Growth

12 hours, 700 plus miles and a few tanks of gas brought me to a small town in the mountains of Tennessee this week for training camp. I felt like a kid going to summer camp for the week but I knew this wouldn't be your average camp. I thought this would be a week of no food, little shelter, talks about God, singing songs and bonding with teammates. I was correct in some areas and way off in others.

In life things that surprise you tend to be remembered better then things you have planned. Training camp I knew would be consisted of different foods and rougher living conditions but what surprised me is when God showed up. Growing up in the church I have heard a lot of sermons but this week the sermons hit me in completely new ways. Things in my heart that I thought were coming to the grave with me were verbally talked about with teammates, people that had cut me deep and were never to be forgiven are now set free, and now I am truly learning what it means to be a son of God. The way I have been able to worship this week is like a warrior screaming his battle chant at the top of his lungs till it hurts. I have been able to let God take steps closer then ever before and will leave training a stronger warrior because of it.

Nicaragua, Malaysia, and Kenyaare all places that have cultures much different then the U.S.It wasn't a shock to me when our leaders said that my pack was hypothetically lost and the following nights our tents were stolen. Making a shelter and fire to keep warm I knew would have to be done but as far as bonding with teammates I never would have guessed it went as well as it did. The conversations around the fire those nights brought our team closer then any exercise. Those nights, showing our weaknesses and sleeping under tarps in the rain, transformed us from a team to a family.