From July 6th to the 16th, 6 different gap year routes all headed over to Gainseville, Ga for 10 days of Adventure and Mission’s training camp for The World Race Gap Year…what I’d like to call insanity (insanity in the absolute best way). We pitched our tents with the rest of our squads and met the faces we had only seen profile pictures of for the past few months, we showered with buckets, ate many of our meals with our hands (I know what you’re thinking, “mmmm yummy, yummy”), lived within the sweet aroma of porta potties sitting in the july heat of Georgia (magical stuff, I swear), hiked two and a half miles in our 40 pound packs in the hilly terraine of Gainsville…we were all kinds of nice and dirty and sweaty at all times.
And honestly, I feel like I grew 5 years in those ten days.
I was pushed emotionally, spiritually, physically, and in every other way humanly possible over those ten days.
There was this moment I had where I felt like all that I have ever done and all that has ever been done to me- both the things that I could control and the things that I couldn’t control for the life of me- in the entirety of my life, had led up to this…this ministry, these people. Nothing has ever made more sense to me than this. I can’t put into words the simultaneous intensity and simplicity of this realization. Every single thing in my life met in the middle. Memories of God’s faithfulness that I hadn’t thought of in ages would come to me as I was hearing men and women teach or as I was resting in prayer or as I was crying laughing. All of the sudden, nothing seemed insignificant or random, all of my life seemed incredibly woven together and interconnected. I never expected a feeling like this, but I think the Lord has been slowly molding me into the Lillabea that I am today for this time and this ministry and these countries. I think I was made for this.
The mentality of “there’s no ‘off’ switch to ministry” and “we can’t give what we don’t have” were the heart beats of all of the teaching we received. We were taught how to successfully do children’s ministry, women’s ministry, write and speak sermons, share our testimonies, listen to the Holy Spirit, be the most beneficial servant’s of our host homes as possible, and encouraged to simply love every human being we cross paths with- from the lady that we buy an orange from at the fruit stand on the corner of a street in Belize to the baby wrapping his hand around your finger as you hold him in a Haitian orphanage. LOVE! It all comes down to love. The Gospel is love. The purpose is love. The answer is love.
I left every sermon feeling peaceful. Enlightened. Passionate. Encouraged.
Another thing that happened at training camp is we were assigned teams. Our squad has 44 kids on it and we’re broken up into 6 different teams of about 6 to 8 people. While your squad travels to the same countries together, you live and minister in a host home with your team, taking on the job/ministry that your host is involved with in their community. I was placed on an all girls team and they are each incredible and beautiful, but that’s besides the point! As a team we chose to make Colossians 4 our prayer for the nine months:
“God, may we devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. May you open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of You. May we proclaim it clearly, as we should. And may we be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity we’re given. God, may our conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone. Amen.”
We’re chasing after being young women of the Lord. I feel big things coming in my bones!
Something that’s been ringing in my ears since training is “I can do hard things.” It sounds borderline childish initially, but in all honesty, it was furiously empowering. Leaders would look me in the eyes and with no hesitations speak those five words into me. I was looked in the eyes and believed in. That’s LOVE!
I can do hard things
I can do hard things
I can do hard things
I can do hard things
I can do hard things
It just echoes and rings on and on and on these days. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more capable than I do right now in my life; resilient and strong, I can handle terrifically awful things and I can do them in the name of God and I can trust that there will be an army of brothers and sisters in Christ in arms reach, ready to hold my hand and hold me up and walk me onward.
Here are some disposable memories:
HOME SWEET HOME! Special thanks to my Mimi for getting me my tent for a grad gift! So many sweet memories made in my little home, can’t wait for all the places it’ll get pitched at!
All the ladies helping tame Tarzan’s lion’s mane.
Some late night cornrow action<3
Love. This is love.
Shane’s happiness in this is unreal. Hoping you enjoy this as much as I do.
Walking to breakfast. Captured: Dasia being incredibly selfless and strong, just like always.
Post hike victory!!!!!!!!!!!! Red faces and smelly pits! SURVIVORS!
Africa day cooties!! Would you believe me if I said I miss this?
Post lice check smiles! (still thanking God for a lice free lillabea)
You’re looking at some strong young women; blessed to travel the world with these brilliant minds and hearts.
Bucket showers really aren’t bad. Shout-out to this woman (and Katie) for sharing your toothbrush with me when I was without<3
Day one: “hey, wanna sleepover?” “YES!” …a special thanks to the love of my life, Taylor Kimbrough, for having sleepovers in my tent every night (except the night where our bags were “lost in the airport”). And thank you to every single human on our campsite for loving us regardless of the fact that we are the worst whisperers on the planet and tents are no where near soundproof during “quiet hours.”
Lots of baptisms went down at training camp. This is Hunter. Before he got dunked he said, “I’m ready to submit my whole entire life to Jesus Christ…and give 100% to God.” A heart after the Lord.
I can still hear Paige. Nearly every night. Staring up in awe. Smiling softly. “How do we deserve this?!” Thank God for rosy clouds, blue skies, and a golden sun. A glimpse of Heaven every morning and night.
I left training camp with this prayer in my journal: “God, reveal to me what I have in my hands to give to you- to be as dangerous to Hell as possible. Show me how I can creatively love those around me. Enlighten me, enlighten me!! What can I do?! May I love others well. -Lillabea” May God answer it as He wills.
See what I mean by saying that training camp is “what I’d like to call insanity”???! There’s a lot that I didn’t type out, I may write another blog when my words have come together. For now this is all I’ll share. As always, thank you for your time in reading these words. My love is through the roof!
FUNDING UPDATE: I have a month until I need $10,000 in my funding account. If you would like to support me and this race, you can easily do so either one time or monthly by clicking the “Donate!” button! I am sincerely grateful for the love I have felt throughout this entire process so far. God just won’t stop blowing my mind.
Peace and love<3
