So I got back from training camp yesterday, and to be honest my head is still swimming after everything I experienced and learned. I know that while we are stuck in these human bodies with human minds we will never be able to fully comprehend the immensity of God…but I think I’ve gotten a lot closer! But I’m jumping ahead of myself. I need to start from the beginning, if not I will be doing God’s work and my story a grave injustice.
The North Carolina crew rolled into AIM’s headquarters in the heart of hopping Gainesville Georgia a little after 6 in the PM. I was not looking forward to the initial greetings, only because they are always kind of awkward. But the introductions were surprisingly painless and we were off to assess the living conditions. Cabins with no electricity, cold showers from a hose, and port-a-johns…let the training begin!
The norm at camp was to have themed cultural days, where we ate the food of said region and acted like the people. Our first day was Caribbean day with boiled green bananas, yeah, they’re as gross as they sound.
But for the next few days we would have a series of sessions with Dr. Ron Walborn, the dean at NYACK. 
I was very impressed with him as a speaker, he spoke on subjects like dealing with a religious heart, greiving the seasons in our lives, and others. During this two day period God began a work in me that would carry over to the rest of the week.
While I’m home I’m constantly working, and going and it seems like it’s gotten even more worse since I signed up for the world race. So much so that I feel numb to most things now. Even during the few days before training, I had no emotions towards it. And that honestly bothered me. During my time at camp my very first and most desperate prayer was that God would slow me down and keep my mind on the here and now so that I would present with Him. During our session on the importance of grieving, God reveiled to me how so many of my insecurites were rooted in wounds that I’ve chosen to ignore instead of properly grieve. As much as I would have loved to go straight to the Dominican after camp I see these next 2 months as a gift from God to rectify some things in my past and allow some healing to begin.
On a lighter note, on sunday we broke up into teams during our break and had a dance off. And most of you might not find it hard to believe that the team I was on one the whole thing…even the final round against the World Race veterans! 
Little did I know how important dancing would be during this week, in just the simple fact of having fun and releasing after a long day. On monday we all went to Unicoi State Park to camp for a couple days and that is where my next entry will pick up.
