WOW!! Day 7! It is unbelievable it has been a whole week since I’ve arrived in Gainesville. It’s amazing how just seven days, feels like three weeks. The days are long and hard, but I am learning so much about myself.
For starters, wow. The community here is so real. I have been looking this for my entire life and I’ve finally found it. I sit here and look around and see life long brothers and sisters in Christ. It is amazing to see how the attitudes and personalities around you reflect on your own attitude.I can see Jesus’s love through the people here. My teammates and leaders are so encouraging with one another and it’s a beautiful thing to see everyone lift each other up.
What I’m learning about myself:
-I am stronger than I think I am
-I can adapt to a new life style! I’ve never been camping before and now I’m living out of a tent for 3.5 months! I also don’t need a shower everyday.
-I don’t need to be on my phone 24/7 to feel connected to the world.
-My growth isn’t always linear, meaning that I am still growing through my ups and downs (I got that from my team leader.)
THE HARDEST DAY OF MY LIFE
Day 4…
Where do I start? The fitness hike. The hardest physical thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. Did you hear that? My ENTIRE life. We had to hike 2.2 miles in under 38 minutes. Here’s the catch. With our 45 lb backpack on. Man, I’m sweating just thinking about it. I’m still sore if y’all are wondering. I’m cried most of the way and stopped to try to throw up several times. As much as I wanted to, I could not change my “I can’t” to “I can”. I wanted to give up and call it quits and just go back to Florida and back to working at the ice-cream shop. If I can’t stretch myself and get myself out of my comfort zone day 4, what makes me think I have the potential to continue pushing myself for 9 more months? The hills of the fitness hike are just the beginning to the hills I will face this year.
I wouldn’t have made it without my team and leaders encouraging me. Bern, my squad leader, held my hand almost all of the hike. She held my sweaty hand and dragged me through the woods, telling me I COULD and I was strong enough to do it. Bern did not have to run that with me, she did that all out of love for me. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that my leaders have only known me for a few days and have shown me support and love that life long friends would have given. When I caught up to my teammates, we held hands and cried through another hill together. My teammate Abby and I crossed that finish line together.
We made it in 35 minutes. I am so thankful for the encouragement I had. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my leaders and teammates being the voice telling me “I CAN” when my head was screaming “I CAN’T”.
God is bigger than my emotions. He is the reason I’m fighting, it’s hard to stay positive all the time and not miss hot showers and toilets and friends and family back home.
“Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey home” -Psalm 33:10
Love y’all!!
