So it has been about a week and a half since I have been home from training camp. It has taken me a while to truly process and understand the wonderful things the Lord showed me and taught me at training camp (and I am still processing some of it…). I really didn’t know what to expect from training camp, except that I would be meeting the people that would become my family for the next 13 months. The night before training camp felt like it was the night before my first day at a new school. I had no clue what it would be like and I didn’t know a single person! I can truly say that it was the best “first day of school” I have ever experienced! My new family a.k.a. the S squad is the beyond amazing, but I will share more about the awesomeness of living in community with them in another blog : )
The Lord rocked my world at training camp! I thought I had myself pretty much together. I didn’t have any “major” baggage, I had just graduated with a degree that I love, I was on fire for the Lord, and I was ready to go serve his people around the world for 11 months! Boy oh boy was I in for a surprise! Right from the start the Lord began showing me how I was still chained down by past hurts and sins. He also revealed to me that in order to truly experience the freedom that He has offered me I need to break free from those chains! I have never felt so free and unhindered as I did the day my chains were broken and came crashing down! I will forever remember that first feeling of absolute freedom that I felt once I truly surrendered and let go! I can’t wait to continue to walk, no wait…RUN in this newfound freedom!
After allowing the Lord to truly set me free from my chains, I began to experience His joy and fullness in a way I never had before. I can’t even begin to put what I felt into words. So what do you do when 150ish people have just started to experience the freedom God had always intended for us? You have an all night worship/dance session of course!!!! Our worship for the first few days was led by Jonathan Helser and his wife Melissa, who are incredibly gifted! (you should definitely check out their music!) I have never experienced worship like the worship at training camp, but let me tell you it was beyond awesome! You know it was a good night when you wake up sore with no voice because you were dancing for joy and shouting praises to our King! Freedom and all night worship sessions were just the beginning…..stay tuned for more about training camp in my next blog!
