FUTURE RACERS: I encourage you to not read this and go into training camp with an open mind and heart. You will get so much more out of the experience by not comparing it to others’ experiences.
Its been nine days and somehow I still cannot come up with the right words to explain the struggle and the beauty that is training camp. It has taken me this long to write a blog because I know nothing I write can do justice to the ten days I spent camping in Georgia with 43 of the most God-like people I’ve ever met. Because my feelings about training camp are so mixed and jumbled, I decided to give a rundown of what training camp looked like on a daily basis and the overall experience as a camper, and save the details for one on one conversations if you are interested.
Getting there.
Getting to training camp had me feeling allllll the emotions. I was excited. I was tired. I was awake way too many hours for a human to function. And I was scared out of my mind. I took a redeye flight out of Portland with my friend Sara who is also doing the race. Our flight landed at 6:30 am and we weren’t being picked up by staff until 3:00pm. This left far too many hours of anxious thought and anticipation but I was pleasantly surprised by the inviting faces I found waiting at the airport. We had hundreds of people in the airport playing games and getting to know each other as we waited to be picked up. As soon as people from my squad started to arrive I felt much more at ease seeing faces I recognized from our squad group chats. I quickly felt at home with a group of gals and I was ready to take on the ten days together.
Our first picture taken together at the airport. An accurate representation of the first day: a big old blur of trying to match faces to names, find your people, and get settled in doing life together.
Camp life.
Each squad had its own campsite where each member would set up his/her tent. We had 50 tents squeezed into our campsite a majority of nights. We had three scenario nights where we were faced with situations that are more than likely to happen at least once on the field. We had one night where we slept in the “airport”, one night where half of our stuff got “stolen” and we had to share tents/clothes/shower stuff/literally everything, and we had community tent night to prepare us for host situations where we will room with large numbers of people. The scenario nights are meant to be challenging but they ended up being my favorite nights of camp. The only bad part is that means packing up your stuff and setting it back up a million times. So not fun!
As far as food goes, it was not bad at all. We had themed days, India day was my favorite (yummmm curry) but I’m allergic to mango which was in all three meals that day, so I only took a few bites of each and then ate my allergy bowl :(.
Bugs! So. Many. Bugs. From giant beetles to grand daddy long legs (huge) to centipedes, and other things I have never even seen/heard of before… I wish I could say it made me more ready to take on the bugs I’ll cross on the race but… nope.
Setting up camp for the first time.
A beetle as big as a ??? idk??? Golf ball??
People.
TEAM HOPE. We met our teams at training camp and dang, I’m blessed with the best. I absolutely love my team. Dan, Allyson, SJ, Kenzie, Alyse, Selina… I am dang happy to be your teammate.
All 44 members of Gap V are amazing and so unique. I could not imagine a better squad.
Our team before Squad Wars on the final night. Top: Kenzie, SJ, Allyson.
Bottom: Selina, Dan, me, Alyse
Another picture of Team Hope after our fitness hike test. We all passed but.
It was a struggle. This picture includes our team leader, Olivia.
We thought we’d win the dance off if we lifted Hope up as she spits water everywhere. Didn’t work.
FREEDOM
I experienced freedom in new ways at training camp. I absolutely love the safe environment that Adventures in Missions provides for people to be honest about where they’re at, and encourage people to invite others into their walk of life, and speak truth over the lies holding us captive. This whole organization backs everything by scripture and they proclaim freedom over everyone. I acknowledged pain I’ve never been able to acknowledge before and the love and truth I received from Father and from my leadership team/squad set me FREE! I am forever thankful for the outpour of love I experienced. I was baptized as a outward sign of showing my new life I’ve been given in Jesus. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Three other girls from my squad and I chose to take this step of committing to a life of loving and serving our Father, because He has first loved us and He made us clean. Also cool – one of my very best friends baptized me.
Brittany, Cami, and Melissa, I am so proud of you, and so happy to take this step with you three.
I see Jesus in each of you so very clearly.
Yayyy Lauren baptized me!
One of few moments in my life I felt c o m p l e t e l y free. Rain pouring down. Laughter all around. A rainbow on the other side. Joy. Pure joy.
Friends, I would love to talk to you about training camp in more depth or about my future as a racer! Feel free to email me ([email protected]), text me, or comment below! Please join me in prayer as I prepare for the race for the next six weeks. If you want to support me financially you can donate at the top of my blog, or buy a t shirt, bracelets, or stickers.
I’ll be doing another blog within the next day or two about some things I heard from the Lord at camp. 🙂
