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On October 26th, I said goodbye to my fantastic squad and mentors. I feel like I have known them my whole life as we grew together so quickly. I currently live with my grandma here in Gainesville, Ga where training camp was. The past three weeks, I have been processing all that I have learned and experienced. The Lord did some miraculous things in my heart and others around me!
THE ARRIVAL
At the start of training camp, I was kind of nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. And to be completely honest, I was intimidated by being the only person of color on my squad. As training camp went on the enemy was attacking me with lies saying that I was inferior by the color of my skin. He would tell me things like, “You don’t belong here” ” You aren’t a Child of God”. At first, not going to lie I felt indifferent. I felt these things because I was listening to the enemy. The enemy tried to distract me from loving and serving as Jesus did. I fell into a comparison trap, and it took my eyes off what God says about me and those I compared myself to around me.
1. We are ALL fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
2. We are ALL made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27
3. The Lord’s way is perfect, and his word is flawless. Psalm 18:30
4. The Kingdom of heaven is all-encompassing. Revelation 7:9
WHAT I LEARNED + EXPERIENCED
Throughout camp there were sessions were taught by multiple leaders. , The sessions included Storytelling, Missions, The Great Commission, Ladder of Legalism, Forgiveness, Shame, Listening Prayer, Sabbath, The Kingdom, Spiritual Warfare, The role of the Holy Spirit, Evangelism, and Identity.
The biggest fear I had was evangelism. I don’t come from a background where this is a thing going door to door. After the evangelism session, we went to the streets of Gainesville, Ga to practice evangelizing to people. BOY WAS I NERVOUS! I didn’t think I was capable let alone worthy enough. I was so caught up in what people might think of me. As I have pondered this, I have realized that the world hated Jesus first and therefore who cares what people of this earth will think of me. John 15:18-27 I am a seed planter, and he is the grower. 1 Corinthians 3:7 This truth takes the pressure off of me and my performance and places it on God. I could go in depth about what I learned in each session, but it would make this blog post too long.
Here is a list of a 15 things I learned and experienced at training camp.
1. Start your day with the things ABOVE! Colossians 3:1-3
2. The Holy Spirit comes to stay and partner with us. John 14:15-17 Matthew 14:19
3. Unforgiveness will rob you of your joy and peace. It will prevent you from loving others as Christ commanded us. John 13:34 When you are forgiven, you should forgive others also. Colossians 3:13 If we don’t forgive our neighbor, the Lord will do the same to us. Matthew 18:35
4. Cultural Awareness: How to dress, mannerisms when eating food, and gestures etc.
Also, crickets are sustainable and provide a great source of lean protein, vitamins, and minerals. 😀
5. The Ladder of Legalism keeps you from freedom. Judging one another based on behavior and what you are doing right is not of Christ. The Lord sent his son to restore the right relationship with him and not on how you behave or what you are doing.
6. Jesus was spiritual, not religious. Luke 11:37-54 Matthew 23:1-38
7. There is breakthrough and freedom when we worship!
8. How to get sleep in an airport layover scenario that is loud, crowded, and lit up with bright lights.
9. Keep quiet in a card game of Mao or a game of Ninja!
10. Squad wars can be exhausting. Haha
11. Man Hike Wisdom
I. Being a man is a choice.
II. Men belong on the battlefield but know which battles to fight.
III. Men can’t control time but can control themselves in time.
IV. Men are not defined by what they have but by what they give.
V. Men leave an inheritance.
12. Expectations, Insurance, and Information about the countries on my route.
13. God wants us in community with each other. Mathew 18:1-35
BTW there is freedom in the midst of dance parties!
14. Jesus walked into the kingdom and always found
I. The Least Person John 4:1-26
II. The Lowest Position as a servant. SERVE.
III. The Last Place Mark 39:3
15. We are called to go and make disciples of all nations all over the world.
Matthew 28:19-20 Matthew 24:14
HERE IS MY NEW COMMUNITY
We are The Sojourners!
Sojourners know that this world is not out home. We know that life on earth is a pilgrimage. In this pilgrimage, we will share the good news and make the world aware that this isn’t home. Our home is in heaven with our father! Here is my squad pictured below! We are a diverse group of people from different places around the country who are excited to start living out the Great Commission.
Team Resurgent!
Resurgent is my team below, and I humbly get the opportunity to lead them. The word resurgent means rising again. Through the sharing of testimonies, we all got to know each other well. It was through this time that we all saw a common trend in each other’s lives. We all have come out of something under the Toxic Community Umbrella (TCU). Toxic relationships, friend groups, churches, or isolation from community, in general, fell under this umbrella. We will rise again with Christ! Micah 7:8
Our team verse our Squad Leaders and Mentors gave us is Romans 8:14-15.
(Andrew, Me, Colby, Lee, Jake, and John)
If you feel led to donate, click HERE! I will be grateful for any amount the Lord has put on your heart. Alternatively, you can donate to me to help with additional expenses, including vaccinations and medication, gear and supplies. If you choose this option, click this PayPal link.
