First of all, a quick funding update: Thank you, THANK YOU to those who’ve supported me financially so far – as of right now I’m at about 30% ($4,500)! I’m more and more humbled with each step of this process. My next financial deadline is to have 50% ($7,500) by December 18th. Will you help me get there?
Alright, back to business – World Race training camp. A week when we meet our trip-mates face to face for the first time, hear wisdom from Adventures in Missions staff, and go through intense preparation for the Race.
So last week I headed to the campsite in Tennessee to get my first taste of what this year’s going to look like. I was a little apprehensive – I anticipated that Adventures in Missions’ goal for the week would be to play up the excitement and get us all pumped up for what in actuality is going to be a really intense, really difficult year. I was already mentally digging in my heels out of some vague sense of loyalty… I like where I live, I like my friends, I like what we talk about, what we think about, what we do, the culture of my community. Last Saturday, as I traveled farther away from Charlottesville, I felt more and more severed from my life there. I tried to wrap my mind around feeling that way for 11 months… I love my life now – why would I leave it?
So I arrived discouraged, though convincing myself that I would follow through on the World Race if for no other reason than that it’ll be hard, and that it’ll make me grow. I was going to keep a cool head. I thought: my life at home is where I belong, and World Race life will be hard and messy – they aren’t going to pull the wool over my eyes with false thrills of dance parties and team bonding.
Well, dangit, they did.
But truthfully, the first couple of days were not fantastic. We were put into difficult situations we might someday encounter on the field, we ate strange foods, we froze outdoors in the October nights, we stumbled through small-talk as we tried to find our place among this squad that we’d have to intimately share life with next year.
B-Squad’s campsite
B-Squad men take on cooking for 49 people
I think the first hint of encouragement came as I got to know our trainers – these are young AIM staff, all who participated in the Race, and who were there all week to work alongside us to prepare us for our journey.
They’re different.
They walk confidently, speak gently, and worship with freedom. They challenged us resolutely, despite our grumbling, knowing that they were helping us get closer to truth. They listened to us and encouraged us, and they served us while they led us.
I thought, I want to become like these people.
Then too, slowly, our squad began to lean on each other. We shared nights around the campfire, inside jokes, vulnerable testimonies (and yes, dance parties…). We shared precious M&Ms, we prayed over each others’ fears and hurts, we grew proud that we belonged to each other. Slowly, my vague sense that I’d be spending my year NOT-at-home was replaced by something concrete, a sense of what my year will actually feel like. And it’s going to be really, really good.
It makes sense – it’s always going to be harder to turn away from something if we don’t have anything to turn to. It’s hard to think about leaving school until we know we have a job waiting for us. We can’t turn away from loving sin without first knowing a stronger love from God. It’s terrifying to leave an old home behind, not knowing if you’ll be able to build a new one.
Last week I learned what’s ahead of me – I learned that my squadmates are hilarious and strong and loving, our experiences on the field will be overwhelming and strange and oh-so-good for us, and there are a million blessings and adventures waiting for us this year. I left training camp with the sense that leaving my home and stepping forward with the World Race feels very right. I am so, so excited for January to come.
B-Squad. Miss these friends already.
