World Race training camp…so completely amazing, yet very difficult to put into words. It was challenging, both physically and spiritually, yet renewing. It brought me to a new level in my Christian walk, bringing me closer to God. I am in love with P Squad and the Christian love we all have for each other. I have never felt community in the way I did during this week. This was a week of growing and preparing for the bigger journey which awaits P Squad in January (as well as all my supporters and followers!).
As I have been unpacking and organizing my things from training camp, I have found red mud covering many things…Georgia decided it would be fun for us to have muddy feet, muddy tents, mud on anything. The weather was rainy, damp and chilly most of the week. I have slept in tents, on concrete floors, outside on tarps with my entire squad and in a giant tent with 10 other girls. Showers were cold water using a bucket. Most of us didn’t shower. I didn’t wash my hair for 6 days. But, I would not change a thing. It doesn’t matter if you are dirty. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t showered. It doesn’t matter that you are damp and cold. God was there at training camp and we had everything we truly need.
Putting the physical things aside, we spent the week being challenged and educated by pastors and AIM staff to help us assess our identity in Christ and how we live that out currently and how that will look during and after the Race. We dealt with underlying wounds and losses, grief from past events, and learned how we best connect with God. There were also times when the staff pushed us to our limits mentally and physically in order to see how we could work together and overcome obstacles.
Being pushed during many different scenarios was part of the World Race staffs process in putting together our small teams. In each country our squad will separate into teams of 6 to 7 people and I am blessed to have a fabulous all girls team. I know we will enjoy life and ministry together and it will be an honour to serve the nations with them. I would be honoured to serve with any of the members of P Squad and if team changes occur, I will excitedly serve in ministry with them!
Training camp challenged me to let go of comforts…beds, warmth, eating what I want, when I want it and embrace the community of my squad. When those simple comforts are taken away I become much more in tune with who I truly am as a person, as a child of God and as a member of a Christian community. Truly valuable things stay the same; the love of God, the love from and for other people, serving the Lord and serving people.
In this community of amazing, God-serving people, I felt beautiful even though I hadn’t showered, loved unconditionally despite having just met and blessed when I was not allowed access to many of my things. There were mornings when I couldn’t change my clothes, day after day when I didn’t look in a mirror. I have never felt such pure community and love from people whom I had just met. My squad loves each other as we are and I can’t wait to embrace everything about them, love on them and love on the people of the nations with them. Our journey together has just begun and it is exciting to see what God has waiting for us!
