Apparently Our God Exceeds Expectations: Training Camp Part 1

DISCLOSURE: You, the reader, should probably know that you may or may not like what you read here. If you can’t appreciate honesty, transparency, and raw, unedited word vomit then you should probably stop with this sentence. Because I, the writer, have a tendency to say (type) things that most people don’t say out loud. I tend to forget about social boundaries and sometimes I even cross those boundaries. As you’re reading, you may even think to yourself something like, “She really just went there?” And the answer will likely be yes.BUT, if you can hang with me to the end, you may see that I’m not so bad and we might actually have a lot more in common than you thought! So over the next few weeks I’ll be blogging a series about training camp and how I did or did not love every second of it. If you’re reading this sentence, you’ve decided to come along for the ride and quite frankly, I’m glad to have you here. Let’s go….     So what if AIM tells you to come to training camp without expectations? You know you had them. Even if you didn't know what to expect, you expected to be surprised.  It's ok, I had them too.  But honestly? Mine weren't so great. When asked if I was excited about camp my response was almost always, "Heck no. I heard it's worse than the race. The only thing I'm happy about is meeting my squad." But the truth is, I would have been fine putting that off for a few more weeks. I was not ready to leave my bedroom and bathroom and hot running water to sleep on the ground (and sometimes other conditions which shall remain secret) and take cold showers. And by "cold showers" I mean three. Three showers… in one week... cold... and the water pressure was equivalent to the drizzle when you don't turn the sink off all the way.   Some thoughts I had before training camp: “I don’t really want to do this.” “It’s ridiculous that they won’t tell us anything. We’re adults and we need details!" “If they don’t feed me enough food, I’ll just eat my snacks the whole time.”·      “Why am I leaving my parents and boyfriend and a good life for uncertainty?” “I have no gear. And when I get it, I won’t even know what to do with it.” “I wish God would free me from this.”   Who would be excited about this?  I'll tell you who.  Anyone who has ever been to a World Race training camp, that's who. Because that person knows what the heck he or she is about to experience and no bed or warm shower will compete with the power that comes from that encounter. I’m referring The Encounter. You know, the one that’s undeniable, irresistible, and quite impressive. I’d love to be able to narrow this encounter down to one specific time where the Holy Spirit came over me with strong wind like tongues of fire (Acts 2) but I just can’t do it. Simply because I believe that July 14-21, 2012 was one big kairos of lesson after lesson in which Jesus never left my side.   This is going to sound vague but there were chains broken. Chains that had held my brothers and sisters down for a very long time. Chains that were beginning to get tighter and leave bruises. They were now shattered and left to rust. There was healing. Physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental healing. Heck, people were healed in ways they didn’t even know they needed it. And mostly, there was love. A word that we toss around lightly indicating we enjoy/like/feel strongly about something. But this is a kind of love that I have never experienced in any other place. The best word I can think to describe it is: unconditional. Girls and guys became my brothers and sisters in a split second and before I knew it, they loved me… and they did it well. One night during worship everyone was singing "With Everything" to the top of our lungs. Rarely have I seen more passionate worship from young adults. There's a rather large part of the song that simply sings, "Woa" over and over and over and over and as I looked around the room I thought to myself, "This MUST be a glimps into heaven."    Some thoughts I’ve had since I’ve been home from camp: “I’ve honestly never been in a place where I felt more safe to be myself.” “God must have thought it was funny when my bag of snacks was invaded by ants and later ransacked by other campers… on night TWO.” “Thank you God for knowing how I tick. And that my ticking doesn’t have to look like anyone else” “Well, I made it through. I feel like I could take on the world.”   So ya see, training camp wasn’t all bad. I slept (or didn’t sleep) in some not-so-ideal conditions. I ate some not-so-ideal food for any time of the day on any day of the week. I walked some not-so-ideal miles up mountains all week and smelled some not-so-ideal scents. But I met a God who is ideal. In every way, reader, He is ideal. And this year He has planned out for me is more ideal than I can begin to tell you. I’m glad you’ve made it to this sentence and I can’t wait to tell you more!   After all, I feel like I could take on the world. And I just might try...