Well we are all back from training camp. As I type that, it feels like I’m saying: “Well we just came down from the mountain.” Training camp was a phenomenal mountaintop view. Honestly it’s one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever encountered. I put it up there with my first summer working as a camp counselor and my first time going to a Passion conference.
250+ people crazy about spreading the Good News of Jesus to the nations. All of us being transparent about our past and shortcomings. All of us holding nothing back. No one was there because their parents or spouses made them go. All there to glorify our King and tell of Him among the nations.
During worship we laid hands on each other, praying fervently for healing and change.
During meals, we split one plate of food between 8 people, and had actual conversations instead of staring at our phones half-heartily listening.
We danced a lot. I’ve never danced so much in my life…and I never thought I’d say this, but I miss dancing.
We showered in 40 degree weather from an equally cold bucket of water, hoping that the hair floating at the top of the bucket was our own.
We sat around campfires before bed, cracking jokes, singing songs, quoting movies, and learning more about each other.
We slept in tents in the woods, hoping no ticks, spiders, or fire ants had Mission Impossibled their way into our sleeping bags.
We hiked 18 miles on the Appalachian Trail. Freezing when we stopped, sweating when we walked, what felt like, a mostly uphill trek. Annoyed with each other, as we stared at our tin foil meals for an hour as they cooked. But at the end of the day, worshipping the Lord in song together and telling embarrassing stories around the fire as we slurped our soupy Easy Mac (Chester the Cheerio was everyone’s favorite story).
We dominated Squad Wars. Okay, technically we got 2nd, but that’s because E Squad had already won many points from online challenges. I say we won. We had William Wallace for the dance off, where Chad almost broke his neck twice on failed flips. The relay race was epic. We were behind until the final obstacle, which was swimming. Like in a great underdog movie, all 3 of our squad members passed the other teams, and were the first 3 out of the water! Oh by the way, Chad landed the flip on the 3rd try and all the squads ran to the middle and cheered around him. I felt like I was in a scene from the movie, “Rudy.”
We formed teams within our 34-member Expedition squad. My team is Team Wolfpack! The Lord put it on all of our hearts. It was something that kept coming up in all of us. And it helps that I’m an NC State fan. So approving the name, “Team Wolfpack” was a no-brainer for me. We have a really strong team. The Lord was very gracious in putting us together. And I’m so excited to live life and do ministry with them in 2016!
We did door-to-door ministry together. In our newly formed teams, we got to go around Gainesville, inviting people to a fall festival at Adventures in Missions. And the best part was we got to pray with some of them. Even with this guy:
We learned that the Holy Spirit isn’t in us only to convict us and remind of Jesus’ teachings. He is also there to heal, to speak to us, and love others through us. I guess I have always believed the stories of healing and God speaking to a person, but I never experienced it like I did during these 10 days.
It was a very emotional 10 days for everyone. I felt frustrated of how numb I was to the Holy Spirit and how I couldn’t get to the level of intimacy with God that many of our leaders had. I know it’s because I go through the motions so much in my walk with God. It’s a daily discipline. Choosing to die to myself and living for God. God is slowly giving me back a heart of flesh even now. Make me a man after Your heart, Lord!
I am so excited about this squad, this team. We are ready to rock the world and set it ablaze with Christ’s love and grace. We are merely His instruments and it is only by His power that we will find any kind of victory overseas.
As we come down from the mountain of World Race training camp, we are finding that we don’t have to be at a conference or sleep in the woods to find God on the mountain top. In fact, God has already come down to us. He is here in our midst, ready to lead us throughout our day. All we have to do and all YOU have to do is listen, respond, and obey.
