Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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I remember my training camp like it was yesterday. It started with a nervous excitement before I left NC and that turned into mostly nervousness when I arrived in GA. I had no idea what to expect.

Here’s what happened:

I hiked 20 miles with my full pack in the rain; I ate portions smaller than my fist for every meal; I slept in a tent that I assembled and disassembled everyday; I woke up at 5am and went to bed at midnight everyday; There was no schedule – everything was a secret; I sat through hours of teachings and worship daily and fought to stay awake for most of it; I was challenged – challenged – theologically; and my wife and I struggled to find time for ourselves. It was all way out of my comfort zone.

It was sort of terrible, in a way. I mostly thought my trainers were just being mean and dramatic. I mean, they really put us through the ringer. Or, at the very least, it felt that way sometimes. 

But…

Feelings aren’t reality and even though they sometimes contain truth, they aren’t the truth. Luckily, my trainers didn’t let me get away with just having feelings – they analyzed all of them with me and we “investigated reality” together. We dug up old hurts and experiences that shaped what I was feeling and I learned to forgive and to heal. But sometimes even that made me feel like I was being watched and studied… It was a vicious cycle.

By the time it was over I was just thankful to go home! I just wanted a warm shower and a nicely sized meal. It wasn’t until I got there, though, that I realized what I had just been a part of: Community; Vulnerability; Healing; Discipleship; Sharpening; Fellowship; Equipping; Kingdom.

As soon as I got home I wanted to go back.

2 years later I finally got the chance to do just that, and last week I went back to training camp. Only this time I went as a trainer. I took a break from my IT work here at Adventures in Missions and I dove headfirst into V-Squad – a group of 26 missionaries that are about to embark on the World Race. It was completely different this time…

Here’s what happened:

They hiked 20 miles with their full packs; They ate portions smaller than their fists for every meal; They slept in tents that they assembled and disassembled everyday; They woke up at 5am and went to bed at midnight everyday; There was no schedule – everything was a secret; They sat through hours of teachings and worship daily and fought to stay awake for most of it; They were challenged – challenged – theologically; and they struggled to find time for themselves.

So what was different?

Well, this time, I was on the other side. I got to see why racers go through what they go through. I got to see that it wasn’t all deception or manipulation… it wasn’t mean or overly dramatic. I got to see the heart of Adventures in Missions. I got to see the love, the intentionality, the investment, and the sacrifice. I watched my training team, lead by Jeremy Cearbaugh, prophesy over racers and speak life into them. I watched them pray and really listen for the Lord’s direction. I watched as they sat through the same teachings they’ve heard 1000 times and watched as they got just as wrecked by them as the racers did. I watched as the team of trainers humbled themselves and met broken people where they were… leading racers into forgiveness and inner healing. I watched them comfort people, encourage people, challenge people, and dance with people. I watched the fruits of the spirit flow from them like a fountain!

And here’s what I found:

Purpose.

This is what it’s all about! If you work at Adventures or have been on the race – you NEED to find a way to be involved in training camp – making disciples that make disciples. It reminded me why I moved to Georgia in the first place… it reminded me that what I do in my cubicle in the IT Department is actually bringing Kingdom to earth. It reminded me of all the things I learned years ago at my own training camp that I’ve pushed to the backburner in my life.

It’s sort of amazing how we can learn such profound things about God and about ourselves only to let routine hide or tranquilize them.

 Anyway, I was truly blessed by V-Squad over these last 10 days of training camp, it’s an experience I hope I never tranquilize. It’s so humbling to think that I get to be a part of their story, that I got to learn from them and share life with them. But the people from the squad I “trained” say it better than I ever could, so I’ll leave you with these testimonies. Remember, you could just as easily be a part of these stories:

 

V-Squad, you are family to me now; I can’t wait to see what the Lord does through you as you travel the world for the next 11 months and spread His gospel! Thanks for everything!