World Race training camp, where do I even start…
The past two weeks I ventured out into the hot and humid state of Georgia to participate in a training camp for my upcoming missions trip 50 days from now (wait what?!). The training camp is to prepare me for the next 9 months spiritually, mentally, and physically. I was both filled and drained; I took in a lot and gave out a lot. The weeks flew by so quickly and so slowly. Below are some photos of my time at training camp, at the end of this blog there’s more to read, so stick around.
U SQUAD (MY SQUAD)
While I was there I met my 47 squad mates, team leaders and squad leaders
I met my five team mates that I will be doing ministry and living with for the next 9 months. We are Team Fervent!
These people are my kind of people. These are the people I’ve been looking for all my life. People who are spontaneous, adventurous, and have a fervent love for Jesus.
SLEEPING SITUATIONS
I slept in my tent
I “lost” my pack so I slept in a friends tent
I slept in a community tent with 9 other gals
And I slept in an “airport”.
I learned how to live in community; constant community.
FOOD
I ate food from different cultures, every day was based on a different country(i.e. Africa Day, India Day, Asia Day)
I ate food with my hands
I shared a plate with 7 others
I learned how to buy food in a market with my teammates
And we constantly were sneaking snacks
OTHER GOING ONS
We danced, cooled off and (some) showered in the rain
We hiked 2.2 miles in 38 minutes. My wonderful team mate Sarah Johnson pushed me to do it in 26 minutes. Hardest 26 minutes of my life
We danced. A lot.
I watched squad mates get baptized!!
We slept anywhere and everywhere
I made it out alive. Just a little tired and sweaty…
THE PART YOU STAYED TUNNED FOR
To summerize it all, training camp was hard. I was put in worst case scenerios like “losing my pack” and sleeping in the airport. While some of these things are very likely to happen, they aren’t likely to happen all the time. I also smelled quite a bit. Man, Georgia is hot. I sweat straight through training camp. I took bucket showers which is exactly what it sounds like. I am so grateful for warm water and water pressure now.
I was given a lot of informaion to process. I learned about different relgions and my own. I was taught different ways to share the Gospel with different cultures. There are a lot more ways to share than I thought.
Wow, God is so cool.
I am grateful for God’s goodness in the past two weeks. To be honest, I was very nervous going into all of this. The night before training camp I was nervous and scared. I didn’t know anyone, I wasn’t 100% sure what to pack, and I didn’t know this organization that well. It was all a leap of faith. The second I step foot on the plane an excitement came over me, not a nervous excitement but rather a peaceful excitement. I have a better understanding what a “peace that surpasses all understanding” now means. Not once during training camp did I doubt that this is where I’m supposed to be. I loved my squad mates, I have a better understanding what I need to pack, and Adventures in Missions is an amazing organization. I know God wants me here and now. With this squad, with this team to tell people about Jesus Christ and to bring hope to others.
Life is ministry and ministry is life is something they say at AIM. This is my life. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Love others and tell them about Jesus.
