Greetings friends!
I am writing to you from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where my team and I have been in Training Camp since January 10th.
My first few days before I departed San Francisco for South East Asia I was on a rollercoaster of emotions…..I never really anticipated what it was going to feel like; I honestly never gave it much thought. I was surfing a continuous surge of adrenaline which at times felt like excitement, and other times felt like anxiousness.
However, instantly upon meeting my team at the SFO airport 7:30 am on Tuesday January 8th, I was filled with joy and excitement, and honestly, relief! We exchanged giddy hugs, with casual greetings and awkward conversation of “how many pairs of underwear/shoes/pants did you bring and how did you fit that all in there?!?” Our packs were as full as our hearts. Honestly, no one was like I anticipated, with my only preconceptions formed from bits and pieces put together from Facebook and our Unscripted Squad group chat. I could feel that soon, these awkward first hellos would turn into deep meaningful conversations as this group of eager young adults departed, together, on the journey of a lifetime. I gratefully reflected on the sweet moments I had had with my parents, brother, sister, and close friends during the month before, and took the first step forward with my team, that at even this early moment, I sensed was so obviously carefully curated by the Lord.
Our first adventure (besides surviving 13 hours in an airplane) was an overnight stay in the airport in Kunming, China after a short layover/plane change.
We jumped right in, happy to have our comfortable sleeping pads and sleeping bags and lined up on the floor of a dark corridor below the airport food court. This airport holds the memories of first connections, conversations, and gave us our glimpse of the next 11 months.
Cambodia greeted us with an evening of heat, humidity, and a kind and hilarious hostel owner who loved to laugh. I honestly can’t remember much of our first night because I was so exhausted, but I think we ate pizza, and after tossing our packs, shoes and dirty clothes, revelling in our community scent and general disposition for messiness, we showered and slept.
Cambodia is hot. And humid. And our very first morning we walked from our backpackers hostel and struggled to hike the 2 mile journey to the house where our training camp is taking place. It took us almost an hour and we were drenched in sweat, short of breath, and frustrated.
Let me tell you, no one was cute at that moment and we all saw the REAL real, if we hadn’t already.
I took that walk for about the 8th time this morning with my girl Sam, navigating the now familiar streets without technology, waving at familiar faces and avoiding familiar dogs as motos and tuktuks squeeze through the narrow streets around us. We breeze through the door an easy 30 minutes later, barely breaking a sweat. It’s incredible how fast we have acclimated. (On Wednesday we all successfully made that trek with ALL of our full, 50 pound packs too!)
The first week of training camp was incredible. Finally!! Some answers!! What are we doing, why are we doing it, HOW will we do it?!
Thirty of us altogether, (18 team members, 2 squad leaders, a handful of WR alumni, several staff, coaches and mentors gathered together in a house in the middle of the Phnom Penh “parts market” area. It looks less like what you would think upon hearing the words “training camp”, and more like believers of many different journeys, ages, backgrounds, and experiences, sprawled on the floor, chairs and couches, eagerly pressing in and seeking the Lord together.
We listened to our mentor Kylee, Unscripted founders Tim and Karen, coaches Shay and Bruce, as well as other World Race alumni, share their hearts and experiences. We received teaching on hearing the voice of God, seeking the Kingdom, and how to view life as ministry and ministry as life. We had the chance to practice, and hit the streets of Phnom Penh several times, practicing our newly trained ears, hearts and minds. It became clear to me very early on that this is not just a “mission trip”- but an 11 month long discipleship, in which we are learning about who we are as children of God, and how we influence the world around on a day to day basis as we walk in close relationship with the One who made us. This isn’t going to look like other trips. This isn’t going to look like “typical ministry”.
The first few days were spent reflecting on our lives and experiences, our preconceptions about the Lord and the Kingdom. We dealt with the past, with hurts and events in our lives that have affected our present. Once we dealt with ourselves as individuals, we were trained and equipped with practical training from the hearts of leaders who have lived it, learned it, and now passionately teach others HOW.
We were encouraged to have fun. To live life. To learn. To hold our plans loosely in regard for the Lord’s. To seek the Kingdom of God first. To listen to His voice. To love the one in front of us. To engage in what God is doing across the world.
It’s about discovery. It’s about ownership. It’s about the Kingdom. It’s about engaging, knowing, and staying in the presence of God.
One of Tim’s most memorable messages was about tension. Tension happens between what we’ve learned, what we expect and anticipate, and what we are actually experiencing. There’s tension between Sabbath Rest and Rest. Between God’s Voice and your Desires. Between Ministry and Productivity. Are you willing to be just a part of someone’s story to salvation? Are you willing to seek the Lord first? To enter His Rest? To lay down your ideas of what “successful ministry” looks like?
It seems so complicated and complex, writing these things down and trying to convey it for you all in one neat package. How can I summarize the many different facets to this journey? There are so many different ideas, concepts, and ‘theological points’.
If I can sift it down to a single take away, it’s this:
Seeking God isn’t just a part of it, it’s the whole thing. The goal is to know Him, and the rest comes after that.
XOXO
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