So! I’ve been sitting here for hours starting to type something then deleting it. Typed a few more sentences then deleted them. I finally got a couple of paragraphs down and then got hungry. So I got up, went out and got myself something and came back to keep working… All of what I typed disappeared!!! :”( Now to start over……
Training camp was a bit of a rollercoaster. So much happened but I’m going to try and sum it up.
I had 2 really big lows while I was there. The first full day I felt terrified pretty much all day. I was so overwhelmed and felt unprepared. ‘Maybe I wasn’t really supposed to do the World Race’ ‘9 months is a really long time to be away’ ‘Away from everyone I know and with these 40+ crazy people somewhere I’ve never been’… There was a lot going through my head. After telling one of my leaders this, sharing with my team, and telling a friend back home, I was still a little nervous. However, the next day I felt a lot better! That evening one of the leaders, Alissa, came and told me “You are seen and you are loved!”. That gave me complete peace and confirmation that I am where I am supposed to be and doing what God called me to do. She explained it and prayed for me. Basically, she said that God sees me. I have a place on the squad and that it would be “limping” without me. That He loves me (a phrase I heard a lot throughout camp that has needed help down the path to my heart).
The other low was that I failed the physical hike the first time I did it. Which was so stressful having to think about it, worry about it and then retake it. The good news is that I passed it the second time!! Two of my friends, Lily and Emma, did it with me. (Without them I would not have done it, thank you guys!) The rest of my team cheered me on, too!
God blessed me with this amazing view during my 2nd hike which helped me push through. (Picture Credit: Jesse Smothers)
I also had a lot of highs. Here are just a few: I learned how to worship without worrying about everyone around me (and that I need space to do it). I learned about sharing and trusting with my team within my squad. I got a better grasp of God’s love for me. I made some new friends.
I felt like I was on a wild rollercoaster ride. Obviously, I had to leave out a lot of details like about the food, about the living conditions in a tent and only portapotties. Not to mention the bucket showers! I was stuck in an airport for 15 hours before I actually got home. God gave me some friends while stuck at the airport and I had some really good, eye-opening, conversations. Let me state, I hate flying/airports, but yes I would do it all again. I would go through the airports, the mountains, and the valleys again because I’m here, where I am today, because of it all.
This isn’t all the tents but this is where my squad camped for 2 weeks.
My team: Avery, Sam, Lily, Kenni, Caroline, Heather, and Emma
Until the next time……
