Training Camp was 10 days camping in Gainesville, GA with all the people I will be travelling with for the next 11 months. It full of challenging situations and times to think and hang out. Here’s some of what I learned:
- You’re not out of the woods. We were put through realistic, but hard scenarios. Freezing in a tent because I didn’t have a sleeping bag (our luggage was “lost”). Sleeping on a cold picnic bench in the rain (our campout was rained out). Perhaps out of all of this the point is not to make it through everything, but to find peace within all of it.
- You can handle more than you think. None of the hard things were really that bad. When you don’t have a choice, you can do it. I was so concerned about not getting enough sleep. But, I made it through the days when I really didn’t sleep.
- You haven’t arrived. There is so much more to learn and figure out.
- New is hard, but exciting. Several times during Training Camp I caught myself wanting my new friendships, experiences and roles to be like the old. But, the old is still part of my story so I don’t need to replicate it. The new is different, but a good different.
- You have to fight for what you want. None of this will be easy. We have only seem a glimpse of the rest of the year. Being with people all the time is hard and teamwork requires effort. But, it is worth it.
- You are already enough. Jesus has qualified you. I don’t need to prove myself or be like anyone else.
- It’s not about you. Sometimes there are roles that seem small. They’re not. I need to be a team player and part of the big picture. Everything is important.
Most of all, I’m learning to go with whatever happens. I don’t know what the next year will bring, but if Training Camp is any indication it will be challenging and exciting.
