Between coaching swim team and being manager at our pool, I haven’t had a lot of free time this summer. As I began preparing for training camp all I could think about was how busy I was and all the things I needed to get done before I left. In all honesty, I wasn’t very excited for camp. I was nervous about meeting my team and I didn’t understand why we needed to go in the first place. I packed up my car and began heading toward Georgia only to find out I was going to be an hour late due to traffic. Anyone that knows me knows how much I hate being late. I am almost always obnoxiously early to things, even if it’s just to meet a friend for coffee. I was frustrated that I would be late and it just added to the reasons why I wasn’t excited about training camp.
From the moment I arrived at camp, my outlook on everything quickly changed. I began meeting my squad and instantly felt like this was exactly where I needed to be. They helped me unpack my things while I went to check in. The staff was so welcoming and greeted me with big smiles and sweet hellos (although, I’m still not totally convinced they didn’t hate me for being late). After checking in, I headed back to our campsite where I began building relationships with the people I will be spending the next year with.
The next 10 days were filled with lots of laughter, tears, weird food (including bugs), and refreshing (aka freezing) bucket showers. We learned a lot, slept a little, and made memories that we’ll never forget. As I sit here, I am overwhelmed thinking about how I could possibly fit all of the great things about training camp into a single blog post. I could write forever about how wonderful it was or how thankful I am that we had the opportunity to attend, but that would be a lot of writing, so here are a few things the Lord taught me through training camp.
Be present. In today’s society we are constantly on our phones. Whether its waiting in line at the grocery store, sitting in the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru, or at the beach with our friends, we are continually checking our phones for text messages or to see what is happening on social media. We feel as though we have to be doing something at all times instead of enjoying what is going on around us. I continually catch myself in conversations where I am disengaged and thinking about other things. Training camp taught me the importance of being fully invested in the people around me. I want to focus on the people and things in front of me, instead of thinking about what’s to come in the future. In a little over 6 weeks I will be leaving my friends and family for a year. I want to be present now, so I can prepare to be absent.
Say YES! When I first applied for The World Race, I was secretly hoping I wouldn’t be accepted. I had prayed about it a lot and really felt like this was where the Lord was calling me, but I was nervous, anxious, and full of fear. I thought that if I didn’t get it that I would know that God closed that door for a reason and I wasn’t supposed to do it. But then He didn’t close the door. When I found out I got accepted, I was scared but I knew I had to say yes! Bob Goff says it best in his book Love Does. He says, “I used to think you had to be special for God to use you, but now I know you simply need to say yes.” Saying yes to God can be scary. When you fully surrender your life to Him, He often takes you out of your comfort zone in order to use you in ways you never imagined. Training camp taught me what it means to say yes to God, and I cannot wait to say yes to whatever the Lord puts in front of me throughout this journey!
Holistic living. While at training camp we learned the importance of living a holistic lifestyle. Every day we were pushed spiritually, emotionally, and physically in the best way possible. You know when you have a guest coming over and you clean your house and make yummy food to prepare? We want to treat our bodies with the same respect because the Holy Spirit abides in us. Unlike a houseguest, the Holy Spirit is here to stay, and it is up to us to keep our bodies physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit. Our bodies are temples and we have to find the same value in our bodies as God does.
Be vulnerable. If you know me, you know I am the worst about being vulnerable. Opening up to people and revealing my broken pieces has always been a scary concept to me. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, or even worse know that I am struggling. I would rather handle it on my own instead of feeling as though I was being a burden to others. Training camp taught me the importance of being vulnerable. Revealing your broken pieces wont ’t push people away, it brings people together and helps build community. It allows others to pour into our lives and encourage us through the hard times. When we break down those walls that we have created to protect ourselves, we get to live a life free from shame and regret. I still struggle with being vulnerable, but I am working on it so that I don’t miss out on seeing those beautiful moments from the Lord.
Abandonment. It is very easy to get caught up in how society says we should live our lives. We want the newest gadget, the nicest clothes, and we cram our lives full of activities that will help us live a fun and busy life. We have to be willing to abandon these things in order to follow the call that God puts on our hearts. Although leaving these things behind can be scary, it creates space for God to do something different with us.
Women are awesome. Sometimes being a woman is hard. Our bodies are weird, we are often more sensitive toward things, and we aren’t built as “tough” as men. But are those things actually bad? Satan loves to take the best things about us and twist them into lies. Although women are different from men, we are not inferior. God made woman from man’s rib, meaning we were created to walk beside man, not in front of or behind. We were designed to help men in the areas where their strength is lacking. We have to accept the importance of women in ourselves in order to accept it in other women.
My 10 days at training camp were unforgettable. I experienced the love of our Father in so many new and exciting ways. I saw God’s hand at work in the lives of so many people, including myself. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store this next year for me and my squad, and I cannot wait to continue making memories with them as we spread the love of God around the world!
