Wow! Where do I begin? This week has been so amazing…and there’s still 4 days left! I have found this amazing freedom from chains I have been holding onto for so long. Things I thought I had gotten past a long time ago are now no longer a part of me. Even more so than the freedom is the community our October squad has formed (known as the S Squad). I have met so many amazing men and women of God this week and it has blown me away. These brothers and sisters in Christ have really become my family in this journey I will take around the world to serve the least of these and lift up the name of Jesus.
I have also been so stretched this week in the area of my comfort. It’s funny though because for the longest time I have been praying for God to make me uncomfortable so that He can use me in the way He wants to…and He is doing just that. Yesterday the men of the S squad were taken on a hike and weren’t told where we were going. We were told to grab a large stick or small branch on the way down because we would need to light a fire with them. Little did we know that we would have to carry these pieces of wood across a lake to make a fire with them on the other side. Personally, I am not the best swimmer, but add in carrying an object that I cannot get wet and I am a horrible swimmer. With a little help from the squad and leaders, I made it across safely along with everyone else. It was great to know that there is this brotherhood that the guys on our squad have that holds each one of us up and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable in front of each other or to confront someone if there is a problem.
Last night was also amazing because our entire squad went for a hike and camped outside. We got to cook over a fire and slept under the stars…it was amazing! We were split up into teams and because I said I really liked to cook, my team and another team were in charge of making dinner. We had chicken wings and veggies and all sorts of other things that had to be cooked over a fire. I have only cooked a little bit on the trail, but never anything raw or anything of this size. I had so much fun doing this and really realized how much I enjoyed cooking, especially for others. I also liked the challenge of doing something new that I really wasn’t sure about. The rest of the night we spent just singing and reflecting and praying over each other. I truly have an amazing squad! This is only the first of many entries about training camp and this journey I will be on for the next year or so…and I can’t wait to share them with you!
