Training Camp: Holy Spirit, Broken Ankles and Mystery Meats

 

                  

Training Camp:

Gainesville, GA 

10 days

13 teammates

Tents, Backpacks, dried crickets, family meals

Team building, training sessions and some W O R S H I P.

 

 

T-Squad (Pictured above) has 7 men and 7 women

We’re going on a route known as Expedition which spans from

Japan to Taiwan

China to Mongolia

Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan

Georgie to Armenia to Azerbaijan

then the Middle East

We travel through a part of the globe known as the 10/40 Window aka one of the most unreached portions of the world in terms of Christianity and we’re really doing the dang thing.

This is my team for the first leg of the trip (see below and to the left)

 

We tried a myriad of foods – some tasty, some not so tasty

One day was a plate of mystery meats (turned out to be mostly beef, not cow tongues and intestines like we were guessing)

     

 

We shared a meal together around a fire built by us (#beargrylls) and had another squad bless us with S’MORES WOW.

 

 

That was just the bones of this post, the meat is R I C H Y’ALL.

 

I met Holy Spirit during these 10 days and boy was I shocked to learn that there is SO much more when you seek it. Crazy? Maybe. But we’re all a lil’ crazy in some way or another.

How I met him was during savory bites of worship I can only imagine heaven sounds similar to – free flowing worship with 100+ other people all in the same building for the same. exact. reason.

I wish I could explain the visceral nature of worshipping next to your brothers in sisters in full surrender. There will be more on this as our year progresses I’m sure. I’m determined to find the words.

 

 

 

BROKEN ANKLES AND EXPECTATIONS

Can I be real with you? Like really real?

I love my life in Dallas. I have amazing people in my life and I have a GOOD and highly blessed life. My friends like to remind me 

“You’re leaving for a year. You’re not dying.”

An ode to my dramatic flares of “I only have 6 more brunches with you guys!” and probably mostly deserved.

 

During those 10 days of listening to the Lord, listening to what is in the world and listening to the voices of God’s children, somehow everything just seemed to fade away back home. And that made me sad. And sparked a rapid fire series of questions:

 

Is it okay to feel sad about that? Shouldn’t I be fired up 24/7 to go out and love on people who don’t know what that’s like? It’s not about me, but is it bad I want it to be sometimes? What does God think about that?

What do my friends think about that? Do I still or WILL I still have a place in peoples lives next year or when I get back? Will they miss me? Will people think I have a white savior complex?

WHAT CAN I REALLY DO? AM I QUALIFIED? WHY WOULD PEOPLE SUPPORT ME FINANCIALLY WHEN I CAN’T SEEM TO FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE – IT’S NOT ABOUT ME?

It’s a rabbit hole. A sad dark rabbit hole.

 

On day 9 I was R E A D Y.

I saw my gifts and God’s calling on my life for this season and the next. I saw the brothers and sisters he surrounded me with for protection and for growth. I saw the mission so clearly;

“GO” He said “and make disciples of ALL nations” (Matt 28:19)

Expedition route (my route) goes to unreached people. What would that look like? It didn’t matter. We were going no matter what – even if it meant going just to find one person and help them understand what it means to be loved and favored. All those questions went to black and all I could see was the light ahead.

I had a plan in my head:

“okay so I’ll have two garage sales, I’ll sell most of my apartment stuff, I’ll do XYZ and reach out to ABC – fundraising on LOCK”

“I’ll go to more spin classes I’ll run 4 miles everyday for my half marathon, I’ll go back and tell people how much I care about them every single day and I’ll make sure I’m serving more.”

 

And then I broke my ankle during the last few hours of day 9.

 

It didn’t really hurt, it was a lot of pressure and a lot of me trying not to pass out because I’m a weenie with medical things; I didn’t even cry (which is a hallmark of mine). Mostly because I didn’t think it was broken. So I hobbled to big van with one of our leaders and we got cozy at an Urgent Care. And they broke the news (hehe puns right?).

And I cried.

“So what does that mean for January?”

 

I was on standby. 

To spare the dramatics, I’m in the clear to do this still but it’s going to look different leading up to and once I’m there. I will still get to leave in January and do what I felt the Lord asked. Whew.

 

But…my plans? How am I supposed to fundraise and stay fit and do EVERYTHING I WANTED.

L O L right? Everything I wanted. What a joke.

God has other plans now and He wants to know if I really am all in. It’s not even about me. 

My friend that introduced me to the race told me:

“The sooner you learn it’s not about you, the easier it will be. I wish someone would have told me that.” Guess I should have listened to receive that.

 

 

 

When I came back home from this camp I was met with shifting dynamics in my comfortable life that made things not so comfortable – friends in new jobs, new roles, new dynamics in friend groups, new trials, new emotions. 

It was clear that God is moving all my excuses out of the way to leave me with nothing but focus. So here I am.

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

 

Please be praying for my squad and the countries we will be going to.

Please be praying for our financial support and our health.

and subscribe for more updates. I won’t always be this longwinded. 

If you feel led to donate please reach out to me and let me thank you and talk to you more about our vision – you can donate above or you can mail in a check!

 

 

Love you all.