Oh Training Camp.
I’ve been home for about 2 days now, and I’m still processing through all the things that happened at training camp. I am sure of one thing, however. I am sure that the 8 days I spent at training camp became about more than just survival for me. I truly lived those days.
Training Camp was kinda hard for me to be honest. Within the first ten minutes of tent set-up Day 1, I had about 15 ant bites on my feet. What a glorious way to start, right?! I remember thinking to myself, it can only go up from here. And that’s exactly what happened. The activities got harder, but the living got easier. We changed sleeping locations every night, meaning each day we would have to completely tear down and pack up our tents and packs. We always got up really early, exercised every morning, ate foods I didn’t know existed in ways that I would never have chosen, and spent a lot of time out in the Georgia sun.
But we also grew closer as a squad-family. We leaned into each other with encouragement and honesty. We shared supplies, even snacks, when we had little. We found laughter that gave us energy. We squealed as we showered in cold water. Most importantly, we worshiped and found God in new ways.
Going into Training Camp, I just kept telling myself, survive the next eight days and things will be fine. Looking back, I now realize that this was a horrible way to view this. God hasn’t called #LSquad on this journey to survive the next eleven months. He has called us on this journey to help us grow, learn how to love and serve in new ways, and to become closer to Him. If we get so caught up in surviving, we truly miss the moments that matter in between.
At Adventures In Missions’ headquarters in Gainesville, Georgia, a new building affectionately termed “The Lodge” was built recently. The building will be a great place for meetings for the AIM staff and visitors, but the best part of the building is the giant front porch that has several rocking chairs on it. Don’t get me wrong, the building is beautiful and the chairs are great in and of themselves, but I think I fell in love with them as a lesson from God. You see, getting to The Lodge requires a walk up an extremely steep hill. Carrying a pack and backpack in the hot Georgia sun up the hill is no easy task. Yet upon arrival at the top of the hill, you’ll find the beautiful sanctuary that is The Lodge’s front porch.
I remember asking God somewhere around Day 4, “Why in the world would you put this hill here?” out of much frustration. It was on that very day, as I made it to the top, that I received my answer. God said, you appreciate the beauty in things more when the path isn’t easy. The journey wasn’t about surviving to get to the top, it was about leaning in and living the journey to get there. I started having conversations with squad-mates up the hill, admiring nature along the way, and praying each time I ventured up or down that crazy hill.
I finally embraced the lesson in front of me, and my reward was quality time with my newfound family in rocking chairs on that beautiful porch. I no longer tried to survive the hill in front of me, I lived it! I hope that this parallel will be true of my journey on the World Race. I don’t want to spend 11 months trying to survive difficult situations, uncomfortable environments, and less than ideal conditions. I want to live in all the lessons and plans that God has for me!
I hope that you will join me in praying for that very thing for my squad and myself this week!
