After some processing time and a tiny but rising ache in my chest, I have come to the conclusion that I have given my heart away. Accidentally. Completely unaware. Not to a boyfriend, not to a place, not to an idealistic concept, but to an entire experience and a new family of Christ that I gained at training camp for our Race.
Training Camp at a glance (I swear, it was “a glance” when I first started, but there is just so much to say!):
- so, so many pairs of chacos shoes
- many debates over the pronunciation of “hammock”- no, it is not pronounced ham-MOCK, but we still love you
- more healing from God than I thought possible in such a short time, for everyone
- bucket showers- if you have not experienced these yet, it’s a must for your next travel destination
- every emotion you can possibly think of, all mashed together
- awesome, awesome sessions with a rad South African preacher
- endless sweat in the Georgia humidity
- me complaining about the white bread and lack of any kind of fruit or vegetable- I swear Georgia sells some kind of wheat bread, and I know for a fact they have peaches
- my outlet for “rebellion”- I didn’t wear my name tag even when I was supposed to! I get a little rambunctious sometimes. Prayers needed.
- random outbursts of the happy birthday song- Clay, it will forever be your day
- “eh” and “y’all” as a new addition to all of our vocabularies
- more insults regarding my personal hygiene than should be legal in America- Squad, despite the continuous comments about me not brushing my teeth, avoiding showering, etc., I actually did take care of myself during camp. I promise…
- REI (and MEC, for our fellow Canadians we are trying to accept) gear galore
- massive amounts of Jesus’ presence
- a beautiful night spent around a campfire worshipping with our voices and sharing our testimonies
- eating salvaged pizza on the roof of a storage unit at 2 am- it’s scary how much I love that cheesy doughy goodness
- an abnormal absence of physical affection between the men and women- don’t want to go falling in love now do we! Joking. Kind of.
- God wrecking us all with His presence during worship
- somewhat impulsive but still super sweet tattoos from a little shop in Gainsville- the amount of nude “art” in that shop still has me a liiiittle scarred
- Jesus. Jesus. More Jesus. This guy is insane, you have to meet him!
- several exotic meals of chicken feet, mystery meat, and worm noodles
- 43 men and women who would go to the ends of the earth for each other and for the Lord, because they have experienced his genuine adoration and grace
There were so many laughs and tears and joyful moments these past days. Every single person on this squad has so much to give to us and the people we are going to serve overseas. My heart is committed to these radiant new friends I have made, the mission of the World Race, my adventure backpack, and the vision of Jesus Christ. I don’t know how, but I accidentally gave my heart away, and there is no other experience, community, or God I would rather have hold on to it for me.
