Major update:
As of right now, we’ve finished training in Georgia but our flights that would have left early Saturday morning to Costa Rica have been canceled due to a storm in our layover, Miami. Prayers would be greatly appreciated for us as we wait, and for new flights to be booked in God’s timing! More details in the rest of this post 🙂
6.1.22
End of day one!
On Tuesday, while at the Atlanta airport, more and more of our team collected to wait for the Adventures in Mission buses that pulled up mid afternoon. We rode to Gainesville, Georgia, finished registration, and set up our room. “Room,” meaning one big room where we all set up camp on the ground with sleeping pads and sleeping bags. While some conversation has been awkward as everyone is meeting for the first time and I’ve said “my name is Rebekah, I’m 21, and I’m from Colorado,” at least a dozen times, it was sweet to put faces to names and learn a bit about the 22 people going to Costa Rica alongside me!
Monday was the first day of training, and the theme was “intimacy” with God. After breakfast, we gathered as a team to talk about the culture and expectations of the trip, and how we would represent Jesus well. We had several speakers over sessions in the morning and afternoon, with card games thrown into the breaks. Hopefully my Dutch Blitz game improves over the next four weeks 🙂
The verse I keep returning to is Psalm 131:2, “I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
It is a bit of a funny verse, but one commentary describes the analogy of a weaned child as one who is just content to be in the presence of its mother. I know that I am God’s child, and I know that I am going to serve God’s children. Though there are still unanswered logistical questions and new faces and routines, it is enough to be in the presence of the Lord in Gainesville, Georgia, or Nicoya, Costa Rica.
6.2.22
End of day two:
Day two of training was a slow morning and an afternoon full of sessions on sharing our testimony, learning about opposite worldviews, and what it means to live life on mission. It feels like such a privilege to be with this group of 22 kids my age who organically flow from sharing what the Lord is teaching straight into a big ole game of ninja, but it has been so fun and encouraging.
6.3.22
End of day three and end of training camp!
The end of day three means the end of training camp, but it’s come with a big twist. We found out this morning that our flights to Costa Rica have been canceled, and while a team is actively looking for new flights, we don’t know yet when that will be. This news is disappointing, but I’ll be honest and say it feels like a bit of an adventure too! We’ll look for ministry opportunities in Georgia while we wait, and a 10:30pm shopping trip for tomorrows breakfast was also a blast.
We aren’t sure what the next couple days will look like, but it’s clear that Jesus is moving and speaking to each of us. It’s like any camp or retreat in that it has cleared away the regular concerns of life to make way for simple quality time with Jesus and each other.
I would appreciate prayers for our new flights to be booked and us to make it to Costa Rica! I’ll be sure to update as I know more!
