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If you forget your journal, Bible, and extra pens you will be subject to persecution by your squadmates
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Being able to scream will not be possible by day 5 (ish)
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Your tent will flood…deal with it
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Don’t ask what the food is. Just eat it. It won’t kill you, and most of the time, it tastes really good
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Your burkes and chacos will be the only shoes that you wear (excluding shower shoes)
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The hike seems worse than it actually is. Stick with your team, but don’t worry about slowing them down. It’s okay to be slow and steady. You WILL finish!
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Write. Stuff. Down. The meals you had, what day it was, what you learned. Journaling is very important because all the days will mesh together
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It’s okay if you’re not best friends with your team or squad. Some people can click, but others take time. Don’t be distraught if you feel like everyone is friends and you’re left out. You’re not. (mostly) Everyone is meeting each other for the first time, and they are all as new to this as you are. It’s going to be okay
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Spend time alone to just sit with the Lord. With so many new things around you, take the time to talk to Him and just listen
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Talk to the Serve Team. They want to talk to you! (they might give you some awesome tips too)
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If there are snacks, DON’T EAT THEM EVERYDAY! You won’t get the true experience of Training camp. If you don’t like the lunch and then decide to eat doritos instead, you’re still living like an American. It’s only 10 days. You will live. And if you decide to not eat all, (not recommended) your body can survive 40 days without food (Moses, Jesus)
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Car freshener for your tent will make it not smell disgusting! (even in 10 days, your tent will STINK)
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ENO! Bring your eno (hammock) and sleep in that. I got my best nights sleep while in my hammock. Make sure you have a bug net and/or a rain fly so that you can be bug free and dry during the night. And pro tip: your hammock can’t flood if you set up your rain flap correctly
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Write down yours and your teams’ prayer requests! Being able to see how God answers them for you and your team is so cool! Even after just a week, I’ve seen prayer requests answered
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Don’t fall behind in your blog posts. You need to make sure you are consistent, for you and your supporters because you want to be able to write down the full experience of what has happened and they want to know what has happened too. Your blog could be the only way that your supporters are hearing about what is going on, keep it updated!
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Your team is going to be your family. Spend time talking to them. Have a team time where you talk about your pet peeves, your families, your favorite colors, etc. Be respectful (don’t interrupt), and use that time to know each other better, open up, and just become closer
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Bring snacks, and be willing to share. You cannot bring only 10 cliff bars, and then not share. Bring like 20 and then have an extra 10 to share. There will be at least one person who won’t like the meal, please just give them something to eat. (It’s also a great way to make friends. People love food!)
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Even though you’ll have your phone in the morning and at night, you don’t need to call or text your parents, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend every day. On the race itself you won’t have access to cell service or wifi everyday. Try to bond with your team and make new friends and not be on your phone.
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The hike is not a hike. It’s a run through the woods with a 50 pound bag on your back and walking/crawling up Devil Hill. My tip: Practice by just walking around outside with your backpack to get used to the weight
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Your tent is your home. You can unpack your stuff and organize in it. You’ll need to be packed for the hike, but that’s gonna be on Sunday, so you’ll have time
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You won’t need your laptop unless you go to the Storytelling Workshop
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I’m sorry if you are afraid of bees, spiders, or bugs in general. They are everywhere, they are huge, and they will end up on you and in your tent. I am so sorry, but it will happen and it will make you stronger
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I know I said to bond with your team, but at night you might want headphones to listen to music, and when you facetime your parents, use headphones to make it easier for those around you who either aren’t talking to their parents or who are having their own conversations
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You will be taking a bucket shower, and it’s really not bad at all. With the Georgia heat and the dirt, a nice cold bucket of water sounds like heaven. Don’t drink the water, but use it to clean yourself. You will feel so much better after you shower
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The dress code. It was honestly so annoying at first, but I felt so much more comfortable when wearing the longer shorts and I didn’t feel like I was being judged for it. It makes it so much easier to not judge others based on looks and actually get to know them
