As I am about to leave for TC, I keep thinking about what happened at my last TC.
Last time I went to Training Camp (TC) I only had less than a week to prepare myself. I didn’t really read to many blogs about it and only watched a couple of videos so I had no idea about what I was about to walk in to. Now on the flip side I feel like I have those “one time at band camp” stories (which I have normally because I have been to 8 band camps!) except now they go like “This one time at TC…”. So here are my Training Camp stories. (p.s. there are no spoilers in this blog. If your about to go to TC or wondering what TC is like its best if you go to TC with no expectations or any idea of what your about to walk into. However if you want to know more details feel free to message me and I can tell you more!)
This one time at TC I learned how to put up my tent, I met my squad, I flew on an airplane by myself for the first time, I did a ton of team building activities, and I experienced God like never before.
After a summer full of spiritually exhausting children I was so ready to encounter God at TC. I felt like I was going to church camp! Except this type of camp is vastly different. Instead of having activities and groups that are designed to bring youth to Christ we were learning what life on the mission field was going to be like. We learned more about Adventures in Missions, the World Race, how to share our story, evangelism, children ministries, our team and squad, and what it will take to thrive on the mission field.
For me, learning to thrive on the mission field was something I thought I didn’t need to learn about but the longer I was at TC the more I realized how important this is! I figured it out because these same themes kept popping up:
- You are loved
- You are a child of God
- There was a reason you were born (I’m a miracle baby so I wasn’t even supposed to be here, but God created me “For such a time as this”)
- God has hand-picked you for this
- You are a daughter of this King.
It was all of these things and many more that really made TC worth it. Even though I ate a cricket for the first time, I ate some other really interesting food, and I got sick. That was nothing compared to the unrelenting, unconditional love of Christ that I experienced.
So, this one time at TC I met my team, helped cook dinner, build our shelter and then watch someone fall out of their hammock. And it is all of these things and many more that I am excited to return to TC again this week.
But this time I’m a little more prepared. I feel like I know my squad before I meet them, I am ready for God to teach me so many things, I’m really hoping and praying that I won’t get sick this time, (since last time I didn’t know I was really sick), and I’m so excited for God to teach me many, many more thing!
So, here’s to more TC stories and more “this one time at band camp” situations.
See you all in 10 days where I will have another update with what happened this time around!
