Two days ago, I returned from Training Camp up in Gainesville, Georgia for my trip. This 10 day long journey was mentally and physically exhausting, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Who knew that having no air conditioning, sleeping in a hammock, eating very little, and taking bucket showers for 10 days would be so much fun? God really opened up my eyes this past week, and really gave me an idea of what I am actually getting myself into this next year.
The first couple of days at camp were pretty hard for me. I wasn’t sleeping and it made it very hard to stay focused during all of the sessions that we were having. But most importantly, I was having a hard time communicating with God. I couldn’t silence out all of the distractions and really have some good one on one time with him. I started to see a lot of my squad mates hear from God and it was so cool to see it happen. I couldn’t stop wondering when God was going to let me know that he was there with me. It took most of camp, but man did he show me. Here is something I wrote in my journal on day 7 of camp:
The many distractions that come along with being a human being can really take your mind off of God when trying to pursue a better relationship with him. Coming into Day 7 of my World Race Gap Year Training Camp, I really had been struggling to have conversations with God and really grow closer with him. The night of Day 6, I went to my squad leader Zach, and asked him some questions about where he was in his life when he decided to go on the World Race. I also asked him if God spoke to him during his training camp. He told me that he had an experience where God spoke to him and it changed his whole his experience on his trip for the good. Watching my friends have there encounters with the Lord while at training camp also made me jealous in a way. On the morning of Day 7, we had a worship session right after breakfast. During worship I prayed and prayed and prayed for some kind of sign from God just to let me know that he was there, and there was nothing for about 15 minutes. But then after one of the songs, one of the squad leaders came up on stage and asked anyone who is having trouble hearing and talking to God to raise their hand. Man was I not alone. After raising my hand I really started to listen closely. She went on to talk about having trust in the Lord and knowing that he loves you and is there for you even when you can’t notice it. This really hit me hard. My whole life I have struggled with trust. I feel like he always need some kind of affirmation in every aspect of my life, and I drive myself crazy and start to not believe when I don’t get that affirmation. Having that trust in the Lord is what makes a strong relationship with him. What I thought was so cool about this experience was that God knew that I was looking for a sign from him right before this happened. He not only gave me that sign, but by doing so he told me that I do not need a sign from him to know that he is always there for me as long as I trust in him.
The remaining days of Training Camp were VERY different. My relationship with God grew tremendously and my trust in him is strong. Getting close with my squad and forming friendships that will last a lifetime was the coolest thing. We all grew so close and felt comfortable around each other so quickly. The last three days of camp God really spoke to me and told me that my decision to go on this journey was the right thing for me.
There is nothing in this World that is going to stop me from pursuing a closer relationship with God this next 9 months and for the rest of life. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for me and for all of these people I will be preaching to over the next year!
I want to thank everybody for their constant support in my journey so far! I also want to thank every awesome member of my squad for their love and gratitude that they showed me so far. I can’t wait for this next year with you all!
-Jack Coyle
