Training camp was a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. As I have been home I have been slowly processing all that happened and everything that I learned and let me tell you a lot happened, but through this I learned so much. I learned a lot about God, and my relationship with God. I learned how to grow in my relationship with God and how to help others grow in their own relationship. Below is a list of some of the biggest lessons that I learned while at training camp.
First, I learned what it means to be a missionary. In the past I thought that being a missionary was something radical, that you had to travel to exotic countries to do. Training camp completely changed my perspective on this. I learned that being a missionary is more then just doing mission work for two hours a day, it is a mindset. It is a choice made every hour, every minute, every second of the day. This made me realize that I am so lucky that I get the opportunity to be a missionary in exotic countries, but I am also a missionary in my own hometown. I realized that being a missionary is more then just a segment or a season in my life, but it is a lifestyle, one that I have to continually choose.
Second, I learned that I can hear God. This resulted in my relationship with God to reach a new level. During training camp God revealed himself to me in a new way. Through this God showed me that He has always been there for me, even during times where I thought He was nowhere near me. This helped affirm my trust in Him and made me look forward or at least be more confident in the hard times in the future knowing that God will always be there even if He seems far away.
Third, I learned how to ensure healthy communication. This makes me so excited because I value communication, I think it is something that is very important. At training camp I learned a great tool to help build relationships now and in the future. I learned a tool that will be applicable in the rest of my life for communication and that makes me so excited.
Fourth, I learned a lot about lice. Unfortunately, at training camp there was an outbreak of lice. Over 20 girls on my squad got lice. Unfortunately, I was one of those girls. Before training camp I had never had lice and didn’t know very many people who have had lice. So I learned a lot. I learned what lice looks like, how to treat lice, and how to prevent from getting lice in the future. This is going to be very helpful and practical for the race where I will most likely get lice again. In the end, as much of a hassle that getting lice was, it was a blessing. Without getting lice I would have been very unprepared for lice on the field where it isn’t as easy to remove.
Lastly, and most importantly, I learned that I am enough, that I am seen by God, and that I am deeply loved by God. I learned that God meets me where I am and loves me for who I am. This love that God has for me, and for everyone is something that I am so excited to share.
In the end, training camp was an amazing experience. It was exhausting and a rollercoaster of emotions. It was a transformative ten days, where my relationship with God was challenged and stretched in so many ways. I learned so many lessons, lessons that I am eager to implement in my life. In just 50 days I launch for the race and I could not be more excited!
