In September, Adventures in Missions gathered the First Year Missionaries and World Racers in Gainesville, Georgia for training. Given only a brief description of what “training” would entail, I had no idea what to expect. I FOUND 1) a training staff that personifies the heart of God and who speaks with the wisdom that only comes from experience, 2) a team of World Racers whom (after only two weeks) have grown such deep and unique roots in my heart that I cannot imagine my life without them, 3) a God who LOVES me, heals me, frees me, forgives me, breaks me, calls me, and empowers me. I could write a book on what God did at training, but instead I will give you excerpts in the form of 20 Things I Learned at Training. If you want the whole story, you’ll just have to email me. 🙂 Here goes…
1. Bugs for Bread
We awoke the first morning of training as refugees. The only instructions we were given (by the ‘officers’ in camo) were to wear long pants, wear shoes, and get on the bus. We were informed that we were refugees for an undisclosed amount of time. You see, we had watched Invisible Children the night before, which tells the story of child refugees in Uganda who are forced to commute to “safe havens” every night to avoid being abducted, tortured, and forced into a child rebel army. It is the story of a war older than its warriors. Briefly, the situation with refugees is this: They are forced to leave their homes (usually out of fear of death) and run (normally across a border). However, the country they run to doesn’t want them and they are treated as second-class citizens (or worse). Sometimes, it can be difficult to distinguish between refugee camps and concentration camps.
We were broken into “families” for the day in the refugee camp, and I had around nine siblings. Most of everything we brought was taken from us. With designated eating times and alloted amounts of food, our family spent the morning thinking of ways to win us extra pieces of bread. Eventually, James, Sarah, and Michelle (brave souls) ate significantly large crickets in order to entertain the guards and get bread. Way to take one for the team! In total at the refugee camp, I ate two mints, two pieces of bread, and one rice cake with a scoop of oatmeal on it.
My experience as a “refugee” was a shock to my system. I was told when I could eat (one piece of bread), when I could drink (a shared cup of water), and when I could go to the bathroom (behind a tarp in the woods, with many other women). We later had a session on personal rights and what we feel entitled to. It hit home with me. Refugee camp was like a ‘comfort detox’ to me. In my daily life, if I’m hungry I go to Taco Bell. If I’m tired, I take a nap. If I have to go to the bathroom, I use a flush toilet. These are some of the many things I feel/felt entitled to. The reality is that this is not a reality for most of the world. And for refugees, they survive every day with no sense of belonging and none of the luxuries (or necessities) that we so take for granted. I also learned at the refugee camp that Jesus Himself was a refugee (with no place to lay his head). Jesus also tells us that whatever we do for “the least of these” we do unto Him. We spent
one day in the refugee camp (which ended in a hunger march to empathize with the hungry) and this is how many people spend their
lives.
2. Waking Up at 5:30am is Not Always Cruel and Unusual Torture
That’s right folks. 5:30am. That is well before the sun. Almost every day. I remember knowing that it was time to wake up and thinking, “No! It can’t be! Not already!” Then I would convince myself to just sit up, and eventually I would leave the cozy comfort of my sleeping bag to stumble across the cold, wet grass to the meeting tent. We, the World Racers, gathered every morning to begin our days by coming together and coming before the Lord in prayer. Though at times it was difficult for me to close my eyes and not fall asleep, God moved powerfully among us every morning as if to say, “Good morning. I am so pleased that you have set aside time to be with me.” We split into small groups to help everyone feel included and to create an environment to pray for each other. We prayed for the nations, for the countries we will be going to, for our generation, for each other… I feel that God blessed our sacrifice. Also, morning prayer helped me start the day with the truth that God is intimately involved in my life and wants to walk with me every step of the day. He also wants me to see the world through His eyes.
3. It Hurts for a Reason
Pain has a purpose. The first weekend of trainnig was dedicated to inner healing, or the process of addressing “wounds” in our past, realizing how they affect us now, and seeking healing and restoration from God. One step of this is grief journaling. It turns out that many of us stifle our pain (huh!). The problem is, any pain that we push down below the surface pops up elsewhere in our lives. It can come out in the form of unjustified irritability, super-sensitivity, or multiple other ways. The idea behind grief journaling is to let God bring up wounds (which does require you to feel the pain again) and allow him entry into that part of your life. Grief journaling helped me realize that there were hurts from my past that I haven’t completely dealt with, and that I need healing in order to walk in the wholeness and freedom that God offers. This exercise opened my eyes to the ways that my past is affecting how I live now.
“Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:2
4. The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn
Is just to love and be loved in return. There’s something that happens in a group of people when God invades each heart and unites them. It’s called koinonia (def: a communion, fellowship). It’s the only explanation that accounts for why the strangers I met on September 6th and now my brothers and sisters. Each adds a unique and irreplaceable spark to my life, and I can’t imagine my world without them. Ask me about any one of them, and I will tell you what I love. Now, I understand that this instant connection is abnormal. In my everyday life, people normally progress from strangers to acquaintences, to casual friends, to close friends, and eventually to family. But when God calls His people together, He unites them as His Church, HIS PEOPLE. As such, we are expected to love each other despite our imperfections and forgive each other in light of our flaws. We are called to build one another up, pray for one another, and put each other above ourselves.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-10
5. FREEDOM! (Right on, William Wallace!)
I am not musically gifted. Normally I only sing in the car (yes I do belt out Kelly Clarkson hits while I’m headed down the freeway with my window’s down). I can keep a beat, but can’t play an instrument. So how did I get up in front of a large group of people and sing and dance? Let me tell you…
Due to a number of battles, I have walked around most of my life with spiritual shackles, chains that keep me treading along, instead of running, leaping, and dancing forward in my journey with God. Throughout the first few days of training, I met with several leaders gifted in prayer ministry and counseling. Through these means, God helped me forgive myself, forgive others, heal my wounds, take back ground the enemy has stolen, and rejoice in who God has created me to be and the future He has in store for me. I have never felt so free.
So fast forward a few hours. We had come up with ’50 ways to worship without a worship leader’ because we won’t always have a guy and a guitar in the field. This particular night, we were each encouraged to worship in whatever way we felt led. Some people were journaling, some were reading Scripture aloud, some were praying silently… I couldn’t get a couple of songs out of my head, so I retreated to a corner of the room and began to sing them quietly to God. After a few minutes of individual time, the leader said that he felt like God had put songs on some people’s hearts and that He wanted those people to come sing them. I knew I was one of the people He was referring to, but I hesitated. I decided to compromise with God and walk forward, to the side of the room and see what happens from there. WELL, the leader looked right over to me and said, “Come forward and sing the song God put on your heart!” I stepped forward timidly, turned down the offer for the microphone, and quietly sung the first few words of the song on my heart. I closed my eyes, and then it was just me and God. So I lifted my hands and danced in celebration and sang boldly, as loud as I could, declaring that God had freed me! I finished the song, walked to the side, sat down, and cried (joyfully). Immediately, others began to confirm that God used my obedience to rejoice through song and dance to touch their lives and bring them freedom. Below are the words to the song I sang:
Taste and see that the Lord is good// Taste and see that the Lord is good to me
You’ve turned my mourning into dancing//Put off my rags and clothed me with gladness
I will rise and I will praise You//I’ll sing and not be silent
Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever//Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You
I’ll live only for You//I’ll lift these hands up to You
I’ll dance before You//I’ll shout it! I’ll shout it!
Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever//Oh Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You
