Remember when you were a kid and the opposite sex was really gross? You heard war stories of kids who survived a close encounter with the dread “Koodies” virus, and all you prayed for was that you’d make it through the next school day without having to interact with such vessels of wrath! Or remember when you first heard that one song by that one band, and you weren’t into them (Bombay Bicycle Club for me.) You just weren’t feeling them, and now you can’t stop listening to them. If we look at our lives we find that one thing that we dreaded and despised and had no desire to find joy in, and then all of a sudden, in a series of unforeseen events, you began to learn to love it and now it’s just common sense for you.
For me, that is the color orange.
I really don’t like orange. It’s a weird color. It’s one of those colors that just have to exist for the other cool colors to be there (red and yellow.) It doesn’t’ rhyme with anything. It isn’t a good color for clothing. I’m just not into the color. But low and beyond, in the grace of the sovereignty of God, my squad’s color is none other than: orange. At first I wasn't as hyped as all of my fellow squadmates. Some had Finding Nemo hats on, others were thinking about tie-dying shirts to make orange designs. Me: I was just kinda bummed that I coulnd't wear blue. But seeing the reality that this is going to be my color for a whole year as I travel throughout the world, I felt a sense of connection to this once dreaded color. Now I see orange in many things, and with this Friday fast approaching, I can't wait to show off my orange decor!
This Friday I will be traveling up to Georgia to meet up with my squad and the other 3 squads for the craziest time of our lives thus far; WORLD RACE TRAINING CAMP! The training camp is legendary in the WR world. It’s where fish-head soup meets 100 degree camping. Its where chains of the past break off and set in motion the equipping of confidence and courage and compassion. Training camp is where men become missionaries. It’s where total strangers become a close family. Training camp is where sleeping with 50 people on a 30 person bus is normal. Training camp is where the Holy Spirit enters into the souls of passionate young people, desiring to bring real healing to a broken world. We are people wanting something more to life then the social norm. We are kids restlessly wanting to show the world that there is more to life then what it seems. We are brothers and sisters wanting to bring the whole family across the globe together, under the love and care of God the Father. We are World Racers, and we are just getting started!
Now Training Camp isn't your average youth summer camp. My teammates and I will come together for a week of intense preparation for our journey.
This week will be filled with cultural training (how to dress, eat, communicate) and ministry skills training. We’ll ask questions such as:
– What is the Gospel?
– How can relationships open doors to introducing people to Christ?
– How will the Spirit of God lead us to these opportunities?
The first thing we are going to do is reflect and evaluate our own world. There will be a lot of equipping, a lot of pruning, and a lot of change within ourselves. Questions that will arise can include:
– Who are you?
– Who does God intend you to be?
– How has your journey brought you here?
Next we will grow our perspective of what community means. We will learn about each other, grow deeper in the intimacy we have with one another, and become the body of Christ:
– Who are you traveling alongside?
– What does God-centered community look like?
– What can your friends and family do to support this endeavor?
Finally we will begin to discuss the Kingdom of God.
The world is so much bigger than we give it credit for. We’ll discuss the underground church, the legitimate travesty that is human trafficking, the AIDS epidemic in the countries of Africa, and the desperate need for churches around the world.
This week is not for the faint of heart. Times are going to be rough, our hands will get dirty, we will live in close quarters with people that will soon be considered family and come ready to allow the Spirit of God to move in a new way.
I ask that you pray for me; that this training would equip me mentally, physically, relationally with my fellow missionaries, and spiritually. Pray for the bondages that I still hold onto be broken from the framework of my soul; that there may be healing in the places of my heart that seem to not want to close up; that the reaction from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be an unleashing of spiritual gifts within me so I may be more than a conqueror in Christ throughout the nations; that the fruits of the Holy Spirit would complement with the amour of God and by using both, I can step into the purpose of God’s will for my life. Please pray that all that happens within the week of training camp would be fruitful. Pray for peace. Pray for comfort. I know there will be times that will hurt. Pruning isn’t a pleasant massage, but a deep severing and uprooting. Please pray that in these times, the joy and peace and comfort of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit would be a refuge to the great growth that Christ has for me. God loves me just the way I am and will enter training camp; but He loves me too much to leave me the way I came in. I’m believing He will do what only the Creator of all things can; make much of Himself by bringing praises to His name by His children for their joy.
in training camp
and in orange squad,
as it is in heaven.
(Below: Foreign Fish Soup Dinner.)
(Below: 50 people and backpacks in a 30 person bus.)
