It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend. It felt as though I was in Georgia for training camp for a whole week, not just three days. The Adventures in Missions staff was wholly committed to preparing us practically, emotionally, and spiritually for the three months ahead of us. We were forced to dig much deep into ourselves, bond with new people quickly and share intimate details, and connect on a deeper level with God.
On Thursday night, my family and I arrived after driving through northern Georgia’s mountains and country. I met my team and had a last meal with my family. After last hugs and goodbyes, my team and I went to worship and our first training session.
Our weekend consisted of listening to many speakers, worship, team building, and bucket showers. You heard right. I bathed with a several gallon bucket of cold water and a measuring cup to rinse. It was refreshing, not the horror I’d expected.
Each of the sessions were enlightening and all of the orators were well-spoken, genuine and stuck to the Bible.
My favorite session was about Children’s ministry. The speaker, Laura, had taught high school English before she left to go on the World Race (and 11 month mission trip to 11 countries also by Adventures in Missions). She is everything I aim to be in a coach and eventually as a teacher: someone who the students trust; simultaneously mom, counselor, teacher, coach, and a friend. Her attitude towards creating an atmosphere of acceptance and love reminded me of all my gymnasts back in Asheville and I will to try harder to do that when I come back and while I’m in Nicaragua. She had advice on how to deal with the language barrier (luckily though, we have two awesome Spanish speakers with us on the team), games to play, how to discipline in a kind way, and how sometimes you have to shake off a bad day and let Christ’s love flow through to the kids instead of Jessica’s bad may attitude. After her talk, I was refocused and anxious to get on our plane to the children I will meet in a few short hours (I’M SO EXCITED).
We also went to more practical sessions about safety and sharing our stories through social media. These were a reminder to be respectful of other cultures, ask our hosts about what was appropriate, and, above all, to get to know those we meet, don’t just view them as material for social media.
I was not sure what to expect with camp and training but I was pleasantly surprised with most of it (food and coffee included) and what I value most was that it challenged me to think more deeply about God. I learned more about the roles of each member of the trinity, the character of God, and the importance of sharing our stories with others. So off we go, more prepared than last week, to do just that.
