Wow. Three weeks of training camp down. Just like that, it’s over. I have been hesitant to write my first official blog because it’s so hard to fit everything that has happened into a single blog. The Lord has been working in infinitely good ways and has given me so many gifts– including lessons, community, and knowledge of Him. I feel so deeply grateful and honored to be in the place I am right now. As you read this, I hope you know I could never convey everything God has done in one post, but I’m trying my best! This will be a longer post, but it is full of updates about my life and the riches of God’s kindness, so I urge you to read on! : )
The first thing I want to tell y’all about is how God has been moving in my heart! During the first night of worship here at training camp, I noticed how different it is from what I’m used to! The worship here is centered around spontaneity and how the Holy Spirit is influencing the room. It’s personal, raw, and beautiful! I have learned that I love to just kneel on the ground at Jesus’ feet, face to the floor, and just talk to Him throughout worship! My squad has been defined by the joy of the Lord and it is evident during worship! There is always laughter and dancing and it builds my soul up! To worship Him is to obey Him– that’s a lesson I continue to learn each and every day!
In addition to worship, I have been really benefiting from the teachings! Some topics that have really stood out to me are “Identity in God,” “What is Evangelism,” and “Spiritual Warfare.” It’s funny because I’ve been learning so much about the Holy Spirit and I feel like I’m getting to know a new friend! The Holy Spirit has an emphasis here that I’m not used to and it’s a fresh perspective! Talk around spiritual warfare and the like is, at times, intimidating, yet it is so important and relevant to my soon-to-be life on the field overseas. My team leader gave our squad an evangelism talk and we learned some different methods! We then had an opportunity to practice sharing the gospel with each other. That lesson made me realize how much I didn’t know about how to actually describe what the gospel is and it was cool learning more about this faith of mine!
There are Revival Nights once a week which is basically a time of worship and inviting the Holy Spirit into the room to do anything He wants to! Over these Revival Nights, I have witnessed miracles and encountered God! My friend Hannah’s back was radically healed and many people got healed from sickness! It was awesome to experience. One night they were having baptisms, and I decided to get baptized! I got saved and was baptized in elementary school, but decided to make an act of re-dedicating my life to Christ because of all that He’s brought me through especially during high school. Many of my squadmates had decided to get baptized as well. As I prayed with my leader in the cold tub of water, the Holy Spirit rested on me and gave me indescribable joy and peace. I was dunked and came out of the water laughing uncontrollably with joy along with all my friends celebrating alongside me! The rest of the night we danced in the Father’s presence and were so giddy and grateful! It was the most crazy, awesome night!
Speaking of evangelism, all three of the gap year squads had the opportunity about a week ago to go into the city of Gainesville and evangelize on the streets! My squad went to the downtown area and had many wonderful conversations with people there. I walked around with my leader and one of my teammates, met some cool people, and told them about Jesus and prayed for them! It was a cool experience because I was thrown out of my comfort zone, yet God gave me so much peace and boldness! Right now, we have finished teaching and sessions, and are waiting to leave for our North Carolina mission rip tomorrow! In Black Mountain, North Carolina, we will be spending a week serving in several different ministries, loving on the community there! We will then come back to the Gainesville base we’re currently at for a week of debrief, which will include assessment of the past month, resting, and preparing to leave for Guatemala on October 7! We are all incredibly eager to go out into the nations and spread the gospel! There has been a buzz of excitement all around!
The next thing I want to talk about is the community here! We’re K Squad! There are five teams within my squad, one boys team and four girls teams (I know, the ratio is so funny). Each one contains around six squad members and one team leader, who are World Race alumni. After two weeks of getting to know each other and the Lord together, my team decided on the name “Steadfast.” This word is such a good thing to speak over ourselves because we are reminded of the Lord’s steadfastness in our lives– He is unwavering and our Rock, as well as our steadfastness in Him, which means our clinging to Him and not letting go! Team Steadfast is the team of girls I get to do life and ministry with, which means they’re going to be my main people and I already love them so much!
When I tell y’all, I have never bonded with a group of people more quickly than my squad! Living in the same campsite and seeing each other all day every day really speeds up the process because we’re basically forced to skip the awkward stage. Our hangouts consist of late night snacks and games, conversations that in a second turn from laughing to crying and praying with each other, and even the rare but fun morning run before breakfast! It is the sweetest thing to have a community of people who are so willing to, at any time, drop everything and intercede for you, impart wisdom, or just sit with you in a difficult time. It’s crazy! Thank you Jesus! This is also the silliest group of people and we are always crying laughing at something or being goofy! It’s the best! They give life such a sweet scent and are the most beautiful humans!
Lastly, I want to tell y’all about what training camp life is like! I’m not gonna lie, I had been super nervous about it, but it’s actually been amazing! From the bucket showers to tent bug infestations to the random downpours of rain to hand washing all of my laundry, I have learned to look past the silly little things like not showering for a couple days, gaining a deeper gratitude for more important things! Our leadership has been amazing about giving us some time to rest, and this was amazing when the majority of our squad was sick. All within two weeks, almost everyone on our squad had some kind of illness, and many are still going through it. I will be honest, it is tough because we seem to be relentlessly exhausted, but it’s just another space for the Lord to fill our weakness with evidence of His strength! Every Sunday, we have a Sabbath where there is nothing planned, except a squad-led church service. This has been our time to rest, call our people, and focus on Jesus!
As I conclude this blog, I would love to update y’all on how I’ve been doing and how y’all can be praying for my squad and I! I was sick for a while but am feeling much better, alongside a lot of my squad! It would be great if y’all could pray for the rest of my squad who are still getting over illness. Also, please be in prayer for this week of domestic ministry beginning tomorrow! Please pray for our safety, patience, and just that the love of God will be displayed through us when spreading the gospel and loving on the community! Lastly, please be in prayer for our joy, unity, and energy! Finding time to rest is difficult, so just pray that the Lord provides that!
Thank y’all so much for being so supportive and eager to hear about my time here! My immense gratitude also goes to those who both continue to pray for me and my squad and support me financially! I love and miss you all and I think about home often, though I am not yet homesick, so praise God for that! So excited to continue to update y’all!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
All my love, Abi
