So it is 4:30 on Saturday the 24th of August. Me and 115 other young men and women arrived in northern Georgia to a small camp outside of Gainesville on Friday the 16th to find a half-way rustic/modern campsite built to house and train young missionaries. It turns out to the men’s chagrin, the ladies would be bunking up in a dorm style cabin stacked 3 beds high and the men had to rough it in tents outside. None of us had any idea that the accommodations would be the least of our worries.
Originally the notion of training camp would entail obstacle courses, hurdles, and long arduous runs uphill to see if any of us were in shape, which did happen but only for half an hour in the morning, and actually it was a small hill that had to be traversed 3 times to complete our morning workout. But yet even this wasn’t the barrier that would make us tired and weak. Our camp had little to do with anything physical rather than the exercise of choice was of the heart.
The objective was to breakdown our preconceived notions about who God is and just how powerful he is. Moreover was seeking to find the true identity of ourselves by examining Christ and His call.
Now for the sake of upcoming world racers we have been asked not to divulge how, where, or by which means all this takes place, nor any activities that take place (I wouldn’t want to ruin it anyways). I will just say that we start at 6:45am and end usually between 9:30-10pm. Needless to say the day is filled to the brim with exersices, mental training, learning intake and mediocre to good grub… not lavish by any means.
So here is where I am at. This conversation actually starts the day I got here. I want to be as honest as I can without getting to deep but here it is. I walked into this thinking and assuming I had everything in control. I was used to using my dominant personality to get my way. I quickly learned this would not be the case. All of my expectations and presumptions were wrong. Wrong in the sense that I thought I would be leading and helping others. Dead wrong lol. My struggle has been presented to me clearly definitively. I must subordinate. I thought that my capacities and resources were better but it turns out that I wasn’t overqualified in any way but rather I would take a back seat role to what God was really doing.
I had put God in a box that would limit Him and empower me to delegation over my life. This trait was called out and looked at head on. Without making this blog longer than it has to be I will say that my life and priorities have changed. I can’t go back to the life I had before knowing what I know now. It’s just simply different. There is a need and I am available. I am getting more and more equipped as the days go on and don’t intend to stop or hold back.
Stories are going to be shared. Communities will be transformed and lives will be healed. Relationships will be made and mended. A desire and response has happened that has set forth in motion something astounding and nothing can stop it. I don’t know how to explain it but it’s incredible.
So without going into more of that I will just share a bit of the details of the trip. On the 3rd to last day we broke our original 2 groups of 60 or so down into groups of 7. I now have a smaller intimate group in which I will be spending the majority of the trip with… and they are awesome!!so we all got a few days to bond and get to know each other which was great.
So now as of today we have just over 70 days before we leave from LAX to New Zealand. Wow it feels weird to say that! So there will be an update with more info and support info in the next week with a list of supplies I have yet to get and your help would be awesome!!
Remember that the DONATE icon is on the upper left corner and everything is tax deductible. And I would ask and consider that you pray about being a monthly supporter … that would mean the world (literally)!
