There we were, night 5 (…I think), and it was basically monsooning in Gainesville, Georgia.
I remember waking up that night of Training Camp to the sound of the rain beating down on my tent and the feeling of a leaking sleeping pad. The rain came fiercely and it fell hard.
Later that same day, as the torrential downpour continued, many of my squadmates returned to our campsite where tents were flooded and things were a mess.
You see… Georgia clay ain’t no joke… Especially when it rains.
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Rewind to the days before Training Camp began. I had no idea what to expect as I prepared to make the drive to Gainesville, and researching Training Camp was no help..
What is this thing?… a secret society?…
I was a mix of emotions as we pulled on to the Adventures in Missions property: excitement, fear, joy, anticipation, sheer terror.
All I really knew was that I was about to meet the people I would be spending the majority of next year with.
I learned that sometimes not having any real expectations is the best thing.
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The night before I loaded up to drive south, I began reading the book of Jeremiah. As I read Jeremiah 4:3, I knew that it must be my prayer for Training Camp:
“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns.”
I found myself praying this over and over again as the week passed by.
*Side note: be careful what you pray, because the Lord may give you the very thing you ask.
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Session after session, I found the Lord giving me an invitation to put both hands on the plow and work on the hard ground of my heart.
“Plow here, there’s a little unforgiveness. Plow here, there’s a little shame. Plow here, remove that idol.”
Here’s the thing, this kind of work gets messy. But just as our campsite was underwater because the rain, I found myself swimming in rivers of His love. Because as I plowed the hard ground, the Lord poured a little living water in the trenches and new life began to spring up in my heart.
The symbol of this new life all came to fruition on the last night as we stood around a swimming pool while many of my fellow racers got baptized. I thought about my own baptism when I was seven years old and how I didn’t really understand what it meant.
While we were standing there, I felt the Lord pulling on my heart and whispering softly, “jump.”
What? Jump? What do you mean jump? God, I’ve already done this. Why do I need to do it again?
“Jump.”
Lord, if someone looks at me and asks me specifically if I want to be baptized, THEN, I will do it.
“Shelby, since when is my voice not enough?… Jump.”
So I did. And boy oh boy am I glad.
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Do I think that my first baptism at age 7 didn’t “count”? No, absolutely not.
BUT, I’ve been learning lately what saying “yes” to the Lord means. And I wholeheartedly believe that obedience is our greatest act of worship. And as an act of obedience I jumped into the water and I am seriously so glad that I did. There’s just something about obeying the Lord that fills my heart with joy every time.
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As I stepped into the water that night, the words to “Endless Ocean,” came to mind yet again:
You are an endless ocean
a bottomless sea
It was as if stepping into that pool was an act of removing the box that I have often confined God to. He is SO MUCH MORE than the box that we often put Him in. He is more than we allow Him to be. When we limit who He is and the role He plays in our lives, we are missing out on an abundant life.
So as I go forward, I walk in the realization that He is more. He is more than my boxes. He is more than my weaknesses. He is more than my struggles.
And as I go forward, I continue to keep my hands on the plow. And despite the messiness, I will continue to plow those hard parts of my heart as the Lord continuously adds His living water into my life.
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“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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I AM SO EXCITED TO SHOW YOU MY SQUAD & MY TEAM:
These are the folks that I’ll be traveling country to country with next year. We go by many names: E-Squad, Blue-Squad, Best-Squad, Easy-Squad, OR Squad Wars Champions. Seriously, I’ve known them for 10ish days and I feel like I’ve known them a lifetime.
MY TEAM:
They are fierce. They are loving. They are seriously the best. We go by Team Emunah (faith in action) or Puppy Pack. These are the gals that I’ll be living with and doing ministry with day in and day out. I’m so excited to do life with them on the race!
Here’s a short video from different moments of Training Camp. Check out my squad!
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Until next time,
Peace and Blessings!
