I want you to imagine yourself asleep inside your tent. You’re out in the countryside and there’s 37 other people in your campsite alone but other campsites are close by. Do you have that picture yet?
It’s the middle of the night and you’re awakened by rain drops falling on your head. You realize instantly that your tent is not keeping out the rain that’s pouring outside and you frantically grab all your gear and try to protect it from the rain that is getting inside the tent.
You start whispering to your neighbors to see if anyone is awake and finally on your third try, your tent neighbor Ruby replies.
That was night one of training camp and I quickly realized that the tent I bought is not waterproof even with it’s feeble rainfly. Because of the graciousness of a few people on my squad, I was able to bunk with them in their tents for the remaining 10 nights of training camp.
I went in to training camp with expectations I didn’t realize I had. I expected it to be all about the ministries and the countries we would be going to and it was filled with so much more.
I went in to training camp (TC) with a nervous excitement as I met the people who would be going on the same route as I. These would be the people I spend the next year of my life with and they quickly became more than just my squad-mates and became a part of my missions family.
One of the first topics we covered at TC was identity and where our identity was placed. When we haven’t found our identity in Christ we search all the wrong areas to place our identity. We place our identity in things such as sports, school or work.
For some people their identity wasn’t accepted—this could be at an early age of adolescent or later in life—and they come to put on masks. We put on masks because we come to believe that who we are is not enough and the masks we put on makes us someone we aren’t.
These masks come in the form of performance, peace-maker, stable or strong one, competence, etc. But even when people love and accept that mask, we know they don’t love us but what we do for them.
I learned a lot about identity at TC. I learned that masks will fail you. It may not be right away, but in the end they will fail you and they will leave you feeling alone. The reason we put on masks is because the real issue between ourselves and God isn’t settled yet. I also learned that leaving those masks, being authentic and learning who God created us to be is a hard, awkward and uncomfortable process, but it’s one He doesn’t have us walk alone.
One thing that is very true of the Western culture is being productive and getting things done. These are high priorities. Spending time in God’s presence then often times seems like a luxury. With this mindset we become humans doing for God instead of being with God. I know this is true for me. I believed that I was responsible for sharing Christ and the Gospel message with others — which in part is true because we have been given the Great Commission, but God can do that without me. I believed that things would fall apart if I didn’t persevere and hold it all together. I also believed that doing lots of work for God is a sign of spiritual growth. But “work for God that is not nourished by a deep interior life with God will eventually be contaminated by other things such as ego, power, needing approval of and from others, and buying into the wrong ideas of success and the mistaken belief that we can’t fail” (Scozzero). Ultimately this causes our joy in Christ to disappear.
The World Race. One thing it is not is a mission trip. Over training camp I learned about life on mission which is so much more. Being mission minded is exactly what the World Race desires to teach us. If I were to treat these next 11 months as 11 short term mission trips (as they could be viewed) I would come back with maybe a sense of thankfulness but eventually I would go back to being the Kara that I am today. Nothing would have changed extensively. However, I am going to spend this next year learning what it means to live mission minded that my focus even when not doing ministry is on how to serve God and bring Him glory.
My desire is to grow closer to God and learn who God has created me to be. To be authentic with everyone around me and to build a pure and solid relationship with God instead of doing what I think God wants me to do.
I share this because my story is not my own, but God’s. It is for Him to use to bring glory to Himself. Nothing I can ever do is going to change the heart of someone else, nor will it change the way God sees me.
Route Update!
At training camp, my squad was pulled aside on day 3. It was here that we found out we will no longer be going to Greece on month 11. So far, we have not been told where we will be located in month 11 as things are still being worked out logistically. The order of my route for the next 11 months will look like this:
October – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
November – Thailand
December – Malaysia
January – Philippines
February – Zimbabwe
March – Zambia
April – Malawi
May – Ukraine
June – Romania
July – Albania
August – ???
Over TC my squad went through a series of team formations and we were finally split into 6 different teams. These teams consist of about 6-7 people and we will be doing ministry with our specific team in different parts of the country. Some months our whole squad may be close together and other months we may be spread further apart.
My team consists of Elise Swepston, Emily Doherty, Laura Webb, Mariah Paden, Rebekah Davidson, and I.
The 10 days spent in Gainesville, GA with my squad-mates definitely felt like much longer. We learned about community and unity. Through that we became a family of love and laughter, who fight for each other and stand by each other.
Fundraising Update:
As I announced in my last blog, I did become fully funded as of August 9th. This would not be possible without all of you. God did the impossible! In just 4 months time, $16,561 was raised!!! I do not have the words to express my thankfulness or awe. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
If you are a monthly supporter you will need to disable your monthly donations yourself as that is not done automatically. Any funds donated to Adventures In Missions now will go to their general account and will not be used towards my mission trip.
There are some items I still need to obtain for the trip such as a new tent, the polio vaccine, the rest of my malaria meds, etc. I will also need to take some funds in order to purchase any extra food items on my off days from ministry or to restock personal items. If you would like to continue to support me financially in this way you can do so by writing a check to me personally.
LETTERS!!!
I will not be able to receive mail while I am overseas, but I would STILL love to have letters to read. If you would like to write me letters be it to open whenever or on a specific day please make sure I have them no later than September 23rd.
I honestly cannot thank you enough. Thank you for your support, your prayers, your encouragement and your generosity. It all means so much and I would not be where I am at without it all.
Till Next Time,
Kara Faber
