seats 50 people. Not looking to good, I know. People sat 2 to a seat of slept on the floor. Some stood by the door and talked all night. I was lucky enough to sleep at the peddles, while another girl sat in the drivers seat. I tried to sleep at first but ended up journaling, reading, and talking all night. This night really brought our squad together as a team and I wouldn't have changed it one bit.
