As I start to process all that’s happened here, I wonder: what would I tell a future World Racer about the training camp experience? How can I help them prepare for the adventure they are about to take part in? Well, here’s the first thing I learned: You can’t be prepared. As much information as you may try to get on the front end, you simply will not be able to walk into this thinking you’ve got it under control. Because you don’t. And that is intentional. God wants to meet you in newer and bigger ways, beyond your expectations and norms. So you have to let go. Let go of your expectations, let go of your “rights�, and just wait for God to show up. Now, this is coming from someone who loves to be prepared. But in the last week I’ve learned that sometimes the best (and only) thing you can do is just show up and be willing. It’s amazing to see how God moves in the unexpected. Relish this. I’m sure this will be an integral part of the coming year as you set out around the world Here’s the next thing: be open. Be vulnerable. Understand that the AIM leadership, your squadmates and future teammates, are in this experience with you. They are for you. They will be your support as you journey along the race, and you need them. So let it out. Tell them what’s on your heart and mind. Let them tell you what’s on theirs. Don’t be afraid to be messed up. Because you are. We all are, and we need the grace and forgiveness of God, and the community he sets us in, to deal with that. Some of the most significant experiences here at camp were when people shared the ugliest truths about who they are and where they’ve been. You know what God did with that? He set them free. He healed. He restored. He empowered. He turned beauty to ashes, and he will do it again and again if we will just hand over the ashes. So get ready. And GO. God is ready to meet you there.
(Team Dunamis..minus a few)
Training Camp complete!! And WOW, what an experience. The last 9 days have felt like a whirlwind, and I still don’t think I’ve touched the ground. Camping out in the Georgia backwoods, getting to know the squad of 55 people who I will be journeying the world with, opening ourselves up to God and to each other in wholly new and unimaginable ways, attempting to wrap our minds around this crazy journey that we’ve signed up for…honestly, in the last week I feel like I’ve entered a new reality. God has moved in such mighty ways; in us, around us, through us. He’s changed us as people, changed us as a team, and launched us into something that I don’t think any of us, on this end, can fully know or comprehend. And I am excited.
