World Race Training Camp finished almost 2 weeks ago.
As I have spent the following days trying to process the experience and get my thoughts and ideas into tangible sentences, I began to hit a wall. I was excited to get home, post a blog the next day, and share with everyone how incredible training camp was. Yet, I could never truly put the right words to how I felt. People who know me know that I usually am never at a loss for words. Yet here I was, completely speechless when trying to process my experience. I have begun to realize that whilst I struggled to describe camp, the overarching word covering the entirety of my experience was already in my mind: speechless.
The entire experience that is World Race Training camp has left me unequivocally, entirely, and undeniably speechless.
Getting on the airplane the night before camp, I was filled with anxiety and stress. I was about to meet around 50 people I would soon travel the world with. Doubts began to fill every crevice of my mind, creating worries of myself not fitting in with these people. Why would they like me? What do I even have to offer? Why am I leaving my home, friends, and an incredible career and future to do this? I’ve struggled most of my life with self-confidence issues, and the fear of the unknown brought those issues out in full force.
Then I landed in Atlanta, and everything changed.
I met 50 of the kindest, passionate, faithful, and beautiful people I’ve ever had the opportunity the meet. For 10 days, we lived in complete and unfiltered community. We struggled together, cried together, laughed together, worshiped together, prayed together, and pulled shenanigans together. We survived crazy scenarios, weird foods, insane challenges, and helped each other work through internal struggles. We discovered the power of the Holy Spirit together, watching each other walk toward the callings God has given us.
I could go on and on with everything we experienced together. But it all can be summarized in one sentence:
In 10 days, 50 strangers created a home together in the middle of Georgia.
Yet, the home wasn’t in the campground or even training camp facilities. The home we created was in each other. The community and family we created became our home.
As I sit here writing this, there’s a spot in my heart that’s missing. For while I am now in my home in California, a piece of my heart was left with my new home: the 50 people on my squad. My heart gushes with love for each of them, for they showed me what it truly means to love one another. They consistently spoke words of life into me, believing in me and when couldn’t even believe in myself.
The Lord brought together a rad-tag group of people from all across the world, showing us the vast extent of his power and love for us. With every laugh, cry, joy, and pain, God was present. He spoke into each of us, revealing His will for our lives. It’s so crazy, but as we grew closer to each other, our relationship with Christ dramatically increased. After 10 days, I not only found a new family, but discovered what it truly means to follow Christ.
You see, God wants to partner with us. He wants to actively work with each of us to do great works for His Kingdom across the world. He wants you to take a step further than simply praying to Him before meals and bed. Being an active partner with Christ means developing a truly intimate relationship with Him and actively listening for Him to speak to you.
God taught me this through the community He gave me at camp.
Sitting here, 2 weeks home from camp, and I still haven’t completely processed the experience. But now I’m fine with being speechless. For what words can describe the community I was given, the experiences we faced, and the God we grew closer to.
I look forward to continually being speechless this next year.
