11 Views of Training Camp (Part 1)

 

1. The first view is the one from the passenger seat of the family CRV at 5:45 am as my little sister drives me to the airport.

It’s the nervous excitement and the not knowing what to expect and the breathtaking sunrise that you can only see once you get above the clouds.

(The one that God put there just for me, to delight, encourage, and reassure me)

 

2. The set up:

Tents. Porta Potties. Nice weather (sometimes). Cold weather (mostly). French braids and bucket showers. We ate our meals on the dining patio and had sessions and worship inside the training center.

 

3. How to stay warm with a 45 degree sleeping bag with only one packing cube’s worth of clothes. *

When I was packing, it was pretty warm. Also Georgia is south of me so that means it will be on the warmer side, right?

Not exactly. Georgia in October can be quite chilly.

If you find yourself in an October Training Camp Situation, here are a few things I figured out by the end of the week:

• Layer up! Seems obvious, but it took me a while to figure out that I needed more than just one pair of long pants at night.

• The maxi skirt you brought for Africa day also doubles as a blanket that you wear around your waist.

• If your towel isn’t wet it can also double as an extra blanket!

• How many socks did you bring? How many of them are you wearing? (Just saying).

• Snuggle! Find a tent buddy (or two).  By the final night at training camp there were three of us in a two person tent. Kept us nice and cozy and it was a great bonding experience!

* Also helpful when half your squad’s packs “get lost by a rival airline”.

 

4. Worship.

During the ten days at training camp we had a lot of time to come together and worship. We danced, we shouted, we lifted our voices to sing a new song (Psalm 96).  We practiced what it’s like to let your worship be uninhibited- to sit on the floor in reverence and meditation when you need to as well as to jump and shout and celebrate. We prayed with one another, we cried with one another, we let the Holy Spirit flow over and through us. The presence of the Lord was evident.

As someone easily consumed by emotion, it is important for me to remind myself that God is just as present with me now (in the quiet mundane moments of writing blogs and doing dishes) as He is when I am jumping and singing and have tears streaming down my face.

But what a beautiful thing it is to come before Him and worship together. We worship Him because he is so good and full and true and awesome. We praise the Lord because He is so worthy of praise- Because by His very nature He must be praised.

“For I tell you … If they keep quiet the very stones will cry out” – Luke 19:20

 

5. The fitness hike.

All world racers and trainers are required to be able to hike 2.2 miles in 38 minutes with their loaded pack. The night before our hike one of our trainers gave us the following cryptic instructions:

“If you still have any doubts about the hike, training camp, or the race in general, go and get a rock from the parking lot and bring it with you tomorrow morning.” He encouraged us to pray our doubts and fears over it. That night every single one of us went to the parking lot to pick up our rock.

The next morning we all brought our rocks. They were placed carefully into our pockets or clutched tightly in our nervous fists. I think I expected to ceremonially cast them off- to throw them into the lake or something like that. What I was not expecting was what actually happened: Nick put his pack on the ground, opened it, and told us to put our rocks inside.

 

At training camp we talked a lot about borrowing faith from one another. Our doubts and fears made a soft cold clicking noise as we piled them into Nick’s pack. That morning we carried our packs, loaded with tents, clothes, sleeping bags, shoes, and pillows up and down hills, through damp fields, and across parking lots. What we didn’t have to carry were our doubts and fears. Nick was carrying those.

 

(If you were wondering, everyone passed)

 

6. Squad Night Bonfire.

One of my favorite nights was squad night. Our dinner came in a cooler and we had a bonfire at our campsite to cook it. All 33 of us squeezed in around the fire as we talked, laughed and ate. We shared stories and enjoyed each other’s company. After chicken and grilled veggies we had s’mores, passing around hand-sharpened sticks (courtesy of Matt Ledford armed with my pocket knife). Once everyone had made sure that everyone else had gotten enough gram crackers and marshmallows, Liv pulled out her guitar and we worshiped and prayed together. Our voices rose and fell, punctuated by harmonies and choruses from different songs the Holy Spirit laid on our hearts. Sometimes the guitar would stop, and one or two of us would quietly pick up the thread of the chorus to be gradually joined by more voices, gently lifting our worship to the Lord. When it was time for us to be quiet so as not to disturb the neighbors, we went around the circle and shared our hopes and fears for the year. I was overcome with love for each and every person on my squad. Having met only a week before, we had come to know and love one another as though we had known each other for years.

I can’t wait to do life with these wonderful people next year. 

It’s an amazing thing to have a community that reflects how we will live in eternity. 

Here are some of my Squad mates toasting marshmallows around the fire. Annie playing the ukulele. Jordan rocking her giraffe onesie. 30+ tents in the background.

 

Hope you have enjoyed 11 Views of Training Camp (Part 1) 

Stay tuned for Part 2! (if you hit the subscribe button you will get email updates instead of having remember to check back) 

Thanks for reading and God Bless! 

 

Much Love, 

Hattie