The last 15 days have been some of the longest, hardest, and richest days I have had in a long time. Leading up to Training Camp I had no idea what to expect. The Adventures in Missions staff does a great job of giving just enough information to make you want to know more. For those of us with a planning tendency, it drives us a little crazy. I was so nervous about meeting my squad and was hoping and praying that there would be a least one person I would connect with. I am someone that thrives on deep, meaningful connections, and thinking about meeting a group of people I have only seen on social media was terrifying. But God is good.
I arrived at the airport in Atlanta – my backpack towering over my head (clearly improperly fitted) and my daypack on my front with no one in sight that looked as ridiculous as myself. After riding the escalator three times and ending up in the same spot, I turned around to a girl looking equally as exhausted and confused that asked “Are you here with The World Race?” “YES!” I squealed, and after a few more escalator rides we found ourselves with the rest of the 100 racers that were about to enter into a week of unknowns.
There was awkward, silent chatter as those who thrive on social media began to identify one another, while I shrunk to the back and asked a staff member if this was where I was supposed to be. I didn’t even know what my squad was named- all I knew was I was supposed to wear red. She laughed and said I was in the right place. And from there my first connection to the World Race on Q Squad was made. Thanks Danae 🙂
Throughout the week we went through a variety of sessions that talked about who we are in Christ and helped us to walk through what it means to hear God speak, to let go of our shame and guilt and walk in the freedom He has for us, how to be strong Women of God (while the men were off on their own separate retreat), and how to live in healthy community, walk in discipleship, and be vulnerable with one another. There were lots of tears, as we as a squad went through these different areas of our soul and God did heart-surgery on all of us. We can not be effective in ministry if we still have past hurts and baggage that are holding us down and speaking lies over us. So this week was, in part, getting rid of that to walk into the fullness God has for us as His kids.
There were also the practical parts such as: sleeping simulations. What happens if your big backpack doesn’t make it’s connection to Cambodia? You share a tent with a squad mate with nothing but the clothes on your back. What if the layover in Singapore is 12 hours during the day? You use eye masks and daypacks as pillows in a room with obnoxious fluorescent lights and airport chatter on loud speaker ALL NIGHT… The accommodations were primitive. No running water (cheers to cold bucket showers), and a few meals of adventurous eats (crickets anyone?). These were all super helpful and challenging as the weather was much cooler than anticipated and the tent sharing night was the worst night of sleep and coldest I’ve been – maybe ever.
Another integral part of Training Camp is forming teams. I mentioned before that I will be going with a group of 54 racers to be exact with 3 squad leaders that will be with us the first 5 months, but once in country we will divide into teams of 7-8 for ministry. These teams can change from month to month – but typically you are on the same team for a while. We did lots of team building exercises and talked with staff about how we felt we would work best in a team setting and what qualities we could bring to a team so they could select the best group possible for us.
Through this process I found I am a strong encourager, but not as vocal as I would like sometimes. I work better in smaller groups so everyone feels heard, and I’m working on being better at following directions without attributing my value to the title of “leader”. My team is made up of all women and I believe God has something great in store for how He will use His daughters in ministry this coming year. I’ve been wrestling through what it means to be on an all-women’s team and my hesitations with that- but that’s a post for a later date. 🙂
One of the biggest things that came out of training camp is that I was asked to be one of two SQUAD STORYTELLERS! This is any amazing affirmation and answer to prayer that deserves its own post as well. In short, I was asked to be the face of my squad (Q squad) through photography, and share the story of what’s happening on the field with the Adventures in Missions creative team back in Gainesville so they can better share the mission of The World Race on their website, blogs, social media etc. I will be paired with a mentor who will help coach me over the next 11 months in how to best tell the story of what God is doing. I’ll write more in detail about how this is such an answer to prayer – so look out for a Storyteller post coming up 🙂
I’m so thankful and grateful for each and every one of you. Your support keeps me moving forward into what God has for me and His people. I’ll be in touch soon. Comment, or message me if you’d like to chat more about anything specific 🙂
xoxo
