It’s been almost two weeks since I came back from training camp. I had a lot of time to really process my 10 days in Gainesville, Georgia since my voice was almost non existent for a little over a week. After spending quite a while trying to figure out what to share about my training experience here’s what I have to say:
I thought maybe I could tell you about all the difficult and gross experiences. At training camp we were put in the worst situations that could happen to us. We used overflowing porta-potties and our only form of bathing were bucket-showers or baby wipes. We ate every meal with our hands. We went days where half our gear was gone. We shared our tents, clothes, and even deodorant. Although, deodorant didn’t mean much because sweating was nonstop since day one. We hiked 3 miles with all of our gear in under 50 minutes. Our team had numerous sickness, injuries and ambulances. We were hot, we were tired, we were hungry, and we probably smelled worse than we thought we did; but that was NOT what I got out of my training camp experience.
Training camp was actually:
Sitting around a “bonfire” (a pile of headlamps turned on the red-light setting) on the first night, telling embarrassing stories until 1am and laughing until our sides hurt.
Having a stray dog show up out of nowhere to hangout with us from time to time and naming it Reggie/Buddie. He kept us up all night with his barking.
Singing on top of our lungs without holding back and losing your voice halfway through the week because of it.
Having a night where we were worshipping nonstop from 11pm-6am. Sleeping in mock airports. Creating tarp shelters. Making hammock clusters in the trees and cracking jokes until we fall asleep.
Meeting your first team and driving around on an aimless adventure with them.
Praying over and for each other without hesitation. And having multiple people come up to you and pray over you without even asking. Praying as a team and for the team before every meal, at every activity and in every tough situation.
Being humbled to see everyone sacrificing and sharing everything to make sure everyone was well off. Being tent buddies, sharing clothes, water bottles, baby wipes, and even our precious snacks.
Dancing like idiots. Playing team bonding games. Laughing at each other’s accents. Rushing to get out of downpours. Adventuring to the lakes. Just finding any moment to have a good time.
Being open and vulnerable about everything with no judgement. Never hiding anything. Finding our voices and sharing our testimonies. Building each other up and growing.
Training camp was spending every uncomfortable moment with strangers that quickly turned into family. It was being in a diverse community that was always Christ focused. It’s one step closer to the amazing journey we are headed on.
Many would say training camp was the best experience they would never want to experience again. But I wouldn’t mind another 9 months with these awesome people.
