Welcome to this crash course and my favorite parts of the past few weeks! This week has been filled with healing, restoration, surrender, joy, laughter, tears, sorrow, and so much knowledge about what we are getting ready to step into! I have learned so much and yet I know that I have so much more to learn. God has been working in so many ways, and He has done so many miracles already. I know He is preparing the way, and I am so excited to see what comes next!

When I first got to the base in Gainesville for training camp, the atmosphere was welcoming and expectant. Most of the team had already been at the base for a while, so the last few of us quickly set our tents up and then transitioned to dinner. We quickly got to know each other, and it is amazing to see how fast friendships have been growing! What is divine about the body of Christ is that there is no shame. My squad mates and I had never met before this mission, other than an occasional message on WhatsApp. When we all arrived, it was like we had been friends forever: it did not matter how anyone acted or how anyone appeared. The bonds that have been formed these last 12 days can only be explained through Jesus.

Throughout training camp, God has opened my eyes to many things and I have been blessed to be able to experience so much. To begin, there were 6 squads at training camp, including mine, and we were all launching at the same time. Each squad had a letter and color. My squad is P Squad and we wear red——these things were important for Squad Wars, where we competed against the other squads in games and challenges. After the first night of training camp, each squad was assigned a task to help be a part of keeping the base looking nice. My squad got to clean the porta potties, which became a joy! It was not as wild as we were thinking, and by the end of the week, we were begging to clean them. It has been so fun to be a part of a group of people who are so dedicated to serving! I remember the first night we cleaned the porta potties, everyone quickly and eagerly began working. There were so many people who stepped up to help that some people were standing around trying to find other tasks to complete!

At training camp, I got to experience a lot. Lately, a desire of mine has been to have my eyes opened to what others do not have. For example, when I take a shower I often think, “Thank you Jesus for clean water and a shower!” But I know that I do not even understand what I am thanking Him for because I do not know what I do not have. In Georgia, we got to take bucket showers and do bucket laundry. These things were also a joy! Surprisingly, it never rained when our laundry was drying on the lines.

My favorite part of training camp has been deepening my relationship with God as my Father. He has painted many pictures that have spanned from colorful sunrises to the vast landscape. We also sat and laughed together after He played a song for me that was on my heart. My Father has given me many hugs and has listened as I shared about so many different subjects. He cares so deeply and sees all of me!

At the end of training camp, two important things took place: we hiked Yonah and we were assigned roles. Yonah is a mountain in Georgia, and we hiked it all together as a squad, along with our big packs. It was challenging, but worth it and so much fun to see the squad encourage one another. And the view was beautiful! As for the roles, each person on the squad was assigned a role. We were then grouped into teams. There are 7 roles in total, but only 5 people on each team, so we must communicate as a squad in some matters. On my team, we have a Team Leader (Chris), Worship Leader (Carli), Storyteller (Ayo), Hospitality Coordinator (Janelle), and Treasurer (me). Each team also has a Squad Leader or Squad Mentor, who have done the race before and serve as our mentors in our roles on the Race. Our Squad Mentor is Abigail and she is so fun and sweet! I am Treasurer, which means I keep track of the money we spend in the country. I do not worry about international travel, only travel from place to place in the city. I track food, lodging, and transportation. The name we chose for our team is Yadah, which means to extend or lift the hands in thanks, surrender, or confessing praise. We are excited for what is coming!

As we stepped onto the field after training camp, there was excitement in the air! We are officially in Kenya. We are in Nairobi and will be heading to Mombasa in four days! We have had a couple days of training, and we begin ministry tomorrow! God is already working and we know He has so much in store for us and for Kenya!