Moving right before training camp was probably not the smartest idea but sometimes you have to deal with circumstances beyond your control and adapt in an effort to continue moving forward with the journey. Perseverance keeps being instilled into my journey for sure and Paul calls us in scripture to run the race marked out for us.
G-d showed me what true friendship looks like as the body of Christ came together in my move and in going to Training Camp. I am grateful for my friends coming alongside of me and helping me move giving above and beyond what I would consider in providing help to ensure my transition could be possible. In the past, I was used to relying on myself to get the job done because circumstances dictated independent living. This in some ways makes it harder to accept help from others but I realized you can’t do everything alone. Sometimes, you need help and it’s okay to ask for it. I know the move would have been much harder without their service and beyond blessed is how I felt in accepting help from them. Humans weren’t made to function in isolation but rather in community.
Then I get to Training Camp…think of boot camp for the military but instead it’s for missionaries. There were a ton of scenarios our trainers/coaches gave us that we had to work through as a team. There were countless sessions which spiritually and mentally drained you. On top of all that we had to sleep outside every night in the cold not knowing what scenario would happen next. However, once again community was being reinforced.
These people who I haven’t met before (aside from a few GroupMe conversations/video chats) come alongside of me to ensure I’m equipped for not only the mission field but for life so I can complete the tasks required of me. Touching moment #1 was to see my whole squad come out and cheer me on/run the last part with me during the fitness hike. Talk about an AMAZING and redemptive discovery! Almost every facet of training camp involved helping others and putting others first as we learned about a different culture each day and went through the day’s schedule of events. We as a squad even split up tasks among members to get jobs completed within restricted time limits. I grew an appreciation for the word team and how any of us could technically be the weakest link at any given moment but by helping each other out of our areas of strength, we succeeded. My mom told me before camp that I had already won no matter what happened and I can see how this is true with the team building exercises. Even when we didn’t come in first or had technically failed at something, we still won overall because of our heart and mindset during the challenges.
Ultimate lesson from camp- to know Him and to make Him known is worth more than my comfortability. Also I think authentic community is what I have been missing the last few years. It is very challenging to live from this place but also oh so worth it. Next year, I will be spending 11 months with my new family living out of this community environment. May we all be open to what it is G-d has to reveal to us.
G-squad aka the “Brutes”
