As you may know already, last week I flew down to Georgia to be trained for the World Race. Two days before I left I began praying seriously about switching country routes. Don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly excited to see the 11 countries I had chosen initially. That’s why I chose them! Heck, I’m halfway through a blog series on those countries and have been praying for them for months now!
But there has been a need for women to switch to another route that had less people. Two days ago I sensed an openness to changing routes a way I hadn’t felt before so I prayed on it. I know that I’m not going on the World Race for the countries. I’m not going so that I can say “I’m a woman who has been to Nepal and India!” I am going on the World Race to say YES! to God and whatever He has for me. So I dove in and changed routes. Where I was going to Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, India, Nepal, China and Mongolia, NOW I am going to:
Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Philippines, Thailand, Burma and Cambodia
I then headed off to Training Camp in Georgia to meet the 50 or so people I’d be travelling with through this new route of countries. Community isn’t found, it’s built. So we spent last week building it. Because we’re going to need each other this year and beyond. So we stirred up emotionally hot situations and dug in to who we are as individuals and as a body.
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| My new squad for the next year! |
We spent time with the Lord, releasing to Him the hurt, grief, unforgiveness and loss we all store in the reservoirs of our heart. We emptied and were filled anew with the sweet Holy Spirit. We listened to Him, and we worshiped. Oh how we worshiped. We were anointed and sent to the nations by our Father.
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| My friend Emily and I worshiping God |
Of course we had teaching on the logistical details of being a traveling missionary for a year. And of course we did “camp things” like jumping in the lake, making s’mores on the final nights and sleeping under the stars. We danced. We played games. I laughed and I cried and I rejoiced for the gift of emotion.
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| Most of our squad down by the lake |
Perhaps most significantly I was placed into a team with five other women who I’ll be living with. While our entire squad may not work at the same ministry locations in each country, I will be with these women. They will see me at my best and at my worst, and they have committed to seeing me grow in Christ as I have for them. You will hear much more about them in the months to come.
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| My team: Meghan, Kapri, Kendra, Me, Ashley and Christian |
Note: I took exactly 0 photos at training camp so I give all photo credit back to my team, my squad and the Adventures in Missions staff
