I just finished my very first training camp in Gainesville, GA. It was quite overwhelming, but enjoyable at the same time. When I first arrived at the airport I was so nervous to go meet up with everyone, because I had never met anyone that I was going with. After I got over my nerves, I met up with all of the team members in the middle of the airport, loaded a school bus, and headed for one week of camp. I was not sure what to expect when I was arriving to training camp, but I imagined it to be like a summer camp, where we may have to sleep in tents, but not be too far out of my comfort zone. I was so wrong! It was more or less a boot camp where we had sessions and speakers from sun up to sun down. There were various other teams at the training camp besides my S. Africa team, so we did a lot of team building activities. I was so thankful for those activities because we were able to grow so close as a team in such a short amount of time. Every morning before breakfast we would pray together as a camp and have a concert of prayer. It was during our time together in prayer that I was so thankful that God had brought me to a place where hundreds of other people my age were in love with the same Lord and Savior!
In addition to our team builders, we also were able to hear various speakers throughout the week. At times it was overwhelming, but it was so encouraging and I learned a lot about myself and the reasons I want to participate in this ministry. As a team, we learned about the different cultures we would encounter in S. Africa and Swaziland, children’s ministry, prayer, and we also learned about eight different dramas that we will be able to use in ministry in S. Africa.
I am so thankful for relationships I have formed with my team here at training camp, and I am so excited to grow into a deeper friendship with these people. The Lord has been my strength while I have been here, and I know that He will continue to comfort me on my journey to S. Africa. Thank you so much for your prayers and comments.
