Pt. 1: Training Camp!

Hello lovely friends and family!

I am so thankful for this opportunity to blog and update you all on what I’ve been up to! I’ve been in the states for the past month completing Adventures in Missions training camp in Gainesville, GA, domestic ministry in Black Mountain, NC, and back to Gainesville for debrief!

Training Camp:

Here in Gainesville, we started our race off with 3 intense weeks of learning, individual spiritual growth, and physical activities. If you’re reading this, then you most likely know I’m not one to be basic… so I have written “training camp happenings like cringe YouTube video titles,” so without further ado:

• Knee-d Healing: One of the first things that happened during training camp was the Lord healing the daily soreness I felt in my knee that I’ve had 3 surgeries on through prayer… which I didn’t even believe was possible beforehand. Crazy how He works.
• The 7 little piggies: Our squad (everyone going on my route) did a fun activity for our squad leaders to reveal our small groups. We were blindfolded and each of us were told to do a specific animal sound unique to our “team” and find the 6 other people on your team based on our animal noises.. we were assigned the pig. It was such a fun, special moment between us as a team and the beginning of our little family!

• Almost got married off??: A group of us did a house visit scenario visiting a “couple from South Africa” (two of the small group leaders in the pavilion). We conversed with them for a while, and when I revealed to them that we are from the US, us girls were offered marriage to their 10 sons.
• Wee little man and the bullied children: My team did a kids ministry scenario where we tried to teach our squad the story of Zacchaeus through a skit as if we were teaching kids overseas (except they were given the prompt to act like fearful bullied children as we were trying to teach them, hiding in corners and not engaging). I discovered how well my squad can “act” like children…
• Kidnapped and taken to the Philippines??: Our squad leaders told my squad we were going to “the Philippines” for the night, and to pack our day packs and sleeping pad/blankets. We got all our stuff in the vans and drove a 10 min loop around camp and right back to the training center, where we simulated staying at a church in the Philippines, with hosts and dried out salty fish snacks… then all slept together on the floor of the training center.

• Ctrl + c = victory💙: C SQUAD WON SQUAD WARSSSS against the other route squads using our amazing dancing skills on an organized dance off, our online training points, a relay, an intense game of rock paper scissors, and dodgeball.

• I GOT BAPTIZEDDDD: (Not the silliest title but PRAISE GOD!!!) I was baptized at 10, but this was a declaration of my OWN faith and relationship with the Lord, not the faith I grew up with.
• The three circles adventure through Gainesville: AIM (Adventures in Missions) trained us in the three circles method and sent us out to evangelize around Gainesville. I went out with my new close friend from my team, Heidi, and my World Race advisor, Lila. We didn’t have many evangelistic opportunities ourselves, but we heard so many inspiring stories from other groups afterward!
• “Perseverance:” the struggle is real: I had been feeling off about camp and wanting to leave (spiritual warfare is real, guys) and asking God for a sign that this is truly where I should be. In that I said, “Lord, if this is where I’m meant to be, send me something I’ve never experienced before.” After evangelizing, one of the adult volunteers came up and said she had a word from God for me, “perseverance.” Apparently the Lord sends her words to use to spread the word and encourage others frequently… Another thing I didn’t believe was real until I experienced it for myself, and now I have multiple testimonies like this from my time on the race.
• Caitlyn the barista woman!!: My friends and I went on an adventure to the infamous Farmhouse Coffee in Gainesville and we ran into the sweetest barista who shared her testimony with us and listened to us share ours as well, and let us pray over her/prayed over us! All beginning with my friend spilling her coffee and going in to ask if they could remake it. I also ran into her yesterday at Farmhouse again… she’s the sweetest.
• I almost died on Mt. Yonah (NOT CLICKBAIT): My squad hiked up Mt. Yonah (3,166 feet elevation) and camped on the mountain for a night! Let me tell you, that hike was NOT easy, some groups of us got stuck scaling the mountain with their packs on (not me though). Fun story for y’all, though… We arrived at the top of the mountain, where I saw the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen. After a while of everyone sitting on this ledge taking in the beautiful view and sunset, I was on the ledge and everyone left to go to the campsite for dinner… I stayed alone to worship, singing to music on my phone and decide to go back soon after. As I’m walking back, a deer runs past right in front of me. Soon after, I hear something coming up behind me. Long story short, I fought a bobcat very valiantly and made it out without a scratch and a little bit of poison ivy rash (I saw a bobcat, screamed like an old man, and ran off the pitch black trail to the campsite). Moral of the story, never trust deer.

In all seriousness, training camp was an extremely transformative and eye opening experience and I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with my squad, the things I learned from sessions, and that C squad is the best squad and will forever dominate the other squads (but in a Christlike, loving way). I thank God for how He’s worked in me, and in everyone else around me.

I miss you all, and you’ll be hearing from me very soon for Pt. 2: Domestic Ministry and Pt. 3: Debrief.

I love you all and feel free to reach out to me through email or Instagram! I can’t promise it’ll be speedy, but it’s always nice to hear from others 🙂

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: Kowlerkk

ps. i got a tattoo hehehe