I just finished Training Camp, and it was awesome!!! In the middle of the awesomeness, there was also a roller coaster of emotions and experiences, but God used everything to equip me for the upcoming 11 month adventure. So what exactly did I do at training camp besides sleep in a tent and survive Georgia humidity? I’m so glad you asked. Here are 3 things I did at training camp:
1) Experienced Culture
Every day of the week, I got to experience a different culture and how their way of life would impact my wardrobe, diet, and daily living. For example, on Africa Day, I had to make sure my ankles were covered, and I got to eat some tasty polenta and lentils with my hands. On some days I also had to cover my hair, make sure my plate was licked clean, and use my left hand to eat. It was so fun! Out of all the dishes I got to eat, my favorite was the pho I got to eat on South Asia day.
2) Participated in Team Building Exercises
In the evening during Training Camp, I got to do a lot of team building exercises. They were so insightful and taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and my role in different team dynamics. Believe it or not, the hardest team builder was balancing a hula hoop on our fingers and working together to lower it to the floor without any fingers losing contact with the hula hoop. It’s not as easy as it sounds!
3) Survived Sleeping Scenarios
I’m not going to lie, this was my least favorite part of Training Camp. I created a cozy space for myself in my tent, and I was so disappointed when I discovered I wouldn’t sleep there every night.
Instead, one night half of my group “lost their checked bag” while the other half still had their stuff. I was one of the ones who lost their stuff. Luckily, the teammates who still had their stuff were amazing and took care of us really well. I ended up sharing a tent with someone, and it wasn’t too bad.
There was another night where 30 of us crammed into one giant room with all of our sleeping stuff and another night where we got to camp on the top of a mountain after hiking up 4 miles with all of our stuff (this one was my favorite).
(The room we all crammed in)
(The view from the mountain we hiked and camped at)
The sleeping scenarios were hard, but in the end they helped me tweak my sleep system and prepared me to sleep in any situation.
In addition to experiencing cultures, participating in team builders, and surviving sleep scenarios, I spent each morning at Training Camp learning about Holy Spirit, identity, kingdom, spiritual gifts, and so many other things that will be key in making the most out of my time on the World Race. It was a great time, and I can’t wait to see what happens and where God takes us!
