L Squad! “L” Yeah! Training Camp-Part 1

OK, wow, where to begin?? It’s been a week since training camp, and it’s literally taken me this long to process everything …as well as catch up on sleep!
The first night we get there, they tell us: “Do not have any expectations.” That goes for training camp AND the race. But, of course the analyzer that I am, I still have certain things I am expecting is going to happen–both good and bad. I’m expecting to have God knock my spritiual socks off in the first couple days. I expect that my team will be exactly like me in personality and how our minds work. I expect to throw up nasty food I’ve heard that we have to eat at camp. And the list goes on…
All these things are racing through my mind on the first day when God says, “Stephanie, you’re not in control.”  Well, looking back He was right. But did I listen that first night? Honestly? No.  I still wanted things to turn out my way. Let me share with you my week.
 
In the beginning of the week we focused mainly on ourselves. We had numerous services with amazing worship and an awesome speaker who taught us how to get through some of our “junk” that we brought with us so we can be emptied out, then filled with the Holy Spirit. Sounded great!  I definitely came with stuff I wanted to get rid of and this was just the place to do it! But days kept going by, and I wasn’t feeling it! People were dancing, shouting, singing, arms lifted, and I was looking around and thinking, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I get into this?” Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t an emotionless bump on a log, but I thought I’d be just so filled with God that I would have been praising Him in a big way. I expected that God would come down like fire and clean me out, but instead, I look back and He was gently showing me the process in doing it. I learned that I needed to be patient because in waiting on Him He taught me patience, and I also began to recognize other things attached to “my junk” I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.  I expected a radical change, but instead I learned how to change radically.

In the middle of the week we did more squad-building activities.  Our first activity was a dance-off and it was so much fun! They even played “The Wobble” multiple times during the week and I was like, “Ah! These are my people!”  =) haha!  
Near the end of the week we moved towards creating our small team that we’ll be traveling with for the next 11 months. For me it was a stressful process because I just felt like these leaders don’t know me, they’re going to set me up with people who may not be a good match, blah blah blah! Looking back, I just needed to relax! God had my team picked out for me for a reason and I needed to trust Him in that. The thing is again that I expected them(my leaders) to put me with people that were just like me…and nope! Didn’t happen! My group is so different personality-wise and I realize now that that is important. We all have different strentghs and weaknesses and we need a mixture of that to be successful overseas as we encounter different situations. 
I was in fear of the team building process because I recently went on a mission trip where there was a lot of drama within the group and it really did affect the ministry…and that was only a week long trip! Imagine a year of that! But once I got over myself and learned to trust God, my heart has been growing with love for my group since that day! God put us together for a reason and I cannot wait to see what this year holds for us!