When I left Charlotte a week and a half ago, rested, clean, fresh-faced and unsure I picked up my 40 lb pack and left behind my expectations. In leaving those expectations I left room for all that would happen in 10 days of a worshiping, learning, writing, walking, cold-bucket-showering, community eating, squad-dancing, sweaty, dirty, exhausting life. World Race Training Camp can’t be fully described in one post, but let me share with you 3 big things I took away.
Welcome to Life in Community – It only took 10 short days to call 25 strangers family. All day I’ve been actively watching Facebook and our group message for updates and videos and new blog posts. Anxious to hear how everyone is doing, how they chose to tell their story. I never expected to love a group of 25 strangers so quickly, but I do! That’s what happens when you eat every meal together (some with your hands) or when they pray for you through your failures. When you suffer through the bad and celebrate the good together. It happens when you step out of your comfort zone and dance in front of a hundred other strangers or when you eat weird things together. And what happens when you open your heart and make a decision to say yes to being vulnerable even when it’s uncomfortable. We’re not perfect, but God knew what he was doing we he put us all together. I can’t wait to do life with these 25 individuals over the next year.
Meet V Squad 2017
Finding Freedom – This was probably the single most important lesson that I took away from camp. Over 10 days I was reminded that I am a work in progress, and that Jesus is inviting me to freedom. During our session about emotions and why they are important the speaker drew a spiral on the board. She used her illustration to paint a picture of levels of healing that the Holy Spirit leads us through in life, each step taking us deeper. At camp God invited me to the next level of healing and gently prepared me for a year where I’ll go deeper than I have before. So often we think we’ve learned, and yet each time we are “triggered” it seems to hurt more than it did the last time as we swallow the bitter pill of realization that while we made progress, God wants us to go deeper, that he’s not finished with us yet. I know what he really wants is for us to surrender all of the pain, heartache and fear to Him, but we often cling to it like a child’s security blanket not wanting to let go of what has protected us for so long, not wanting to let go of what is familiar. He knows when it’s time to invite us to give a little more, and when it’s time to let us rest with the hurt that we’re still holding on to. In the end, isn’t this the message of the cross, that Jesus laid down his life for us so we can be free of sin, shame and hurt? During one activity this week we were asked to pick a word to carry with us as a theme for duration of our race, I chose freedom, because that’s where I want to live, in freedom.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
“YES! I am SO excited” – I’ve been asked so many times over the last several months if I was excited, and the question challenged me. Certainly, what I am preparing to do is exciting, but I didn’t feel excited. Instead I felt anxious, and overwhelmed by the exhaustive to-do list that just seemed to keep growing. Add the support raising to that and the excitement usually took a backseat to “I wonder how am I going to do this?” Now, it is absolutely positively “YES, YES, YES!” I’m excited to share my life with 25 beautiful people, to learn from the leaders and mentors that AIM has entrusted us to on this journey. But mostly I’m excited to see all of the sweet faces that I’ll get to love and serve. To hear the stories of those who are hurting and pray over them. I’m excited to see miracles and grow in my faith with those around me. I’m excited to see the beautiful, expansive world that God has created and experience as much as I can. I feel like training camp made it real somehow, maybe it was the practical training, or the stories told by our leaders of their experience on the field, or the scenarios that forced us to consider what life and ministry would look like. I can’t tell you exactly what it was that changed me at training camp, but now more than ever I’m excited to go.
Just before squad wars we struck a pose representing how we felt about training camp.
BUT I can’t go without your help! I’m just over the 50% mark of my goal – woohoo! Thank you so much for all of those who have given!! I still need about $850 to launch with my squad in August, that is, I have to have $10,000 in that teal bar at the top of the page by July 21st. Can you help me get there? Consider donating to help spread the Gospel of Jesus, to show orphans that they are loved and wanted, to bring healing to the sick and so much more.
