Hello Neighborhood Friends!

I know these blog posts have been very… well boring and poorly timed but I promise from here on out they will be a lot more fun.

I am on day 4 of training camp and oh my goodness we went 0-100 real quick!

There are 25 of us doing the 11n11 expedition but there are about 100 of us here across the 5 different trips. We are all staying in our tents in the woods across Adventures in Missions property.

They really want us to be as prepared as possible for our upcoming missions; Especially the younger, more inexperienced age groups.

For example we have a strict shower schedule which is in a cargo container that looks like it belongs on a freightliner in the middle of the ocean.

If you're extra smelly and can't wait two days to shower in this 95 degree humid Georgia heat (which is all of us) then it's off to the bucket showers for you.

Need a mirror? Well good luck with that because you won't find one! All laundry is also done in a bucket and hung on clothes lines. If your jeans aren’t crunchy then we don't want it 😂

Meals are very strict and we do not start unless all teams are present. Punctuality and etiquette is very important for meal times in foreign countries and they want us to start good habits now.

They also make a pretty much exact amount of food and that is it. You take just what you need to nourish your body and that's it because when your team goes last for meals you have an appreciation for portion control.

They are pounding consumerism out of us Americans now.

My squad leaves for Nairobi Kenya on Sept 7th and we will be in the country for about 40 days. Our squad will be split into 5 teams of 5 and will be separated until we reunite to head over to Ethiopia!

Now that I got the technical housekeeping out of the way I wanted to be honest with you about how I am doing.

I am doing well but I am pretty exhausted on a physical and emotional level.

Training camp is NOT all sunshine and rainbows.

The Lord started on my heart day one bringing chains I've been carrying to the surface. My coaches, mentors, and teammates have been super amazing at listening to me, guiding me in the right direction, and oftentimes just being a shoulder to cry on.

I am super blessed by the team of people the Lord has gifted me with.

Please pray for mental clarity and focus. I am not sleeping very well and each day I feel a little bit more emotional and scatterbrained than the last.

Today is our Sabbath which should help! We are encouraged to spend the day with the Lord and do what we need to do to refill our cups.

Today is not a chore and personal maintenance day!

I spent the morning with my new friend Ellia (Who is so so awesome…Love her!) and now I am at a library getting some much needed me time and AC!

I confess that I have broken “keep the sabbath holy” my entire life. I do not know how to rest well nor am I very good at experiencing God in the quiet.

I am determined to grow in this area on my trip and I want to grow a closer relationship with my heavenly father.

He is not a vending machine and should not be treated as such… Guilty 🙋

So I am going to sign off here and dive into his word to get to know him a little better.

Take a long cold or boiling hot shower for me!

~Your friendly neighborhood pastors kid