I woke up the morning of July 6th and it felt like Christmas! It was the day I had been waiting for since my notification of acceptance on January 9th! Training camp! I was so excited to meet my new family and learn more about the race and what God was calling me to. I packed up my car and made the 6 1//2 hour trek to Gainesville Georgia. It was so surreal pulling into the parking lot. “I made it!” I thought to myself. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I tried to leave all my preconceived notions at the gate. They tell you not to have expectations but that is easier said than done. My mind and my heart were racing as I walked up the driveway loaded down with my gear. What will they think about me? Will they like me? Will I fit in? My brain was in overdrive. I walked up to the lodge to find 45 pitched tents and a bunch of wild people in green shirts. My heart immediately felt full. This was my new family. For the next year I will eat with these people, pray with them and for them, share laughs and tears with them, joy, smiles, and heartaches, I will cry to them, listen to them, reminisce with them, and make memories with them that will last a lifetime.
The first day was a whirlwind of emotions. So much to know, so many people to meet, and what seemed like 10 pages of information to take down. I pitched my tent for the first time that day and thought “Man! I’m a homeowner!” “mortgage free already!” I seemed to pick up the names quickly, I am not used to meeting a stranger so I felt pretty good about befriending everyone right away. My prayer going into training camp was for us all to be so tightly knit, so perfectly united, and so rooted in Christ that nothing could split us apart. I prayed that I would be fully surrendered and open to what ever God wanted to share with me in these 10 days. Little did I know he was about to wreck my world.
Through the next ten days God began to break me. Spiritually. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. He opened my eyes and my heart to really evaluate things about myself. Things I never even knew I had a problem with. He broke me into a million pieces and slowly started putting them together one by one. I traded ashes for beauty at training camp. I learned about freedom I never knew existed. He showed me I was beautiful, just the way I am. He reminded me I don’t need the approval of a man to identify who I am. I am not only a servant to him, I am a daughter of the king and I am allowed to work along side of him. I learned about discipleship, teamwork, identity, forgiveness, emotions, spiritual gifts, influence, intimacy and discernment. I now know that it is not about being marketed by man but marked by God.
Training camp was rejuvenating, it was refreshing, and eye opening. My heart is much more soft now. He penetrated the deepest parts of my heart and brought healing, forgiveness, and restoration. Not only did I learn a lot about myself internally but externally. I was pressed to my limits in both aspects. I hiked for 2 miles carrying 50 lbs in less than 30 minutes. I had to share food with 7 other people all week. Sometimes we received silverware, sometimes we did not. We didn’t get seconds, we had to ration and learn portion control, and sometimes we had to eat with our hands. I learned what bucket showers are. ( bathing from a five gallon bucket with a measuring cup full of cold water) I learned how to set up a 2 person tent in 6 minutes by myself. I slept in a hammock. I slept on the ground. I slept on an airport floor. I slept in an 8man tent with 10 people and ten packs. I shared a tent with a stranger. I washed my clothes in a 5 gallon bucket and hung them on a clothes line to dry. I bathed in a lake. Some days I didn’t bathe. I bathed using baby wipes. I prayed for people I didn’t know (outloud). I shared my deepest darkest secrets with complete strangers. I heard from God. I made new friends. I learned how to love myself the way my heavenly father loves me.
Training camp is 10 days of real, raw, uncut, unedited daily demonstrations of what life is going to be like the next year. They shared experiences, and examples with us to better equip us for the journey ahead. They loved on us, invested in us, poured into us, and cheered us on. The world race is more than just a mission trip. This organization is teaching us what it means to be a disciple, and how to disciple others. They care about us, and the nations. They want to see this world changed. They are assisting and equipping people from all walks of life with a knowledge of what it means to follow Jesus.
In Matthew 4 Jesus asked his disciples on 2 different occasions to follow him. “come follow me.” they did “immediately” and “at once” They dropped their nets and followed him. I am ready to leave the crowd. I am ready to follow him wherever he leads me. I am ready to be a fisher of men. I am done being a spectator. If this was JUST a mission trip, I would not be interested. You can not FOLLOW Jesus and still be standing in the boat. You have to let go of your nets.
You do not have to go to training camp to have an interaction with God, or to hear from the holy spirit. You don’t need to eat small portions of food, live in a tent, and bathe out of a bucket to realize how blessed you are. God is inviting you on a journey too. It may look different than you expected, but nonetheless he is inviting you in. He is a gentleman, he wont bust the door down and chase after you. He will knock, and wait for you to open the door, and then he will come in. Matthew 7:7 ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks; finds, and to the one who knocks; the door will be opened. My challenge to you is to drop your nets. Taste and see that the Lord is good, his promises are true, and he has an amazing life planned out for you if you’ll just step out of the boat.
