Training Camp*–to say the least–was A-MA-ZING!
I experienced
Death…
of some lies I believed about myself ("I always have to be doing something to be useful" = lie; "I need to be exceptional to be valuable" = lie; "God made me beautiful and there's nothing I can do/not do to devalue myself or make Him love me less" = truth)
of my hygenic "needs" (I showered 3 times the entire week, and nothing bad happened–my skin didn't even break out!)
of my dietary "needs" (some meals consisted of only one small bowl of…something)
Dancing…
lots and lots of dancing! Our squad had spontaneous dance parties in the middle of kitchen duty, before/during/after sessions, in the mornings for exercise (aka "Healthy Living"),…pretty much whenever we could get our hands on a set of speakers.
But I believe dancing was more than just fun for us; dancing was a way for us to bond, to be vulnerable, and to celebrate the victories that we experienced daily, against evil forces and against our own flesh.
Freedom…
from expectations of the world about how I should live
from fears about going on the Race
from my own insecurities
I wish I could take you all back there…but here are some snapshots to help paint a picture:
*For those of you who are still a little confused as to what Training Camp is, here's a very brief synopsis of what went down…
– spent a week in White, Georgia at a retreat site (there were facilities, but we slept outside every night in some form)
– had about three sessions per day, learning about the Holy Spirit, healing, grieving, prayer, personality types, etc.
– got a taste of what to expect in different countries next year (the AIM staff tried to recreate scenarios we might experience on the Race)
– met and bonded with my new family 
