It’s hard for me to have a good response when people ask me “how was training camp?” It’s just one of those things you can’t explain in one sentence. Too much has happened in such a short time and it seems nearly impossible to put into words.
Training camp was challenging and stretching in every way possible – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We lived outside of our comfort zone for 10 days and we were pushed to our limits.
I discovered that it was in the midst of the discomfort, the challenges, and the brokenness that Jesus met me there. It was in my weakest and most vulnerable moments that I experienced The Lord in all His strength and fullness.
I wish I could tell you everything that happened at training camp from start to finish, but that would be information overload, so I narrowed it down to the main things that had a significant and lasting impact on my heart.
I came into training camp with a very negative perspective of men because of my past. I did not realize that I had developed such a negative and degrading attitude towards men and I most definitely did not realize it was something The Lord was going to heal inside of me.
There are a total of 8 men on my squad, and a total of 40 women. Those 8 men left a lasting impact on me as I observed and watched the way they treated each other and the way they treated women. I have never felt more honored and respected by men in my entire life.
They put other people before themselves and showed me what real men look like. Their love for The Lord was powerful and obvious in the way they treated other people. I am so thankful for the healing the Lord is doing in my heart, and I’m so blessed to be on a squad with these men.
I thought I was mostly healed from my past when I went into training camp, but I quickly realized that I was completely wrong and The Lord had much more healing to walk me through. The night we talked about shame, I cried out to God about the shame I still felt from my past.
I heard His sweet voice respond to me and say,
“Jocelyn, your feelings of shame reflect your doubt in my redemption.”
In that moment, I understood. I understood that I have been redeemed. Completely, wholly, and fully redeemed by Him. And I have no reason to feel shame ever again because of God’s redemption in my life.
True redemption means that we have been made NEW. We are made clean and purified by His grace and forgiveness. When we can completely grasp and embrace His redemption, when we can fully accept His redemption, when we can fully and wholly experience His complete and perfect redemption, then we can be completely FREE from all of our feelings of shame.
This was a powerful realization for me, and I can now say with sincerity that I am finally FREE from all my shame.
My good friend Brooks baptized me in a lake during training camp and it was beautiful a reflection of The Lord’s redemption and the work that He has done inside of me.
I want you to know, that God’s redemption is endless. Jesus died so that everyone can experience His redemption. There is nothing too big for God. There is nothing in your past that He can’t heal and nothing He can’t redeem. He wants to set you free. He so desperately wants to redeem you. Will you give Him a chance? He is longing to walk with you in complete freedom.
I want to introduce you to my team “Shekinah Glory,” which means God’s presence. This is the team I will be doing ministry with on the World Race. I could not have asked for a more loving group of individuals. I feel so thankful and extremely blessed to be on this team. I know that God is going to do some powerful and amazing things in us and through us. This really is my dream team.
My wonderful squad-mate Ashley made this awesome video of training camp. It’s a great re-cap of everything we experienced.
