Days: 10 days (7/6-7/16)
Squad: 28 people
Phone use: 4 times
Skin condition: 2 shades darker plus a bajillion bug bites
How was the Training Camp, Jess?
It was awesome! I met my squadmates and squad trainers who are amazing and hilarious people, and did a lot of stretching. It was an entirely new experience where I grew spiritually, emotionally, and materially.
What were some of the highlights of this training camp?
- One thing that was grounded between me and God was that His presence is with me wherever I go. During the first couple of days I realized that nothing at the training camp was familiar and thus I caught myself feeling uncomfortable and insecure. Squadmates whom I barely got to know via Facebook and Groupme, tough living situation, absence of cleanliness (e.g. getting the inside of your tent dirty with sand and mud), small portions at every meal, etc., have all been unfamiliar yet interesting. However, one thing that I WAS absolutely familiar with was God. Worship, the movement of the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and prayers were of comfort to me. As I prayed for one of my squamates during worship, I heard the Lord saying, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.” I felt that not only was He telling her this but also for my heart as well, that He is with me in the midst of fear and uncertainty. It helped a lot. It helped me come to see that I wasn’t the only one struggling with this new environment and was able to become open with others.
- I also realized that my heart stayed tender and sensitive for the Lord throughout these past 10 days. And I realized that my heart was tender because I was weak. I was weak because I was placed in a position where I knew nothing and had to rely on God. As Seth Barnes puts it, “Journeys open up our spirits to the possibility of a reality they haven’t yet grasped. Away from the familiar, our hearts become a place where God can work, a place where only faith will sustain us.” (Kingdom Journey, 21) Therefore a challenge for me right now is to continuously seek the Lord even as I live comfortably in my home and amidst familiarity when I go to Taiwan.
- God brought back my confidence in my gift of listening to the Holy Spirit. If we’ve ministered or prayed together before this statement may sound strange to you because this has been all I’ve been trying to do with people. I’d been holding back. I had been struggling with fear of rejection and fear of man and this caused me to hold back some of the things that the Lord was trying to speak to the person through me. I doubted this gift that God gave me and yet He graces me and continues to encourage me. At training camp, I repented for my disobedience for when the Lord is at work and renounced my fears of man.
So what’s next?
I will be flying out to Taiwan next week, for the main purpose to see and share the gospel with my grandpa. I will be in Taiwan for about 5 weeks and I’m praying that everything will go smoothly (China visa, travel situations, etc.) I launch on September 5th in Georgia and the journey starts, NOW.
How can I help you in your journey?
Well I’m glad that you ask!
- Please pray that my China visa will be processed in time before I leave for Taiwan on the 21st. I don’t know how long it will take to process the visa but because it will need my passport I will need to have it processed so that I can get my passport back for traveling to Taiwan.
- Pray for me, my grandpa, and my family, that Jesus walk before us and pave the way for us to minister to my grandpa by beginning a work in his heart.
- I am still about $7,200 from being fully funded. It would be greatly appreciated if you would invest in this journey, whether it’s $20, $50, or whatever amount the Lord put in your heart.
Check out my video of training camp!
