Driving to training camp I spoke on the phone with a friend who asked me if I was more nervous or excited for training camp. I responded that I honestly did not feel much of either, but if I had to pick, I was more excited. What I was feeling wan an overwhelming sense of a peace that this trip is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. So, even though I was driving to go camp out somewhere in a tent that I did not know how to use with people I did not know, there was such a calmness and inner peace that I was heading exactly where I was supposed to be going.   

One of the sweetest ways that the Lord met me during training camp, was by reminding me of His love for me. 1 John 1:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” As I have opened my heart to receiving God’s love in new ways, my capacity to love others in His name has grown. At training camp, the Lord reminded me of His love for me through other people. One day, I was having a conversation with two other girls on my squad about what led us to going on the World Race. As I shared, one of the girls reminded me of Psalms 37:4, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is a verse I have heard my whole life, but I can struggle fully receiving because it can feel selfish. During a session that same night, my coach prayed over me and spoke over me to press into the desires the Lord has given me. The theme of desire continued to appear throughout different conversations all week. 

At the end of training camp, our leaders invited us to step into a position that we will serve our team in while on the trip. I was invited to be one of my squad’s worship coordinators. Now if you know me, then you likely know that worship is my absolute favorite thing, but you also probably know that I cannot carry a tune or even clap on beat. I laughed reading the slip that had my name with worship coordinator next to it because I knew this was a way God was showing me that He sees the desires of my heart and is inviting me to press into them as I delight in Him. And don’t worry, the good news is that I will not have to actually lead worship! Luckily, my team has many talented musicians who I will partner with in planning our times of worship. 

I still do not fully know how to put into words just how amazing training camp was. I could go on and on sharing stories from the week. Every moment at training camp was centered around Christ and every conversation pointed back to the goodness of God. I left training camp with a deeper love for God, a strong love for my squad mates, and a new level of excitement about the journey I get to go on with God in 2022. I cannot even begin to express how thrilled I am to be able to spend a year going into the nations with an amazing group of Jesus loving people to learn more about other cultures and to share with others the great love of Jesus Christ! 

In conclusion, I want to invite you into this journey with me! You can partner with me by following along with me by subscribing to and reading my blogs, by praying for me and my teammates, or by supporting me financially. Please reach out if you would like to hear more about the World Race, why I am going on this trip, what I learned at training camp or how you can partner with me! Thank you to those of you who already have joined me on this journey!!