One Week Into Training Camp

Hey guys!
I am now one week into training camp, and I’ve been looking forward to update you on how things are going. There is a lot happening here, but I’m going to do my best to give you a good summary. Training has been pretty intense, but it has been a super cool experience so far.

What have we been doing? 

Our time is roughly broken up into worship, sessions, squad time, meals, and personal time. Our training has been more spiritually focused thus far. This week we will have more practical training to prepare us for the field. Some topics they’ve given sermons on are: What is Truth?, What is the Gospel?, The Heart of the Father, The Process of Knowing Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and Intimacy with God. As for squad time, we have done several team building activities, have had large group and small group discussions both on the sessions and to check in with how we’re doing, and have learned and practiced the tool of feedback within our small groups in order to build each other up and encourage each other to look more like Christ.

We had a packed week Monday-Saturday, and we had a full day of Sabbath on Sunday, which was extremely restful. Praise God for that. We were back to the grind this morning with a nice fitness challenge/test… to ensure we are physically capable of going. We have smaller teams within our whole squad, and we did this challenge within our teams, so it was another great opportunity for team building.

How am I doing?
I will tell you this is certainly not a comfortable experience, and I never thought it would be. But I am thankful for that because when I am comfortable, it is hard to say that I’m growing. However, with being uncomfortable, I am also feeling very steady and at peace. God has been gracious to give me many “Hey you’re supposed to be here” moments throughout the week. Because of this, I can continue to walk this out, knowing that God is with me and has prepared the way before me. I am certainly not saying any of this is easy, but it’s really good, and it’s worth it. Because living life with Jesus is worth it.

My Squad

We’ve got 18 total on our squad—13 girls,5 guys. Two of them are our squad leaders. We started connecting from the start, and it has been cool to get to know each other more throughout our first week. Our leadership has casted vision for our squad, and one of the major points is unity. We’re seeing the importance and how crucial it is to join together as a squad to fight the lies of the enemy and stand firm, despite the seeds of discord which the enemy is trying to plant.

What is God doing through me?

Coming into this trip, I knew I would be growing in the area of dependency on God alone. I didn’t know this was going to smack me in the face on night one. I realized right away that I’m going to learn to pray without ceasing like never before. I’ve got nothing else and no one else to lean on here, so I’m seeing very clearly that none of this is going to work without walking so near to the Holy Spirit. What a gift it has been to grow in dependency on the Holy Spirit in just the first week.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for unity for our squad. We can’t deny that spiritual warfare is going on, and we would appreciate your prayers for unity, that we may stand firm in the truth and be connected through the love of Jesus.
• I would appreciate prayers for me to continue to walk in the peace of God and for me to keep my focus where it’s supposed to be—on my relationship with God.
• As a squad, prayers for strength this week as we prepare to go out on the field next week would be appreciated.