Training Camp, Week 1 – A cold-weather welcome to Georgia

Well, here we are – the 2024 World Race journey has officially begun!! The past week (approximately, days don’t quite feel real anymore 😆) of training camp has been a wild time full of learning, growing, being stretched, being overwhelmed, making connections, worshiping, and living in a very unique community. It’s been hard, it’s been beautiful, it’s been challenging, and through it all, God has been so, so good. I can’t say that this has been perfectly in line with my expectations (whether conscious or unconscious), because that’s definitely untrue! But it’s been good nonetheless, as well as a good reminder to my pride that my expectations are not the top priority. And my excitement for what’s to come is building in a new way as I get to connect with my squad and so many others with a heart to serve the Lord and reach the nations with the Gospel!

Some things I’ve learned or been reminded of so far:

• God is a God of ABUNDANCE – and that abundance may not always look how we expect
• Being present is hard at times but so good
• Prayer is not the least you can do but the most you can do
• You cannot identify/define what you didn’t make or sustain – and God is our Creator and Sustainer, not us
• To know who we are, we need to know the character of God, because we were made in His image
• What God has to say about you is the truest thing about you (which should then lead us to ask, what does the Word say about us in Christ?)
• We can take God at His Word (literally!)
• Confidence comes from fearing God more than fearing man
• God’s total forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice demonstrates His amazing love for us – He is unwilling to let anything, including sin, stand between us and Him, and so He made the way
• Jesus is worthy of us being uncomfortable!
• We need to know and love the Lord in order to be able to share Him with others – you can’t tell people about someone you don’t know!
• Be ok with “as you are going” ministry, following the Spirit’s leading on the way and in the process, not just at specific events or times

Several verses have been prevalent across teaching and conversations, but especially Ephesians 3:18-20, Matthew 16:24, and Psalm 91!

And for your enjoyment as well as to paint a better picture of what this has looked like, here are a couple of funny/interesting moments from camp so far:

• First shower was completely cold water at a crisp 6:50am (the not-morning person in me was VERY quickly awake from that one)
• Our practice “travel day” resulted in my essential oils being confiscated at the fake airport and my checked bag “going to Tanzania”, so I couldn’t access it or anything in it until the next day… (shoutout to my squadmates Alexa and Tanner for being so generous and sharing their gear with me so I could sleep that night!!)
• Meals are all outside unless it’s under 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so hot food steams as you eat it just because the air is so cold. Space heaters are GIFTS
• We had a “culture day” where we had to practice cultural behaviors for a country we’ll visit, and each meal was themed to a country (Guatemala, South Africa and India specifically). Those were some awesome meals, and lots of fun interactions all day!
• We have to pack up all our belongings every morning (except sabbath rest days), which has been a lot but also definitely helpful practice!

Honestly, my main thought from day one, as challenging as it was, was “I wish everyone could do this.” Just take the time to intentionally sit and lean into relationship with the Lord, learning more about Him and ourselves and others (and the nations too!) – it’s such an incredible opportunity to build a deeper foundation of faith with and in the Lord. Yet even if we can’t all take a week or two to get away and just spend time with the Lord and focus on nothing else but Him, we still can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5). We need Him to do this life and do it right. So I invite you, try and make the space. Take the time to be with Jesus, get to know Him better, His Word, His character. It’s always worth it, because He is always worth it.

*Thank you again for all your generosity that has resulted in me being fully funded for this trip already!!! I am so grateful to be here preparing and training! If you’re still feeling led to support this ministry opportunity, most of my squadmates are still fundraising – feel free to contact me and I can direct you to their pages! 😊