That night was U and V squad's night to sleep on the bus. I figured if any night was a good night for it, this was it, since I wasn't going to be able to get much sleep after what just took place. I hopped on, second row from the back, next to my U squad brother Trent. We both talked about our experiences (as most of us had our own) and found we had a common denominator: we were both new to this, and we both had confusion on what to think about it. When our squad leader Zach came out, we left the bus and had a talk with him.
Of what was spoken, two things stay clearest in my mind: The first is That God allows these things to happen for a reason. We may not necessarily understand it at the time, and we may possibly never grasp the intentions, but they are there. In the future will I have an increased sensitivity to those who experiencing the same afflictions? Quite possibly. Is it another piece to add to my testimony that can impact others when they hear it? Absolutely. Are there many other reasons that I know and/or don't know yet? Extremely probable. Trust in God's divine plan is what we are to do. The second is that the enemy is quite powerless. It might not always seem to be the case, but it's true. Jesus has all authority over them. They have nothing that they can use against Him. He has already won. Their attempts to claim any victory over God are in vain. When we believe this, we know that there is nothing to fear. Because God has already won.
After our conversation, I got back on the bus. After about a half hour of just sitting there, I took my daypack and my Bible and just sat out in the parking lot. I prayed. I read the Bible. I listened. Soon after, Kaleigh, a friend of mine from V squad whom I met last month in Oklahoma City, came out and sat by me. I have no idea what it time it was, but I figure it was around 11:15. We sat out and talked until 2:30. We talked both about what happened that night, and just had regular conversation (which I really needed). She prayed for me, she listened to me, and she gave me encouragement. The potential sleeping time she sacrificed to talk to me is greatly, greatly appreciated and a huge blessing. What a woman of God she is!
That night, I slept about 15 minutes. The night before (when some of us got caught in our hammocks in a downpour) I slept about an hour. I prayed often for divine energy, and God provided. Tuesday I was wide awake. I was not tired at all. God answered those prayers in a huge way! This blessing I could easily overlook as chance or luck, but I know God helped me big with this one!
Quiet times afterwards were never the same. I could feel God, I could hear Him, and my retention when reading the Bible greatly increased. The next worship, which I believe was Wednesday night, I finally felt the joy of Christ. Never have I felt so intimate with God than during that time. I had my hands up, singing, dancing, who knows what…but I was alive in Christ. He set me free, how awesome! My prayers from earlier in the week had been answered!
Thursday night, after our first team outing (Applebee's and Dairy Queen never tasted so good!), I was privileged to be able to talk to my squadmate Addison about an experience she had during a quiet time the night prior. It was different but also similar to my own. It intrigued me the way God works in our lives. The different things he allows and disallows in our lives, perfectly geared towards ourselves in a way so personal and so real. I won't utter much on our conversation, but I loved it. It helped show me that what I experienced wasn't remote. It's good to talk about what we feel, and I loved listening to her story.
My love language has basically done a 180. Like I said in the last part, I haven't really been one for physical touch. But ask my squadmates if that changed after Monday night. Pretty sure you'll get a resounding "Yes!" From most if not all. I gave out a whole lot of the, Saturday morning. I wouldn't call it my main love language, but it sure shot up in the ranks.
So now here I sit. One month until launch. I feel more spiritually alive and ready than ever in my life. The longing to serve God in any way possible has been completely rejuvenated. I am so excited to go that my mind is having trouble staying focused. Training camp was an awesome experience! And the term training camp is no misnomer! I'm so excited to see my squaddies again and begin this 11 month journey with my team, Uniquely Knit! God bless!
