On Tuesday July 27th, a couple days into training camp we were all feeling like it had been about a week since we got there, not for any reasons to complain about, but because so much had happened in the short time we’d been at camp that our minds and bodies were in shock.
As a part of a squad you learn to work together in various situations, e.g. moving bits of metal/plastic/rope around a big rope while screaming and yelling at your team mates (encouragements, obviously). Part of our squad bonding was an adventure. Now, I can’t go into too much detail otherwise Jimmy will probably be very disappointed that I let one of his cats out of the bag, but I can tell you that our adventure took us out of where we’d been comfortable for the past couple days and into some serious bonding time.
We had an amazing feast of a dinner thanks to my amazing squad mates and their mad fire-cooking skills. That day had been “budget day” for the previous two meals, so we were all pretty hungry, and we ate until our stomachs were truly, truly full. I then decided, as the sensible woman that I am, to go for a swim almost immediately after dinner, but not before I roasted a few marshmallows and smeared them on some graham crackers.
If you’ve never been to Georgia at the end of July there’s something you need to know – it’s hot. It’s DANG hot, and humid. So hot, in fact, that the lake water isn’t just warm, it’s almost the same temperature as the air. This was a true shock to my Canadian body. But as the sun set and the temperature cooled (a little), a few of us crawled into the lake to find that the water was the most comfortable temperature to paddle about in. We watched as the 1st stars came out, and as the bats swooped and swirled over our heads eating the mosquitoes (Thank-you God for bats), the majority of my squad came into the water.
We had our fun and games and then one of the girls says, “Hey guys, I think we should make some declarations.” Declarations are, in case you don’t know, truths that you can speak, knowing that they are true in and because of God. As we learned from Allison Johnston, declarations are much better if you scream them. We found that they are especially better if one is in a Georgia lake as the day changes to night, surrounded by strong men and women of God. This act in itself amazed and freed me, I love my squad and their passion for God. In the distance we heard S-Squad singing out worship, and Ryan spoke up and said he thought we should pray about the support we all still need. The financial side of this trip is a challenge and worry for all of us, so we get in a circle, put our arms around each other and began to pray for support. I have a confession to make, I am a bit of a rule breaking where it comes to praying – I like to pray with my eyes open. As my new brothers and sisters shared their hearts with God I watched airplanes pass in the purple dusk sky, I looked at the constellations as the prayers for support turned to prayers of praise and thanksgiving. As we thanked God for all He is, all He’s done, and what He has yet to do, I saw the moon rise above the beautiful lush trees and illuminate the faces of my new family.
Eventually we got out of the water and forced our pruney fingers to change ourselves into dry clothes without getting eating alive by mosquitoes and ants. We sat around the fire, eating banana boats and s’mores and talk. Our amazing squad leaders Tim and Di shared their stories with us and PS – they are two huge blessings full of surprises and spiritual gifts that I am sooooo thankful for!
You’re probably wondering what this has to do with peanut butter. Well, we had a lot of it, and I went to sleep knowing that it was there for breakfast time. If you know me at all, you know that peanut butter is a big freaking deal for me, so naturally I was pumped thinking about the wonderful camp-fire breakfast that was coming.
