Community in Christ: Training Camp Edition - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Dang did training camp hit me like a bus. I was not expecting what I got, but am so grateful for every moment of the 11 day camp. I am mentally and physically exhausted, but know that I have already grown so much in my walk with the Lord.

Within the first 24 hours the enemy was feeding me lies. The spiritual warfare was real. I was fed doubt and fear that what I was doing was wrong. I was so convinced that what I was hearing was God’s voice, that I was ready to go home and enroll in college. With prayer and guidance, Jesus made it clear that I was on the right path and exactly where I needed to be.

To set the scene a little bit, here are some things that 280ish 18-20 year olds endured:

Everyday we were to embrace a new culture (i.e. Asia, Central America, Africa, etc.) which meant to follow their dress code, eating habits, and sometimes social rules.

This included sharing one platter of unique food with a table of eight starving racers, often only being able to use our dirty hands.
Some meals were better than others, but it sure did make things exciting.

We were only allowed to use the porta-potties that were placed strategically in direct sunlight. (it was a horrible sauna to be in but probably better than what we will get overseas)
There were eight stalls for bucket showers for all 240ish girls (I didn’t take a shower the whole 11 days… whoops)
We slept in tents every night (except one) which wasn’t too bad. Quickly, you get over the fact that you can hear your neighbor’s every movement and you will probably have to kill a few spiders that sneak in.

“Except one” refers to one of the simulations that AIM put us through. We were stuck in the Seoul, Korea airport (funny because I was actually just there!) for a 12 hour layover. They played airport noises and kept the lights on all night, but it was so wonderful sleeping in the air conditioning.
The other simulation included the airport losing half of my squad’s packs and everyone having to share a tent with someone else. I got to share my tent with my teammate Jordan which was actually a really special time to get to know each other.
The last simulation was when we had to sleep in a 10 person community tent. I dreaded this one the most, but it really ended up being fine. While some tents ended up with 15 girls, mine somehow only had 10… again another great bonding time.

We were outside majority of the time unless we were in the training center for a session or worship. The Georgia humidity and heat is REAL. It is a beautiful thing when you can be around so many people that genuinely don’t care how they look either.

Despite basically bathing myself in bug spray, I came home with an all time record of 27 bug bites.

Every racer was required to complete a 2.2 mile hike with our big packs in under 38 minutes. It was hot and it was hilly, but my whole squad passed. The best part was cheering each other on as we made it up the last little hill.

While those are some of the less glamorous things from training camp, here are some of the best things:

Every morning they took our phones up which meant no distractions. This allowed us to be fully focused on each other and what the Lord had for us.
We had some amazing worship every night. I have never been surrounded by so many people my age singing at the top of their lungs for Jesus. You know the Holy Spirit is working when you can’t hear the band over the audience’s voices.
We also had wonderful teachers during sessions. Topics like forgiveness, evangelism, discipleship, and intimacy with God were covered. I could go on and on about what I learned and the endless pages of notes that I took.
Part of committing to the race included signing a covenant. This was to set expectations and make a promise to the Lord that we would be focused on building His Kingdom. What I was reminded of is that I was also making this promise to my squadmates. Each person got to look the other in the eyes and say “I said yes to the Lord and I’m saying yes to you.” While it kind of felt like we were all getting married to each other, it was also so special.
That brings me to my next point… my squad (aka my family). These people are AMAZING. I feel like I’ve known all of them my whole life. It is so clear that God has called each of them to do the race and be on this exact squad. They all have their own unique testimonies and strengths that make our group work so well together. These are the people that I will have lifelong friendships with that will keep me accountable and Christ-focused. These are my kind of people and I am beyond blessed to know each and every one of them.

Around nine of my squadmates were baptized on the last day of camp! It was beautiful to be with them as they took action and surrendered to the Lord.

Within our squad, there are seven teams. My team consists of six girls that will be working in a specific ministry with one another. We are all very different and come from unique backgrounds, but I can already tell that we are going to work so well together. Our team’s name is Fervent.

Fervent: having or displaying passionate intensity.

It is our goal to display that passionate intensity for the Lord as we serve together for nine months.

Key takeaways:

Let go of control. I am a planner, a neat freak, and like to be in control of most situations. I like to know the future, but I had to fully accept that I am NOT in control. I really embraced “go with the flow” and “let go, let God”. The week provided a feel for leaving the comforts of home behind. It was hard, but much needed.
PRAY. Prayer is powerful. Whether it was a praise or a trial, we took it straight to God. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, we prayed. It was freeing to be able to recognize that each situation was in God’s hands and we didn’t have to do anything in our own strength.
Say “Yes”. Something we were reminded of consistently throughout the week was to have a “yes” in our spirit. When you hear the Lord telling you to do something, be obedient even if it doesn’t make sense to you.

Prayer Request: Please pray for my squad leaders and teammates as we prepare this next seven weeks for launch. We know that this is a time where the enemy will attack each of us hard, but desire to stand firm in the Lord’s promises. I have listed the names of all of my squad leaders and squadmates below. I also linked their pages to their names so feel free to read their blogs and if you feel led, support them financially.

Squad Mentor (will be helping us from Gainesville, GA and coming to the field a few times): Megan Anderson

Squad Coaches (will come to the field three times for debriefs): Eric and Melissa Stoker

Squad Logistics: Katie Hill

Squad Admissions Advisor: RaeLynn DeFalco

Squad Leaders (will be with us all nine months): Kayleigh Richards and Davante Jones

Alumni Squad Leaders (these are racers that just completed their world race gap year last month and will be with us for the first three months in Swaziland): Sarah Zetts and Jesse Dillow

My Team:

The Guys: