We just got back from 11 days of Training Camp, and we are having trouble describing the experience to people. Everyone wants to know how it went, what did we learn, what was our favorite part, etc… One of our teammates, Averi, said it best: “Training Camp was like a term of bible college, 3 back-to-back weekend retreats, an episode of Survivor, and exercise boot camp all mashed up into 11 days.”

Here is a quick summary of what we endured over the last two weeks:

• Setting up our tent each night and packing everything back up at 6:00 am each morning

• Cold, bucket showers that we shared with spiders and frogs

• Port-a-potties that baked in the Georgia heat

• A 2.2 mile fitness hike carrying all our gear (40 lbs.) that we had to complete in 38 minutes or less

• 7:00 am workouts everyday

• All different types of cuisine (including some bugs) and several times that we had to use our hands/share a plate with our team

• Several different “field scenarios”, which included sleeping with our whole squad under two tarps, spending the night in an “airport” with the lights on and loud announcements, and half of our squad losing their packs/having to share everything for a day

While that is just a sampling of things we were thrown, we can truly say that Training Camp was one of the best experiences of our lives. We worshipped God three times a day, learned from Adventures in Missions staff who have such wisdom on topics like Forgiveness, Shame, Evangelism, Worship, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Reading the Bible, etc., and met amazing people that we are so blessed to do life with for the next 11 months. 

Training Camp was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting, but it was also a time of freedom, community, and stepping into the giftings that we have all been given through the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons we were most excited to go to Training Camp, and the reason we cannot wait until Launch, is that we got to meet our team that we will be eating, sleeping, praying, and living with in Chile and beyond. We are a diverse team, and we all bring our unique gifts to the table. So without further ado...meet TEAM ABLAZE!

*Video by RJ Taylor