Can I just say one thing?  The bugs in Georgia? No thank you. They are large and in charge. Wasps nests in the showers, spiders dropping down during worship, and the various winged ones flying every which way. Besides the pests, training camp has been such a blessing. Spending four days in Gainsville's woods was such a necessary time just to meet the team and prepare our hearts. Besides all the brilliant speakers we heard and tasty food we ate, there were a few activities. One that stood out for me was the surrender hike. Before the hike started we all wrote on pieces of paper what...

There has been such a change in the heart of myself and my team over the past week and a half. From training camp to finally arriving in Guatemala.  From the time I arrived at training camp in Georgia, I knew The Lord had some things in store for me. I was ready to receive, but not quite expecting it to be a turning point in my life. Things I thought I had surrendered were still lingering around within me – and the Lord definiately had some uprooting to do. When I got there, I met my team who would end up being a huge part of my life….the people I would embrace as my family...

  A chef, baker, a candlestick maker…   That little rhyme immediately pops into my head when I think about the girls on my team because we are all so different and unique in our own ways. We'll be living together for the next four months as we pursue Christ and share the good news to the people of Guatemala. You'll probably hear me referring to them many times throughout blogging so what better way to start than to introduce you?   This past week at training camp, I had the pleasure of starting to know them as we all were challenged to surrender our fears...

Shout out from Team Guatemala at Spring 2013 passport training camp!  This morning the air is crisp and the ground is frozen here at training camp in Georgia, but there is a joy and excitement in the eyes of everyone on the team!   It has been an incredible few days of preparation, bonding, worship, and being drawn into the Father together as a team.  We’re so excited to embark on this journey together.    The Lord has been breaking down all of our walls and fears this week as we step into His presence, and I personally am so encouraged to see the hope and joy...

Trust. Surrender. Speak. Listen. Learn. Love. Follow. Serve.  How is it possible to learn and grow so much in just three and a half days? I expected to come to training camp and learn about how to survive without committing some social taboo (or getting malaria) and to bond with my teammates, but I could  not have foreseen the incredible lessons I have learned this week.  In the past few months I have been "preparing" for this semester: buying ministry clothes and bug spray, saying good-bye to my family and friends, and googling everything about Puerto Barrios....

"Welcome to training camp passporters! Here's your first assignment: You have ten minutes to return to your cabin and get THREE items. Those three items are all you will have till tomorrow morning. Choose wisely!"        I don't know what I was expecting for training camp, but THAT certainly was not it.  Using the boyscout skills I don't have to build a shelter out of tarp and ropes was not what I expected. Sleeping outside in the Georgia humidity and pine needles was not what I expected. (Our first night at training camp, sleeping in...