Sorry it took so long to process/write about what happened at training camp! I can't even come close to accurately describing everything we went through that week, just know that it was one of the most incredible, life changing weeks I have ever experienced, and this is my attempt to convey some things I learned.
God is bigger than I ever Imagined
This sounds like a silly revelation, I mean God is God, by definition He is all powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, and well, big, but it really is one of the most important things you could ever grasp. At Training Camp I experienced God in ways I never have before. I felt Him in mighty waves of passion, still moments of incredible peace, in the smiles and testimonies of my squad mates, in new knowledge of worship, in answered prayer, in the loss of a beloved squad mate, and in new experiences of who He is and what He has in store for me. I am so completely convinced that God is so much bigger than the box I've been putting Him in my entire life, and that He has so much more in store for me than I can imagine, and all it takes for me to experience true living is taking His hand and stepping out of my comfort zone. Training camp helped me realize that.
I was made to Worship
We all are, we just do it in different ways. One of our sessions was about the different ways we experience and worship God, and the speaker said something I will never forget. He started asking if sometimes during corporate worship at our churches we just don't feeling anything. "If you are constantly trying to connect with God in way you are not wired to, the shame can be unbearable." This hit home with me, because I feel like this a lot. I often find myself being easily distracted during songs, or even when I try to focus and hear God sometimes I just don't. I usually blame myself, saying I wasn't focused enough or didn't care enough, when that just isn't true. He talked about the main ways we connect with God, and it's not just through songs and music. It can be through study, contemplation, spending time just being still before God, being in small groups talking about Him, looking at a beautiful work of art, or simply walking through nature. God has wired us all differently, and while music is a big part of worship for most people, it's not the be-all, end-all of corporate worship.
Spiritual Warfare is very real and is all around us
Spiritual Warfare is one of those things I never really gave much thought to. I never denied its existence, I just kind of filed it away and chalked it up as something that may happen in third world countries, but not America and certainly not anyone I know. Until Training Camp. I witnessed a squad member be freed from demonic bonds. It's his story to tell, and if you'd like to read it look up Jake Brinkman on U squad, but I can tell you first hand that I heard the screams and saw him come away a changed person. Demons are real. Evil is all around us, and we need to be on guard against it every second of every day. Luckily for us, our God is bigger, and has all authority and power, and so there's nothing for us to be afraid of.
God = Peace
I say that with boldness, "there's nothing to be afraid of", and there isn't, but I was very afraid the night all this was going on. In fact I don't really remember ever being more afraid than I was that night. I was huddled in the corner shaking with fear, praying desperately for God to comfort me with the peace of His presence. And He did. My amazing squad leader Hailey and several staff members came and prayed for and over me, and God showed up. He wrapped His arms around me and showed me an amazing peace that steadied my restless heart and gave me renewed confidence in His protection and power. God is not a God chaos, He is a God of relentless peace, and no power of Hell can ever come close to shaking Him.
Spiritual Gifts are the Real Deal
I've always felt like I had the gift of discernment, and God revealed at Training Camp that it was something I was really going to get to work on and sharpen during the Race. He also showed me things about the gift of tongues, (which I have always been extremely skeptical about). My team leader Erika has the gift of tongues and I had the opportunity to talk to her about it and she explained it in a way I had never thought about before, and I'm super excited to work alongside of and learn from her this next year.
I trust Adventures in Missions
Our squad (obviously) went through a lot of difficult things at Training Camp, a lot more than most squads go through so early on, and the Adventures in Missions staff was so good about walking alongside us and encouraging us, as well as showing amazing discernment and making the hard decisions that were necessary for the safety and well being of every member of U squad. Any doubts I had about this organization have vanished, they are amazing people and I'm so excited to serve with them.
U Squad is my Family
I love these people. Every single one of them. They are all different and unique in their gifts and passions, but all have the same heart. They are encouraging, resourceful, funny, brave, strong, wise, accepting, loving, kind, incredible individuals and I am not only excited to spend the next year with them, but also my whole life with them, because these bonds and friendships we are forming are going to last a lifetime. They're family, they just are.
I LOVE my team
I am on an all girls team called Peculiar Treasures, and these girls ya'll…. let me just tell you. It's like I've known them my whole life. They bring me such peace and comfort and joy, we share our hearts and laugh like crazy, they accept me even though I'm quiet, and are just pure encouragement. When they announced teams I cried, because I could not have hand picked a better team. God answered a huge prayer and sent me the perfect girls to share this year with. I can't wait to tell you about all the adventures we're going to have!
The World Race will be HARD
While at training camp we were put in different situations to prepare us for the Race. We slept in our tents, had to live a night without any gear because the "airlines lost it", "slept" (ha!) on a bus, slept in a dorm to simulate a hostel, slept in ten person tents, cooked our meal over a fire, hiked with all our gear on, followed cultural rules for different countries, and went to a "marketplace". Several day we were running on little to no sleep, and it was exhausting. For me as an introvert, being constantly surrounded by people was super hard. This year is going stretch me in ways I've never had to stretch before, and it's going to be difficult. You'll probably read a few blogs where I vent a little and tell you how hard it is, but I know it's going to be totally worth it, and I know it's never going to be more than I can handle.
I am so Ungrateful
After several nights sleeping in tents, (and a bus!) we got to sleep in dorm rooms on the campus to simulate a hostel. One of my squad mates described it as a five-star dorm room, we were so excited about them! They had showers attached to the rooms, which meant we didn't have to hike up a huge hill to the locker room showers, and there wasn't 20 other girls waiting to use our shower so we could take a little longer. And beds! real beds! In air conditioning! Let me tell you, it was better than Christmas morning! Shrieks and squeals could be heard as we looked over the rooms, pretty much all night we marveled at how nice they were and how lucky we were to sleep in them. The thing is, I've never thought dorm rooms were nice before. It really hit me how ungrateful I am, how i take so much for granted, until I had to do without and realized how nice the little things are, like a mattress and a shower.
I am ready
Ready to go, ready to serve, ready to learn, ready to laugh, ready to love, ready to praise, ready to weep, ready to make relationships, ready to show God's unfailing love to the nations, ready to leave on the World Race. 🙂
