Training Camp!!! A crazy, amazing, exhausting, exciting, heart-wrenching, most wonderful ten days.
Training Camp was ten days in Gainsville, Georgia spent living in a tent and meeting my 57 squad mates!! I gained a huge family in such a short time.
The purpose of training camp was to work on ourselves, grow deeper in our relationship with God, and get to know each other by practicing what it will be like to live in community on the Race!
The first few days were incredible (as were the last few). Each night we had a session with an amazing time of worship. I haven’t danced or worshipped like that since summer camp at Spencer Lake! The sessions were amazing also. They focused on forgiveness of people in our lives. Another night was focused on getting to know the Holy Spirit in a real way. God was so real and alive that you could feel His presence all around us. I know He changed so many hearts those first few days. God is good.
During the first few days we also spent time bonding with our squad. Several team building activities and games. Community meals and washing dishes. Shivering and figuring out the best way to take a bucket shower. Sharing hand sanitizer and snacks. Brushing our teeth together each night (love ya Paige). Star gazing.
Every morning we got up before the sun to work out together (this was part of the schedule, not by choice haha). The focus on personal health and staying fit throughout the race was awesome to see though! Gotta stay in shape over this next year! Each day, the meals had a different cultural theme. The first day was Asia day! Latin America day, Eastern Europe day, Africa day, and a whole day designated to India!! There was even Travel day that had more American food. Adventure day was a little different…crickets, gizzard, cow stomach, and chicken feet to name a few of the things we tried! The crickets were actually quite good. Tasted just like a sunflower seed. And no, they were not alive.
Each night, we had a different “scenario” to help us practice what living situations might actually look like on the race. The first one was to buddy up with someone as a “giraffe” and “elephant”. Poor McKenzie Tritt was my giraffe and had to lose her pack along with all of the other giraffes. That night turned out to be the coldest one of all of training camp. When both of you have to share one sleeping pad and bag, you bond VERY quickly. It didn’t matter that most of us had only met two days ago. I think that night brought many of us together…figuratively and literally. Cuddling for warmth!
The other scenarios included: 1. Living in a community tent with 9 other squad mates (which was actually nice because it was much warmer!) 2. Sleeping indoors with the lights on to simulate an airport (with an “airport noise” soundtrack playing to help keep it real) 3. Camping out, which meant sleeping on a big tarp at a state park in a big heap of people (if you have never slept under the stars yet, I highly recommend it) 4. Prayer vigil night which meant taking shifts to always have at least three people in the squad praying all throughout the night (thankfully my shift was at 12:30am and not 3am..).
The second half of training camp was figuring out teams and really learning how to live missionally. Our AMAZING squad leaders got to know us all throughout training camp and they were seriously the most Christ-minded young people I have ever met. Our squad was truly blessed by them. They watched us for the first few days and then broke us up into teams of 7 people who they thought would work well together. During the World Race, we will travel as a full squad, all 58 of us, to each country together. But once we are in the country, they will separate us into our smaller teams so as not to have 58 people overwhelming the missionaries that we will be living with.
Out of 58 people there are only 8 men on my squad. When we were broken up into teams, I was placed in a group with three of the guys. Our team worked very well together and the dynamic was great. After the final decision for teams had been made, I was officially on the team I had had originally with a few changes. God knew what each of us needed in our teams. Our leaders stayed up till 1am one night trying to decide how to split us up. My team is awesome and I thank God for each and every one of them: our fearless leader is Jacob, along with Brandon, Nick, Eric and his beautiful wife Krystal, and my giraffe, McKenzie.
Ever since the night we shared a tent, McKenzie and I bonded incredibly well. We stayed up most nights until midnight talking, even though I think we kept a lot of our squad mates up since those tent walls aren’t sound proof….sorry guys. Even after we could once again sleep in our own tent, McKenzie and I chose to continue sharing one. She is amazing. But let me tell you what really brought us together…
On the night of the airport scenario, my stomach was not feeling well. The food day had been Eastern European day which meant ham and salami for breakfast and sausage and potatoes for lunch. My stomach definitely preferred the rice from Asia day. McKenzie and Ally had their sleeping pads next to mine as I tried to calm my stomach down but to no avail. I had to keep running outside to dry heave because we weren’t supposed to use the indoor bathrooms (port-a-potties for the win). Thankfully the staff member who was staying with us that night said I could use the bathroom inside. I dry heaved for several hours but couldn’t throw up. It was awful. They moved me to a back room that was dark and quiet where I could try to get some sleep. At 1:15am my stomach had had enough and I finally threw up. Poor McKenzie had stayed with me the entire time. She is the one who told the staff member I was sick (love you Sandra), she gave me medicine to help with the nausea, she made me tea, and she unfortunately watched me throw up. But I was SO grateful for her company. Being only day 2 in to training camp and still not knowing everyone very well, I was so glad she stayed with me and helped take care of me. The entire next day I had a 102 degree fever and threw up again. I slept the whole entire day though and it was just what I needed. The next morning I felt much better. And ever since that time with McKenzie, our bond only got stronger. And now we are on a team together and we will be flying to India together in just two short months!!! God is so good.
Training camp broke us down but brought us closer to God and each other. God showed up in big ways. He let me know that this is where I am meant to be. The words for our squad that our leaders had for us were Big and Hard. I think the word “big” is pretty awesome because we are the biggest squad launching in January (there are 3 others). Hearing the word “hard” makes us automatically hesitate, but only for a moment. If you don’t go through the hard stuff, how can God ever grow you? I am VERY excited to grow with my squad family over this next year. I can’t believe launch is in exactly two months! Keep me and my squad in your prayers my friends!
*Okay, maybe it’s not the BEST way to bond but it totally worked for us!!
This is my team! Team Kerux – which means to proclaim the message of Christ with a resounding sense of authority.
