From May 16th-24th we had the great privilege to attend World Race Training Camp for D,E,F, and G squads. It was our first time getting to meet all of E Squad. We spent the week getting to know them, training them, and putting together teams for when we leave the country in July.
Below is an excerpt from a blog, World Race Training Camp…Is this real life?
by Drea Ruddock (on E Squad). To learn more about Drea and E squad check out her blog at andrearuddock.theworldrace.org
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“On Monday night at worship I was feeling defeated. Our squad was so big that several of my friends were split up the week leading up to training camp and put on other squads…because of this I was holding on to a lot of bitterness towards AIM. During worship, I just wanted to be over it. I was so angry and just kept praying “God. please just let me worship like everyone else. I just want to stop feeling so angry and move on. I want to feel connected.” Then I had a thought. It was like a huge epiphany and I thought I had finally found the source of my frustration. Without any hesitation, I said in my mind “OHHHH. God, I understand now. You moved my friends because I had to be punished…If this is the reason, I understand and I’m sorry for whatever it was that Im being punished for. Please just forgive me so I can start over.” NOT EVEN 2 MINUTES after I said this in my head, my squad leader Jenn tapped me on the shoulder and said (im paraphrasing here but this was the gist) “Drea, I have a word from the Lord for you…there is no condemnation in Jesus and God is not punishing you at all he is doing this for your good because he loves you”. I nodded my head, and turned around and then just started BALLING. I don’t cry you guys, and I was crying hard core. I had not told ANYONE about my bitterness and I had just asked God (silently in my head) about being punished 2 minutes before she said this. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. I couldn’t believe it. For the first time, I felt like I was worthy of true love and important enough for God to want to communicate with me. Until this moment, I had known that God loved me but had never had another sister or brother in Christ confirm that love by speaking over me in this way. This word was TOTALLY LIFE CHANGING. The whole next day, I kept thinking…What if Jenn was too afraid to tell me what God was conveying to her for me? What if she hadn’t risked humiliation by stepping out and tapping me on the shoulder? Would I still think that I was being punished? Honestly, Im still not sure of the answer. What I do know is that God used my beautiful friend Jenn that night to show me that my entire perception of the way he loves me was DEAD WRONG.”…
At first, Jenn was hesitant to speak that word to Drea, fearing that she may have heard Him wrong or that the word might not mean anything to Drea. Then the Lord gently reminded her of the lesson He taught us last year: delayed obedience is disobedience. She stepped out in faith trusting that God is good and that He wanted to use her as a mouthpiece to speak His love over Drea.
What fear is keeping you from being used by God?
What small step of faith is God asking of you?
Take this opportunity to say YES to HIM and see what happens.
In that short week we were blown away by the way God chose to use us and are even more excited for what the rest of the year holds while traveling with E Squad. We have to raise $13,000 to lead for 5 months and are still in need of over $8,000. If want to partner with us in the change that E Squad is going to bring to the world click on the “support us” link on the left side of the page.
