Hello everyone!
First and foremost I want to thank the people that have supported me through prayer and finances! Without you guys I would not be going on this trip. I have been blessed by so many God-constructed moments where family, friends, and strangers have given out of their means and have sacrificed time and comfort to help send me on this mission trip! God has built my faith through actions like these. I believe he puts it on peoples hearts to give and when they respond it pleases him. Thankyouthankyouthankyou everyone for all of the support. I can’t say it enough and I appreciate it more then you could possibly know!
Moving on, I just got back from training camp! Woohoo!
It kicked our butts. Believe it or not waking up at 6 and 7am and sweating all day and hiking a bunch and staying up all night will make you tired. Any free time we were given immediately translated to nap time in our hammocks. At one point naps were taking priority over showering (they were bucket showers so it wasn’t like we were ever clean anyway). But don’t worry! The takeaways were positive and I came home feeling more mentally, physically, and spiritually prepared for this trip than when I left!
While I was away I met my team of about 50 people! I am going to be living with them for the next 9 months! During camp we lived together in a tight knit community and got to learn about each other and grow closer. Let me just say that these people are some of the most motivated and inspiring individuals I have ever met.
They all come from different walks of life but we are united through one purpose: to share the love we have received from Christ! From the first moment I met these people I felt loved and realized I had a home when I was with them. Let me explain that first moment.
So I woke up the morning I was supposed to fly to Atlanta, Georgia (where training camp was) to an email from Spirit Airlines saying “your flight has been cancelled, sorry for the inconvenience”. “WHAT THE HECK?!?!?”, was my response to that email. It turns out something was wrong with my planes “flaps” so I’m happy I wasn’t on that plane. “flaps” sound important to flying so I wasn’t gonna argue that one. I mean a bird flaps its wings when it flies and if it can’t flap then I don’t think it can fly. Probably two totally different kinds of flaps but I’m not an airplane technician so I went with it.
I scheduled a new flight and ended up landing 8 hours late to training camp. I made it to camp at about midnight and when I arrived most everyone was asleep in their tents. There were 5 other squads besides my own that had campsites set up and I had to wander around in the dark calling out “F Squad” trying to find my people.
After waking up a couple other of squads (sorry G squad) I eventually found them when some sleepy people said something along the lines of “that’s us” and “is that Nick??” from inside their tents. Usually if you wake people up when they are sleeping they will respond in a negative fashion but before I knew it people that were sleeping were awake and outside of their tents hugging me and asking to help set up my tent! There was even a spot that they prepared for me prior to my arrival to pitch my tent at! Talk about a community where love is at the center!
My first experience with this team perfectly depicted exactly why we are even going on this trip; to help find people who are lost and wandering and to give up our own comforts to make life easier for them. Not only that, but to show them love. Not tell them what love is but to show it to them through our actions.
My team didn’t stay in their tents and say “Oh hey Nick so happy you made it! Make sure you stake your tent on level surface and good luck with all that.” They anticipated I was coming, saved a spot for me to setup my tent, and then left the comfort of their tents in the middle of their sleep to help me set mine up. I felt welcomed and I knew I was home.
Over the next 10 days we prepared for our 9 month journey. We got to know about each other and we did various team building activities. We had teachings and worship everyday and learned more about the heart behind this trip. We shared a plate of food that would normally feed one person between 8 people (It was actually a luxury to feel satisfied and full, which put a lot of things into perspective). We learned about the cultures of the places we were traveling and discovered what life was like in many different countries (Did you know 25% of India lives on less than 40 cents a day?!). We talked about what is important to bring and what we shouldn’t bring on the trip. It was a very practical 10 days with spiritual fulfillment and tips on how to live day-to-day while we are out on the field.
One of the days at training camp the men went on a 12 mile hike on the Appalachian trail (I’m convinced 11 of those miles were uphill but I was told differently). We roughed it and drank water from the streams and cooked food over a fire. I’m not the most outdoorsy guy in the world so this was a big step for me. We slept there in our tents overnight and got picked up in the morning. I felt like I was on an episode of survivor. We told each other our stories on the hike and talked about commitment and accountability. I’m excited to do life with these guys. Know that I am in a community where I feel like I belong and where I am loved.
Spending 10 days with these people changed me. I learned what it was like to be benevolent. To truly care about those around you and to put others before yourself.
Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”
I learned how to give. Not how to give because it was the right thing to do but to give because my heart led me to. There were days where half of my teammates had all of their stuff taken away and we had to share what we had. We shared tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, pillows, clothes, shampoo, and deodorant. You name it and we probably shared it (and yes two people on our team shared a toothbrush. That’s true dedication right there). We had to split the portions of our meals into fair amounts and work as a team and suffer in hunger together rather than have 2 people who were full and 6 who were starving. We shared everything we had with each other because we loved one another. And we loved each other because Christ loved us.
“One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.” – Amy Charmichael
If I spent 10 days with these people and It affected me this much I can’t imagine what God is going to do to the people overseas who are going to be spending months with us. I started to see how these next 9 months are going to change me over training camp but I also saw how they are going to change anyone we come into contact with. With God by our side and with the team of people we have, nothing can stop us. Look out Albania, Philippines, and South Africa; F squad is coming for ya (as long as we get to take periodic naps).
